This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Yes, it would be fun to think it's all about goofy old Utah. But the big news from Logan — which made Page One of The New York Times today — grows out of an ongoing online mess dividing the video game community.

Identified by the hashtag #Gamergate, it began as complaints that folks who review video games were improperly influenced by personal relationships. But it quickly became a horrible culture war battle where those who criticize the submissive or victim role of women in many computer games themselves became the target of nasty, sometime outright violent, comments from people who think women not only have no place in that world but are to blame for anything that may be wrong with some sad male's life.

So it's guys who can't get a date overcompensating by hating women. To the point of threatened, or real, violence.

On the other side, of course, are us guys who are eagerly anticipating a stand-alone movie all about The Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) who is nobody's victim, and all the more appealing because of it. Or Wonder Woman.

It's the topic right of today's Trib Talk:

— Trib Talk: #Gamergate in Utah — The Salt Lake Tribune

Money quote, from University of Utah Game Design director Roger Altizer: "Violence kills free speech."

— Anita Sarkeesian explains why she canceled USU lecture — Erin Alberty | The Salt Lake Tribune

"A nationally known feminist media critic said Wednesday that 'it would be irresponsible' to give a lecture amidst mass shooting threats at Utah State University, knowing that police would not screen for weapons at the door.

"In a phone interview from San Francisco, Anita Sarkeesian said she canceled Wednesday's lecture not because of three death threats — one of which promised 'the deadliest school shooting in American history' — but because firearms would be allowed in spite of the threats.

" 'That was it for me,' said Sarkeesian, who has kept multiple speaking engagements in the face of death threats, including one last week at Geek Girl Con in Seattle. 'If they allowed weapons into the auditorium, that was too big a risk.'

"She also pledged never to speak at a Utah school until firearms are prohibited on Utah's campuses and called for other lecturers to join her in boycotting the state. ..."

— Feminist Critics of Video Games Facing Threats in 'GamerGate' Campaign — Nick Wingfield | The New York Times

"Anita Sarkeesian, a feminist cultural critic, has for months received death and rape threats from opponents of her recent work challenging the stereotypes of women in video games. Bomb threats for her public talks are now routine. One detractor created a game in which players can click their mouse to punch an image of her face.

"Not until Tuesday, though, did Ms. Sarkeesian feel compelled to cancel a speech, planned at Utah State University. The day before, members of the university administration received an email warning that a shooting massacre would be carried out at the event. And under Utah law, she was told, the campus police could not prevent people with weapons from entering her talk. ..."

— 8 Images That Show What #GamerGate Is Really About — BuzzFeed