#GamerGate - Is It About Misogyny or Ethical Journalism? Why Not Both?

From Abc.net.au's Religion and Ethics site:

For some, GamerGate is about the "ethics of gaming journalism," about the alleged collusion between video game developers and video game journalists, and about the response of gaming journalists and websites to such accusations. For others, GamerGate is about the misogynistic culture of video games, a culture that exists both in the sexist portrayal of women in video games and in the violent threats that have been made against women who have criticized this culture.

So what is GamerGate all about? Is it about the need for objectivity in gaming journalism, or is it about the need for equality in gaming culture?

While it has become something of a joke among those fighting for equality to argue that "it's actually about the ethics of gaming journalism," it is important to realize that these two sides of GamerGate need not be in opposition to each other, and could even be used to support each other.

Continue reading...

World Philosophy Day 2014

For World Philosophy Day 2014, three of PLU's philosophy majors and I will be discussing GamerGate, Feminism, and the "Ethics of Gaming Journalism."

As the theme of this year's World Philosophy Day is "Social Transformations and Intercultural Dialogue," we will be attempting to start just such a dialogue between gamers and feminists.

For more information, see our event invitation here.

Visiting Professor Shines Light on Myths of Unmanned Warfare

From Southern News:

Vampires and Call of Duty were all used as subject matter in a lecture on war drones, but the only myth was that drone operators suffer less than combat soldiers. 

Visiting philosophy professor Dr. Nolen Gertz, of Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Wash., addressed common misconceptions of drone operators in his lecture of, “The Myth of Unmanned Warfare: Drone Operators, Cyber Warriors, and Prosthetic Gods” Nov. 14 in Engelman C112. 

His lecture focused on how little people realize that although the drones are unmanned, those who operate the drones experience the operation more than a soldier on foot may experience it. Continued...

Find out more about the talk here.

Find out more about the book the talk is based on here.