"Intimidation Game" is the fourteenth episode of the sixteenth season of the police procedural television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. The episode aired on February 11, 2015, on NBC. In the episode, which was loosely inspired by the Gamergate controversy, a female video game developer is harassed and threatened by a group of misogynistic cyber terrorists. The episode featured guest appearances from Logan Paul, Toby Turner, Jack Vale and James Ciccone.
| "Intimidation Game" | |
|---|---|
| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 16 Episode 14 |
| Directed by | Jean de Segonzac |
| Story by | Julie Martin Céline C. Robinson Robert Brooks Cohen |
| Teleplay by | Céline C. Robinson Robert Brooks Cohen |
| Production code | 1614 |
| Original air date | February 11, 2015 |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
Synopsis
editVideo game developer Raina Punjabi (Mouzam Makkar) ignores warnings from online predators as the release date of her game arrives. When a female employee is soon assaulted at a game convention, the detectives ask Punjabi to halt the game's release. When she refuses, Fin and SVU must race to protect her from technically skilled predators that want to see Punjabi out of the gaming business.
Reception
editCritical response
editAnnounced on January 29, 2015 and aired on NBC in the United States on February 11, 2015,[1][2] the episode received negative reviews for its portrayal of gaming culture and "sexism in video games."[3][4][5]
Ratings
editAccording to TV by the Numbers, the episode's original broadcast was watched by 6.12 million viewers and acquired a 1.4 rating/4% share in the 18–49 demographic.[6]
References
edit- ^ Kollar, Philip (January 29, 2015). "Law & Order: SVU to air episode based on GamerGate". Polygon. Archived from the original on January 30, 2015. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
- ^ Burton, Bonnie (February 9, 2015). "Gamergate is the latest controversial plot in 'Law & Order: SVU'". CNET. Archived from the original on February 12, 2015. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
- ^ Machkovech, Sam (February 12, 2015). "Law & Order SVU takes on GamerGate, everyone loses". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on February 12, 2015. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
- ^ Robertson, Adi (February 12, 2015). "The Law & Order Gamergate episode manages to be even more depressing than Gamergate". The Verge. Archived from the original on February 13, 2015. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
- ^ Rosenberg, Alyssa (February 12, 2015). "'Law & Order' and GamerGate's legacy". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 12, 2015. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
- ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (February 12, 2015). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'Empire', 'Arrow' & 'American Idol' Adjusted Up; 'The Goldbergs', 'The 100', 'The Mentalist', 'The Mysteries of Laura', 'black-ish' & 'Criminal Minds' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 12, 2015. Retrieved January 26, 2019.