Arlington Video Game Developer Victim of Death Threats, Harassment Online

An Arlington resident and game developer has asked police for help following a video posted about her on YouTube threatening her life and accusing her of attempted murder.

Brianna Wu posted to Twitter about the video, in which a #Gamergate supporter accuses her of tampering with his mother’s Prius and running him off the road.

Gamergate describes itself as a group of gamers advocating for better ethics in gamer journalism. But that description seems to be a thin veil for an anti-feminist group attacking women in the videogame industry.

The #Gamergate controversy started in August when the group began threatening video game developer Zoe Quinn.

In the past four months, Wu has gotten more than 43 death threats from Gamergate, including a string of tweets and photos harassing her after the death of her dog.

The recent threat comes from Gamergate supporter Jace Conners, who has threatened Wu on twitter and other social media sites before.

Connors posts on YouTube under the name ParkourDude91. His video “Brianna Wu tried to assassinate me via street racing,” posted on Friday, Jan.. 30, opens with Connors cursing and screaming almost intelligibly next to a car rolled on it’s side.

The video then transitions into a screen with text, claiming that Brianna Wu rigged his mother’s Prius and forced him off the road during a street race in an attempt to kill him for being a “#Gamergate vigilante.” Connors said he was on his way to Wu’s home to “expose her as a corrupt gamer.”

He later asked others to join him in “Operation Wu-Pocalypse” and said the street race incident was only phase 1. Another #Gamergate proponent is continuing with phase 2 of the plan, according to Conor’s video.

Officials are not sure Jace Connors is the man’s real name as he describes himself differently on various social media sites. On Tumblr, Connors says he is a former U.S. Marine, on Twitter a former Navy Seal and on YouTube a U.S. Army veteran.

Wu contacted Arlington police about the incident and posted multiple tweets urging law enforcement to arrest Connors and get him the medical help she believes he needs.

Connors lives near Boston, according to Jezebel, and has sent Wu multiple threatening videos and death threats in the past few months.

“I have to be honest,” Wu said in a letter to Jezebel. “I’m not sure what needs to happen here. The Commander [Connors] is clearly mentally ill, and I’m not sure if he’d be better helped through jail time or through time with mental health professionals. But, it’s clear he’s a danger to himself and others currently. It’s my hope in speaking out that law enforcement will get involved and get this man the help he needs.”

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Image: Screenshot from Jace Connors’s video

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