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At first glance, it might seem like QAnon and Gamergate are worlds apart in terms of method and aim-but that couldn’t be further from reality. When QAnon-sympathetic right-wing pundit Tim Pool was recently under the heat of criticism from female journalists and academics, prominent Gamergate figure “TheQuartering” was quick to come to his aid with a misogyny-laced response. This wasn’t the first time Gamergate advocates had attracted ire for professing problematic views, and attacking individuals while absolving themselves responsibility of the ensuing harassment, but it is a reminder that the shared disdain Gamergaters have for efforts of deradicalization is only one facet of their likeness to QAnon, and it goes a long way to explain why these two movements find themselves more in alignment than at odds.
Gamergate’s distinct reputation for sabotaging discourse — a quality QAnon has in abundance — is nothing new. An even more difficult assessment to make though, is whether an appeal to bigotry would naturally engender deep-seated prejudices against minorities as a byproduct of the constant flirting with these ideas. At least in the case of TheQuartering, that assessment has proven to be true-the YouTuber who got his content creation break from…
