GTFO: Get the F&#% Out

Hours and hours of online video have been devoted to the topic of sexual harassment towards women in the video game community, but Shannon Sun-Higginson's trim 76-minute documentary appears to be the first actual movie dedicated to the matter. The film reviews, analyzes, and comments on a wide range of relevant subjects with impressive clarity and calmness. While not bombastic enough to be a true blockbuster documentary and unlikely to dislodge opinions firmly moored against it, the movie nevertheless triumphs by summarizing a very complex social situation and presenting it in an accessible manner.

It's important to know what this movie *isn't.* It isn't a platform for media figures like Anita Sarkeesian, Brianna Wu, or Zoe Quinn to promote their ideas. If the combined screen time of Sarkeesian, Wu, and Quinn exceeds five minutes, I'll be surprised. It's also not focused on the Gamergate controversy - a subject which the filmmakers tack on during the film's final three minutes, pointing out that harassment in gaming is too large an issue to encompass with one spectacle. Instead, the documentary focuses on a host of subjects that includes cyberbullying, the perception of female game-players, the historically isolated nature of the game development world, the "boys' club" mentality, and an analysis of online and in-game harassment.

The movie does a fine job of disseminating its intricate subject. Its overall approach is holistic, but it doesn't ignore the troubling symptoms of the phenomenon. The filmmakers are aware that understanding is paramount to addressing this problem on a practical scale, so this is not the fist-in-the-air, marshal-the-troops display of militant feminism that some might expect. A sound weaving of narratives gets across this one's message, which is essentially that not only is harassment of this sort prevalent, it's based on firmly-established cultural norms and produces effects not limited to a handful of spiteful comments on Xbox Live. Longtime followers of this trend may not find anything groundbreaking in the information presented here, but the movie may be the best vehicle for presenting these ideas as a package.

On a technical level, the film maintains a rolling pace but nevertheless bears some less-than-perfect qualities. There's an overabundance of repetitious stock footage (forgivable and limited to the first half of the film) and the audio of some of the interviews is a little hollow. Viewers who dismiss the movie out of hand may cry foul at every point expressed, but the only problematic instance I noted is the framing of Miranda Pakozdi, who presents her experience of the infamous "Cross Assault" event differently than the filmmakers do.

Despite its serious subject matter, the movie is not pessimistic. Much of the runtime highlights positive developments, including the influx and encouragement of female interest in game design, the fostering of supportive communities like GirlGeekCon, and growing male awareness of the matter. When the film ended, I felt optimistic and energized, which is probably the way the filmmakers intended me to feel.

A certain number of viewers will have absolutely no use of this one. If you're already well-informed on the matter, then there's nothing here for you to sink your teeth into. However, I do recommend this one to general audiences who are fine with the subject matter and occasional profanity. There is a ton of information here and this is probably the easiest way to receive it.