The real issue in this whole situation is really not what Zoe Quinn did, it's what the gaming "journalists" did.
Zoe Quinn cheating on her bf is entirely her business, and not much of a story.
Zoe Quinn cheating on her bf with influential members of the industry who can further her career, that's slightly more interesting.
But the really interesting thing is how everyone in her circles reacted to this. E.g, John Walker from Rock-Paper-Shotgun tweeted this:
anyone who posts on RPS *anything* about the private lives of *anyone* will be instantly banned
Seems reasonable, right? Except only a month ago, Max Temkin, a male game developer, was accused of rape (which he denied), and the very same John Walker posted an article about it on RPS that has this in the second paragraph:
So it's weird not to talk about it, right? Why is no-one talking about it? Follow on.
Soooooo, how come it's "weird not to talk about" a male game developer being accused of rape, but talking about a female game developer admitting to rape (according to her own definition) is grounds for instant banning?
These people will jump on every possibility to twist words and misrepresent facts in order to make male game developers appear as evil, chauvinistic bastards, potentially ruining their reputation/career, and then they'll turn around and prevent anyone from discussing the well-documented antics of a female developer who they all happen to be hanging out with.
For all the social justice talk that these people publish, ostensibly in the name of "equality" and "anti-harrassment", their scales are pretty friggin' slanted.
Oh, and let's not forget the
Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics:
Act Independently
Journalists should be free of obligation to any interest other than the public's right to know.
Journalists should:
Avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived.
Remain free of associations and activities that may compromise integrity or damage credibility.
Refuse gifts, favors, fees, free travel and special treatment, and shun secondary employment, political involvement, public office and service in community organizations if they compromise journalistic integrity.
Disclose unavoidable conflicts.
Be vigilant and courageous about holding those with power accountable.
Deny favored treatment to advertisers and special interests and resist their pressure to influence news coverage.
Be wary of sources offering information for favors or money; avoid bidding for news.
Can you count how many of those your average Kotaku writer is guilty of?
tl;dr
- Nobody cares, or at least nobody should care, that Zoe Quinn is a horrible person
- Zoe Quinn did a lot of things that hurt the gaming industry
- The real criminals are the gaming "journalists" (who all hang out with her) and indie devs (who all hang out with her), for not only supporting her in this, but actively trying to censor any and all criticism aimed at her.