Gaming Documentary Featuring Alyssa Mercante Fails to Reach $400 on GoFundMe as Gamers Rally Around SmashJT Legal Defense Fund

In recent times, the world of video games has transformed into a battleground for cultural and political viewpoints, with an increasingly noticeable rift emerging between those expressing socially conscious opinions (often referred to as “woke”) and regular gamers who find themselves inundated with frequent political messages. The gaming community’s reaction to two recent occurrences—the fundraising campaign for the documentary Gaming While Black, produced by former Kotaku editor Alyssa Mercante, and the contentious legal battle between Mercante and YouTuber SmashJT—provides a clear picture of the growing divide in what is now called the gaming culture war.