The importance of GamerGate -- a cultural firestorm and ostensible video games consumer revolt fixated on feminism, journalistic ethics and right-wing politics -- is not necessarily easy for an outsider to grasp. That's because from the outside it doesn't seem... to make a whole lot of sense.
As such, it has proven to be a topic best treated in recent days by humour and parody.
US late night host and satirical firebrand Stephen Colbert produced perhaps the best 10 minute discussion of the issue so far last night, when he invited feminist blogger (and focus of serious, equally inexplicable abuse) Anita Sarkeesian to discuss it with him on The Colbert Report.
What happened next was probably the best and most incisive piece on GamerGate to yet appear on mainstream TV.
And yes, the fact that's true is incredibly depressing.