Scarlett Johansson May Lead A Gamergate Movie

Even if you're just a casual fan of video games, there's a good chance you've heard of the controversy known as Gamergate. Without getting into the finer details, it's basically an online movement that originated online in August of 2014 that is said to be about ethics in game journalism, but has come under fire for pushing forth sexism in the video game industry.

It all began when game designer Zoe Quinn became the target of an online group after a disparaging blog post about her by an ex-boyfriend went viral in the video game community. Over a year later, it has turned into a provocative and eye-opening look at video game culture, the changing profile of what is a "gamer" and the inner-workings of the game industry. And now that story has proven to be intriguing enough for a potential Gamergate movie.

Deadline reports former Sony executive Amy Pascal has won a bidding war for Zoe Quinn's memoir Crash Override: How to Save the Internet from Itself, a book that will be published in September of 2016 after a proposal called Control Alt Delete was picked up by Simon & Schuster for publication. If you want to know what Quinn's book is about, here's the description from her proposal:

"Gaming and internet message boards used to be niche interests, mostly for young men. In the past few years, however, they've gone mainstream. Millions of people — including women and other marginalized people — have taken an interest in the platforms, image boards, and discussion forums that once belonged by default to a much smaller population. Most gamers give zero fu*ks about this. Like the rest of us, they're just here to play games. But a vocal minority are clinging onto the brand of Cheetos-and-Mountain-Dew exclusionary identity 'hardcore gamer,' muttering 'fu*kin casuals' under their breath."

Rather than dealing with the internet group by backing down and keeping quiet, Quinn has been very vocal about fighting back against what many see as sexism and misogyny that has surfaced as a result of Gamergate. Not all video gamers are acting out in a negative way though, and plenty of video game blogs and industry professionals, male and female alike, have spoken out against the vitriol and harassment that is being flung at Quinn and some of her key supporters. Some on the other side of the argument feel attacked as well, but it doesn't warrant certain despicable behavior.

The project is clearly in the early stages of development, but it already has the interest of several big name actresses such as Scarlett Johansson, and since Pascal Pictures is based at Sony Pictures, they'll get a first look at the project before it can be shopped around anywhere else. Though that might prove to be problematic if the movie ends up angering a large group of gaming consumers, because Sony manufactures the PlayStation gaming consoles.

This is quite the hot button issue right now, so it's not surprising to hear that Hollywood has taken an interest to bring it to life on the big screen, but we'll have to wait and see if it actually comes together or not. If you want to more about the Gamergate controversy, which is a bit convoluted at this point, your best resource is probably the Wikipedia page.