Anita Sarkeesian
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Games For Change opens free registrations for its virtual 2020 festival
For the first time in its 17-year history, the Games For Change Festival will be free to attend. As in past years, they'll also be an awards ceremony honoring those in the game industry who have had a significant social impact. Games For Change also announced four additional keynote speakers.
New Feminist Frequency video dissects 'Women are too hard to animate'
After shifting its schedule to release shorter, more rapid entries in its series Tropes vs. Women in Video Games earlier this year, the cultural criticism web channel Feminist Frequency posted its latest episode today. It tackles the excuse game studios have given when they don't include female playable characters: that women are too hard to animate. (Spoiler: they're not.) When one sex is treated differently in games, the video argues, negative and predatory attitudes proliferate.
New 'Feminist Frequency' video examines 'women as reward'
In 2012, Anita Sarkeesian asked for $6,000 on Kickstarter to create a YouTube series dissecting the way video games commonly portray women, to be housed under her Feminist Frequency brand. Sarkeesian's project raised $160,000 and she's since released eight videos in the Tropes vs. Women in Video Games series, covering the "Damsel in Distress" trend, "Ms. Male Character" theme and the idea of "Women as Background Decoration." The latest video, released today, covers "Women as Reward" and it discusses the myriad ways women are offered as hyper-sexualized trophies in some popular video games.
Expect two new series from Feminist Frequency in 2015
Controversial games critic and YouTube star Anita Sarkeesian has outlined plans to launch two new web series in 2015, while continuing to produce her popular Feminist Frequency videos. According to the report (.pdf), Sarkeesian's non-profit organization (also named "Feminist Frequency") has plans for two new productions, a "video series examining the representations of men and masculinity in video games" and a "miniseries presenting examples of positive female characters in video games." No further details on either series are mentioned, but the report does state that Sarkeesian and her colleagues will continue their work as vocal advocates for gender equality in virtual culture. These burgeoning plans follow a successful year for Feminist Frequency in which the group attracted over $400,000 in donations and Sarkessian's efforts were featured in media outlets ranging from Joystiq to the New York Times. She even appeared on one of the final episodes of The Colbert Report to discuss her work and her many, many online detractors. [Image: Feminist Frequency]
Nightline investigates GamerGate, online harassment
ABC's Nightline aired interviews with Anita Sarkeesian, Brianna Wu, Tim Schafer and a handful of video game critics and players on Wednesday, in a segment titled, "What It Feels Like To Be A Gamergate Target." It presented an overview of the issues involved in GamerGate, including the portrayal of women as sex objects in games, harassment toward women who play games, the growing market of women within gaming, and the argument that all games (or players) can't be represented by a few extreme examples alone. Nightline highlighted "signs of change in the industry" with a visit to Double Fine co-founder Tim Schafer and a look at Broken Age. "Once you've sat down and tried to play a game with your daughter and tried to find games where she can play a character that she identifies with, you start to feel bad about not putting that option in your own game," Schafer said. Watch the complete segment below.
Men detail male gamers' privilege on new Feminist Frequency
Hoping to hear from the other side of the gender aisle, Anita Sarkeesian has turned over the latest episode of her controversial Feminist Frequency video blog to a few dozen men who explain all the little, unspoken positives that come along with having a pronounced Y chromosome in the world of video games. [Image: Feminist Frequency]
Anita Sarkeesian talks GamerGate on The Colbert Report
Feminist gaming critic Anita Sarkeesian paid a visit to Stephen Colbert last night on his satirical show, The Colbert Report. Sarkeesian explained the origins of the GamerGate movement and the threats she's received while the host aimed his talent for razor-sharp satire at the controversy's more ridiculous aspects. [Image: Anita Sarkeesian]
Joystiq Weekly: Mordor's photo mode, The Evil Within review, Devolver's appeal and more
Welcome to Joystiq Weekly, a "too long; didn't read" of each week's biggest stories, reviews and original content. Each category's top story is introduced with a reactionary gif, because moving pictures aren't just for The Daily Prophet. As the Smash Bros. and Halo series have taught us, stopping the action to play around with in-game cameras can be oddly compelling (and gleefully annoying to rivals/co-op partners). If The Last Of Us: Remastered and Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor's inclusion of similar features are the start of a trend, we'd welcome it with open shutter arms. Repositioning the camera for the perfect shot of an epic summon in Final Fantasy 15? Showcasing the full scope of a crazy moment in the time-defying Quantum Break? Yes please! There was plenty more to this week than snapping photos of an orc squadron's downfall though – Halo: The Master Chief Collection is expected to have a ~20GB day one patch, there were reviews for The Evil Within, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel and Bayonetta 2, and we got a full-frame perspective of publisher Devolver Digital. Check all that out and more after the break!
Anita Sarkeesian speech canceled following threats, safety concerns
Feminist critic Anita Sarkeesian has canceled an appearance at Utah State University following death threats where the institution could not implement stronger safety controls. "Sarkeesian was informed that, in accordance with the State of Utah law regarding the carrying of firearms, if a person has a valid concealed firearm permit and is carrying a weapon, they are permitted to have it at the venue," according to a USU statement.
Anita Sarkeesian dissects the hoaxes, campaigns against her
Anita Sarkeesian is in a special position. Not only does she publicly and academically dissect video games from a feminist perspective, but she is able to transfer that magnifying glass onto herself, since her work has made her a well-known figure within the industry. In a talk at XOXO in Portland, Sarkeesian breaks down the violent response to her Tropes vs. Women in Video Games series. As the Joystiq comments section will attest, the Tropes vs. Women videos incite heightened emotions from seemingly long-time gaming fans – emotions including anger, disgust and outrage at any attempt to point out that video games have historically been marketed toward a heterosexual male audience, even while the gaming consumer base has shifted to include more diverse voices. As she discusses, these reactions are even more extreme when directed at Sarkeesian personally, ranging from fake Twitter accounts and fabricated speeches, to death and rape threats that include her home address alongside violent imagery.
Tropes vs Women further examines misogynist decoration in games
In the second part of Anita Sarkeesian's examination of women as decoration in games, the Feminist Frequency founder examines games in which female characters exist purely as sexual objects to advance the plot. Brief scenes of sexual assault in Metro 2033 and BioShock, for example, offer no discernable gameplay benefit and seemingly exist purely to paint certain male characters as a predatory evil. [Image: Tropes Vs Women]
New 'Tropes vs. Women' discusses the dark side of decoration
Feminist Frequency founder Anita Sarkeesian has launched the first video in her "Women as Background Decoration" series, dissecting how women are portrayed as non-playable sex objects in video games and the real-world effects these images have on players. Women as Background Decoration is the second series in Sarkeesian's Tropes vs. Women video campaign, which raised $158,922 on Kickstarter in 2012. In part one, Sarkeesian breaks down how women are hyper-sexualized and transformed into objects in many games, allowing players to use, abuse and dispose of female sex workers as if they were things, rather than people. She covers series such as Grand Theft Auto, Fable, Fallout, Sleeping Dogs, Watch Dogs, Hitman, Red Dead Redemption, Duke Nukem, Dishonored and The Godfather. "These games systematize sexuality in ways that dehumanize women, essentially turning them into vending machines dispensing sex, along with other goods and services. Their worth as characters is measured entirely in terms of what they can give to the player .... When men are depicted using female NPCs as tools or commodities, their actions are portrayed as part of what makes them powerful, which is by extension part of what makes the player then feel powerful."
Game Developers Choice Awards honor Anita Sarkeesian, Riot founders
Organizers of the 14th annual Game Developers Choice Awards have named this year's Special Award winners, honoring Riot Games founders Brandon Beck and Marc Merrill alongside Feminist Frequency creator Anita Sarkeesian at an upcoming ceremony event. The event's Pioneer Award will go to Beck and Merrill for their work on the genre-defining League of Legends, an online multiplayer game that reports 27 million players daily. League of Legends has spurred exponential growth within the eSports arena, and attracts a dedicated viewership on streaming services like Twitch. Sarkeesian will receive the GDCA's Ambassador Award, a prize honoring individuals who help the video games industry "advance to a better place" through advocacy or action. Sarkeesian promoted widespread discussion regarding video game gender roles in her Kickstarter-funded Tropes vs. Women in Video Games video series, and regularly addresses related social issues within gaming communities. The Game Developers Choice Awards will be held on March 19 at the San Francisco Moscone Center, as part of the upcoming Game Developers Conference. [Image: Riot Games]
Damsel in Distress: Part 3 of Tropes series discusses 'dude in distress'
The third installment of Anita Sarkeesian's Damsel in Distress video series explores the "dude in distress" mechanic, the use of ironic sexism in retro-inspired games and wraps up with a look at games that subvert the damsel in distress idea. Sarkeesian notes that games featuring female heroes saving male counterparts – the dude in distress – are rare, with only 4 percent of games placing a woman in a leading role. Even then, the damsel in distress trope perpetuates a longstanding notion that women are inherently helpless and need saving, but the few dudes in distress don't negatively impact society's view of men, since there is no preconceived belief that men are powerless to save themselves because of their gender, she says. This is the final Damsel in Distress video, and the first completed video mini-series in Sarkeesian's Tropes Vs. Women in Video Games project. Tropes was funded via Kickstarter, raising $159,000 of a $6,000 goal, and expanding the series to 12 videos. Next up, according to the Kickstarter, is a section called "The Fighting F#@k Toy." Sarkeesian prefaces each of her videos with the same guiding principle: "It is both possible (and even necessary) to simultaneously enjoy media while also being critical of its more problematic or pernicious aspects." Note that it doesn't say, "while also violently cussing out people who disagree with your views." Please, enjoy your critical analyses.
Tropes vs. Women in Video Games digs into the damsel in distress idea
Damsel in Distress: Part 2 of Anita Sarkeesian's Tropes vs. Women in Video Games series discusses three "trope cocktails" that she says developers use to spice up the bland "save the girl" plotline: the woman in the rerigerator, the disposable woman and the mercy killing. Sarkeesian introduced the issue of the damsel in distress throughout the history of video games in her first video; the second installment notes that some modern developers recognize this trend and try to make the narrative "edgier" with graphic depictions of violence against women. Each trope cocktail has the effect of victimizing female characters, and using them only as motivation for the real story – the male character's quest, Sarkeesian argues. Damsel in Distress: Part 2 went live at 1 p.m. PT today, but by 2:30 p.m. the video was pulled from YouTube. It was restored within the hour, though Sarkeesian's official Feminist Frequency Twitter account said the removal was from an influx of bogus reports of YouTube terms of service violations. "An hour after our video went live I got an email saying, 'The YouTube Community has flagged one or more of your videos as inappropriate,'" Feminist Frequency said. Sarkeesian does note that the video contains "some depictions of violence against women" and advises viewer discretion. This wouldn't be the first time Sarkeesian was the subject of internet harassment, following a high-profile Kickstarter that drew ire from a vocal group of people online. Damsel in Distress: Part 2 is live now, available for anyone and everyone to view and discuss. Civilly, if we have anything to say about it.
'Tropes vs. Women' series launches with Damsels in Distress
The first episode of Anita Sarkeesian's Tropes vs. Women in Video Games series examines the oft-used "damsel in distress" story element with examples from games, and traced back through art, literature, movies, and even Popeye. Over the course of twelve videos, Sarkeesian will turn a critical eye toward five such tropes, offering an academic introduction to the sexism inherent in the storytelling of many games.Tropes vs. Women was designed to "explore, analyze and deconstruct some of the most common tropes and stereotypes of female characters in games," according to the Kickstarter description. It raised $158,922 in June, having started with a modest $6,000 goal.
