People Make Games, a YouTube channel founded by former Eurogamer video maker Chris Bratt and animator Anni Sayers, has concluded a year-long investigation into Bachir “Athene” Boumaaza, a YouTuber who got his start with troll-y video game antics but went on to form a pseudo-religion called Neuro-Spinozism and is now the face of an organisation called The Singularity Group.
The investigation alleges that Boumaaza is responsible for manipulation, misogyny, emotional abuse and a lack of accountability at the top of the organisation. Anonymous ex-members of the group discussed emotional manipulation and gaslighting behind the scenes, while Boumaaza made statements like “girls have evolved to be emotional manipulation machines” with cameras rolling.
The video culminates with a lengthy conversation between People Make Games and Boumaaza, in which the latter calls the investigation a “hit piece” among other things, denies some of the allegations, and offers his view of others.
The investigation is an extremely compelling piece of reporting. The full video is lengthy, complicated, and at times deeply frustrating, but well worth a watch.
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