#Gamergate debate rages on

This week the #gamergate debate continues to escalate, moving increasingly from 8chan and twitter to mainstream news outlets like The Huffington Post, The Washington Post and NPR. For those who aren’t aware, #gamergate began in August when video game developer Zoe Quinn was accused by an ex-boyfriend of having sexual relations with industry critics to get positive reviews for her game, Depression Quest. The resulting backlash -- the movement that is now known as #gamergate -- was originally framed as a call for higher ethical standards in games journalism. However, #gamergate has become infinitely more complex since these relatively humble beginnings.

Of the many nuanced aspects that developed over the subsequent weeks, keeping the #gamergate story hot nearly two months after the initial scandal, the personal attacks that have been leveled on all sides of the conflict are perhaps the most troubling. Quinn has been personally and viciously attacked, receiving death threats that prompted her to leave her home and end her career as a video game developer. Shortly thereafter, Anita Sarkeesian, a prominent internet feminist and champion of women in the gaming industry, also became the target of similar aggression.

Recently, another game developer, Brianna Wu, received death threats after tweeting about #gamergate and -- after her address was posted online -- vacated her home as well. Earlier this week Sarkeesian was forced to cancel a talk she was scheduled to give at Utah State University due to threats of a "massacre."

The violent, ugly and often sexually explicit language directed at these women -- called "Social Justice Warriors" by their opposition -- has been rightly labeled misogynistic by those who speak out against #gamergate, but also, notably, by some who identify with the #gamergate movement and are distressed by the turn that these comments have taken. Death threats and violent language have also been used against gamers, though at least according to reported accounts, these attacks have been less prolific, less specific and have received less media attention.

Now several weeks after "Quinnspiracy" first reared its head, a new disagreement seems to be plaguing the public debate: What is #gamergate REALLY about? A sex scandal, media corruption, widespread misogyny? As the controversy shows no sign of slowing down, all players -- the media, video game developers and #gamergaters -- continue to clash, arguing and sometimes slandering, but most importantly, trying to frame the debate according to their own terms.