Summary
The man who broke into the house of US Congresswoman and former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is claiming in court that he was influenced by gaming personalities onYouTubeamong other sources. David DePape is currently on trial for the home invasion as well as for assaulting Nancy Pelosi’s husband with a hammer. The attack, which DePape has already confessed to in court, took place on Jun 11, 2025, shortly before the United States midterm elections.
DePape has claimed that he targeted Pelosi because he believed she was part of a grand conspiracy by evil forces against the country. Thewould-be attacker of Nancy Pelosi has been previoulsy inpsired by GamerGateand, based on his statements and past writing, he had come to believe in a mashup of conspiracy theories that included elements of the PizzaGate conspiracy, QAnon, Holocaust denial, and bizarre and radical ideas. Now, it seems gaming YouTube has also been thrown into the mix.
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As reported byKQED, DePape testified on the stand thatYouTubevideos about GamerGate were what first drew him to politics. From there, it seems he moved on to more explicitly political YouTubers and found himself exploring conspiracy theories that led to his radicalization. He also described spending hours every day playing video games while listening to right wing podcasts.
YouTube, as with other social media, has become a home for many conspiracy theorists and disturbed individuals. A few years ago,YouTube took steps to deal with 5G conspiracy theorieson its platform, and there is no shortage of other theorists, ranging from flat earth believers to anti-vaccination advocates. For those prone to radicalization and believing in conspiracy, it’s very easy to find videos and posts that will feed their interests.
It’s also not uncommon for such individuals to draw from many sources, believing in many, sometimes contradictory, theories at once. It appears that this is what has happened with DePape, as evidenced by his explanation that touches on numerous conspiracies involving a range of politicians, academics, and celebrities. Still, gamers are likely to be upset that their hobby is being connected to a violent crime. TheAmerican Psychological Association has found no meaningful link between gaming and violence, but incidents like this can still cast the community in a poor light.
Some would argue that YouTube and the gaming community have become more political in recent years. In 2022, for example, YouTuberDream had to deal with criticism for his political beliefs, and many others are choosing, or expected, to take stands on many controversial issues. No doubt, many will want to respond to this news and distance themselves from the beliefs and actions of DePape.
