One of Gjoni's myriad complaints against Zoe Quinn,and the allegation seized on by GamerGate conspiracy theorists,is that Quinn had some kind of romantic relationship with a freelance gaming writer called Nathan Grayson (who now works for the Gawker-affiliated gamer's guideKotaku) - and that whatever relationship they had was in exchange for favourable reviews.

It has to be said right now:The allegation that Quinn exchanged sex with Grayson for a positive review of Depression Quest wasthoroughly debunked by Kotaku on August 20.

That didn't stop GamerGaters using the claim to declare an internet war on women - a war in which concerns about"journalistic ethics"became the"weapons of mass destruction"waved about to excuse violent acts of intimidationagainst women who aren't even journalists - and most of whom have done nothing but disagree with the GamerGaters'horrific abuse of other women.

Zoe Quinn was only the first woman tocome under attack in this #GamerGate war. She outlined the abuse she has received inthis eloquent Tumblr post in which she also explains why her private life is not up for public discussion. When other women came out in her defence - critics Leigh Alexander and Anita Sarkeesian,and fellow developer Brianna Wu - they were given the same treatment:horrific harassment,doxxing,hacking and publicising of personal details,anddeath threats.

Repeat after me:it's not about ethics in game journalism. It's about misogyny.

We know the allegations levelled against Grayson are bunk - and we also know that he's never been the target of GamerGaters'vitriol that has seen women forced out of their own homes in fear of their lives. Even if the allegations were true,seriously,the journalism we're talking about here is asubjective opinion about agame. Forgive me if I don't think it's a high stakes area for exposing potential conflicts of interest.

The real scandal in the GamerGate saga isnot about the forces that may or may not affect a reviewer's position on a game,or how some games get attention while others are ignored. It's that a woman's reputation can be destroyed,and her life can threatened and turned upside-down because she dared to be a sexual human being while at the same time attempting to make a career for herself. And that any woman who comes out in support gets the same treatment.

Accusing a woman of sleeping - or let's be honest,even flirting,even having a drink - with a man that she might have even a vaguely professional connection to is a classic sexist technique used to destroy a woman's professional credibility. Regardless of what professional credentials we might have,women are in constant danger of having our reputations destroyed by the merest suggestion that our feminine wiles are getting us anywhere - even though we know that the opposite is almost always the case.

But happen to be a card-carrying member of the boys club? That's fine. Here,have a beer and a foot in the door - it's your birthright.

It boils down to the fact that we are still incredibly suspicious of women who get ahead. Our society can't seem to get its collective head around the fact that women are just as smart and talented as men. We accuse women of using sexuality as a cash bribe and ignore the fact that men use other men to get ahead too:it's called networking. We can't seem to stop seeing relationships between members of the opposite sex as a transaction and regarding them with suspicion,while being mates is lauded as the most natural,innocent and positive thing in the world - even on a professional level. But I know that if I want a favour,the last person I'm going to ask is a current or former lover:I'll phone a friend. Or pay a publicist to do it for me,because that's just how it works.