This video explores how the Damsel in Distress became one of the most widely used gendered cliché in the history of gaming and why the trope  has been core to the...

This video explores how the Damsel in Distress became one of the most widely used gendered cliché in the history of gaming and why the trope  has been core to the popularization and development of the medium itself.

As a trope the Damsel in Distress is a plot device in which a female character is placed in a perilous situation from which she cannot escape on her own and must then be rescued by a male character, usually providing a core incentive or motivation for the protagonist’s quest.

For more examples of the Damsel in Distress see our Tumblr for this series:
tropesversuswomen.tumblr.com

ABOUT THE SERIES:
The Tropes vs Women in Video Games project aims to examine the plot devices and patterns most often associated with female characters in gaming from a systemic, big picture perspective. This series will include critical analysis of many beloved games and characters, but remember that it is both possible (and even necessary) to simultaneously enjoy media while also being critical of it’s more problematic or pernicious aspects.

This video series is created by Anita Sarkeesian and the project was funded by 6968 awesome backers on Kickstarter.com

Full transcript below the cut

Filed under: Video Games
Tags: Damsel in Distress, Tropes vs Women, Tropes vs Women in Video Games
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  I was excited to participate in this year’s TEDxWomen in Washington, DC, an annual event organized by the Paley Center for Media. I presented a 10 minute talk about...

I was excited to participate in this year’s TEDxWomen in Washington, DC, an annual event organized by the Paley Center for Media. I presented a 10 minute talk about sexist online harassment, cyber mobs and both the destructive and uplifting power of online communities. In this talk, I use the analogy of an MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online Game) to explain how these types of large scale harassment campaigns operate.

After my Kickstarter project began to attract a huge amount of media attention this summer, I made the strategic decision to try and use that as an opportunity to highlight the larger problem of online harassment faced by many women in gaming spaces and on the internet more generally. To that end, over the past several months I’ve devoted a substantial amount of time and energy giving talks (like this one) and doing dozens of media interviews as well as communicating with a handful of game companies on the topic. There have been many inspirational women speaking out about online and gaming harassment issues for a long time and my hope has been that I can use my personal story to contribute to this important and critical conversation. In some ways this was a difficult decision because it means I’ve become an even bigger target and also because I’ve had to take time away from working on my Tropes vs Women video series (which frankly I’d much rather spend all of my time on). Still, I believe the trade off is ultimately worth it if by sharing my experience it can be a small part of moving us towards systemic change and a more inclusive digital world.

Also don’t anybody worry, my Tropes vs Women in Video Games series is currently in production, we’re working hard make these new videos as comprehensive and expansive as possible. And I’m pleased to say that progress is coming along nicely! As always, project backers will be the first to know of updates and details on the project so if you are backer make sure to regularly check the Kickstarter page!

Full transcript below the cut

Filed under: Harassment
Tags: cyber mobs, online harassment, Tropes vs Women, Tropes vs Women in Video Games
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Recently, I was interviewed for a TV segment on Canada’s Global News about my experience and the wider epidemic of harassment women face in gaming spaces. Also interviewed were Grace...

Recently, I was interviewed for a TV segment on Canada’s Global News about my experience and the wider epidemic of harassment women face in gaming spaces. Also interviewed were Grace from the website Fat, Ugly or Slutty, Brenda Bailey Gershkovitch founder of game studio Silicon Sisters Interactive & James Portnow from the gaming web show Extra Credits.

I have selectively chosen to do media interviews like this one because I feel it’s important to use the opportunity to highlight the extreme levels of harassment many women face when gaming. While it does take some time away from production work on my Tropes vs Women project (and also makes me more of a target), I hope that by telling my story in the media it will spark wider awareness of this critical issue and ultimately be a small part of moving in the direction of systemic change in the community and in the industry.

The Tropes vs Women in Video Games project research and pre-production is going well and we are currently in the middle of working on the first video in the series! Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Twitter for more news and updates.

Filed under: Interview
Tags: Harassment, Tropes vs Women in Video Games, Video Games
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I recently shared a long update with our backers over on the Tropes vs Women in Video Games Kickstarter page detailing our progress on pre-production and game research as well...

I recently shared a long update with our backers over on the Tropes vs Women in Video Games Kickstarter page detailing our progress on pre-production and game research as well as equipment, software and website infrastructure upgrades. We also revealed more about the expanding scope of this project including another bonus video we have in the works. Since that update was only for backers of the series I thought I’d make a very quick post here to highlight some of our progress.

Anita with some of her research materials. See larger image on Flickr.

The researching phase has begun! So far we’ve purchased well over 300 games for this project. As of now we can play games from the following systems: SNES, Gamecube, Wii, PS2, PS3, PS Vita, Xbox, Xbox 360, iPad and PC/MAC. We are also looking to acquire a 3DS XL when it becomes available next month. Note that not all of the games being researched for this project are pictured above. All the digital games downloaded via Steam, PSN and XBLM are sadly not nearly as photogenic, but rest assured we are looking at classic titles from throughout the history of gaming.

As a result of the unexpected extra Kickstarter funding I can now commit full-time to Feminist Frequency and to this video series which is truly a dream come true for me! I can now also hire my producer full-time for this project. Plus we are in the process of bringing another writer/researcher on board part-time. So far I’ve chosen to keep my small crew out of the limelight to try and shield them from any potential harassment. When I feel it is safe and appropriate to introduce them I will.

Obviously each video in this series requires a tremendous amount of research, writing and production time so we are planning to release one video per month. We anticipate the launch of our first Tropes vs Women video in late fall or early winter and we’ll be kicking off the series with the Damsel in Distress trope!
Thanks again to all my supporters everywhere for your incredible encouragement. I’m extremely excited about the opportunity to create this video series. It will now be bigger and better then I could have ever imagined possible!

As always backers of the project can read the full detailed update on Kickstarter and will always be the first to be notified of our progress.

There has also been a fair amount of press coverage surrounding my fundraising campaign and resulting harassment. The New Statesmen, The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star, Forbes and The New York Times have all written articles. Additionally here are a few interviews I’ve done recently.

Woman Vs. Internet: How Anita Sarkeesian beat the trolls – GamesIndustry
Women and Gaming: Smashing Stereotypes – CBC Radio’s The Current
Tropes vs Women in Video Games – Gaming as Women
Interview: Anita Sarkeesian, games, and Tropes vs. Women – Destructoid

Filed under: Video Games
Tags: Tropes vs Women in Video Games
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On July 3, 2012, I was interviewed on CBC’s morning show “The Current” about sexism in gaming and online harassment.  Brenda Bailey Gershkovitch of Silicon Sisters Interactive, a videogame studio...

On July 3, 2012, I was interviewed on CBC’s morning show “The Current” about sexism in gaming and online harassment.  Brenda Bailey Gershkovitch of Silicon Sisters Interactive, a videogame studio owned and run by women, is also on the show discussing her experiences working in the industry.

Listen to the full interview – Women and Gaming: Smashing Stereotypes

Filed under: Interview
Tags: CBC, Harassment, The Current, Video Games
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I’m making it a point to strategically share some of the online harassment I’ve received after launching my Tropes vs Women in Video Games Kickstarter. I’ve already posted about the...

I’m making it a point to strategically share some of the online harassment I’ve received after launching my Tropes vs Women in Video Games Kickstarter. I’ve already posted about the harassment via YouTube and Wikipedia but these were not the only abusive cyber mob tactics employed to try and silence me.

After struggling with whether or not to make the extent of the attacks public I’ve decided that it’s ultimately important to shed light on this type of abuse because online harassment and bullying are at epidemic levels across the internet.

In addition to the aggressive actions against me that I’ve already shared, the harassers launched DDoS attacks on my site, attempted to hack into my email and other social media accounts and reported my Twitter and YouTube accounts as “terrorism”, “hate speech” or “spam”. They also attempted to “dox” and distribute my personal contact info including address and phone number on various websites and forums (including hate sites).

In this post I will detail some of the image based online harassment and visual misogyny I have been subjected to over the past few weeks. Image based harassment is another common weapon used against women and members of marginalized groups online – often in conjunction with other forms of harassment. It’s certainly not unique to my situation. Recently Bioware writer Jennifer Hepler, Shakesville’s blogger Melissa McEwan and British columnist Laurie Penny have all been targeted by similar image based harassment campaigns.

Humorous photoshop manipulation, cartoons and image macros are a legitimate and important part of a healthy political discourse online especially when used to challenge powerful institutions, leaders or regressive social norms (the Privilege Denying Dude and Boehner’s Woman Problem are two of my recent favorites). It’s important to remember though that these same tactics can be employed as tools of oppression to lash out at or bully members of marginalized groups. There is a difference between using ridicule to challenge power and using it as a weapon to police the status quo by reinforcing sexism, racism or homophobia.

The image based harassment I’m discussing here is not part of any legitimate discourse but instead falls squarely into the category of misogynist abuse. It’s a critical distinction and is evidenced by the fact that all of the images are attacking my gender or presumed sexuality and rely heavily on pre-existing sexist stereotypes.

Image based harassment includes everything from vulgar photo manipulation to creating pornographic or degrading drawings of rape and sexual assault with the target’s likeness. These harassment images are then sent en masse to the target through email, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook or any other online service with messaging capabilities. Part of the trolling strategy with these images is also to try and get them to appear in search results for the target’s name as a way to attack their online reputation.

This harassment is best classified as a cyber mob attack as it’s a hate campaign loosely organized through various internet forums. Participating harassers will share these images as a way to show off and gain validation from their peers as well as to try and recruit others to join the harassment campaign.

The ultimate goal of this behaviour is to try and intimidate, scare and silence women by creating an online environment that is too hostile, toxic and disturbing to endure.

**SERIOUS TRIGGER WARNING**

The following images are vile, hateful, pornographic, and disgusting. Some rise to the level of what could be called imaged based threats or visual sexual assault. You should not feel obligated to read any further. I have taken steps to blur out some of the more graphic images and placed detailed text descriptions of the content underneath.  Keep in mind that these are only a selected few of the harassing images that have been sent to me.

(more…)

Filed under: Harassment
Tags: cyber mobs, Harassment, memes
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An absolutely astonishing 6,967 of you pledged $158,917 to support Tropes vs Women in Video Games! Who knew running a Kickstarter campaign could be such a roller coaster ride!? I...

An absolutely astonishing 6,967 of you pledged $158,917 to support Tropes vs Women in Video Games!

Who knew running a Kickstarter campaign could be such a roller coaster ride!? I am truly and sincerely honored by the outpouring of support for this project.  It gives me great hope to see that so many people of all genders are concerned about the way women are represented in gaming.  I’m also deeply moved by the fact that so many of you are standing with me against this staggering tidal wave of hate and harassment.  After the last two weeks, I have to say, I’m pretty exhausted but so very excited about what is to come with the future of Tropes vs Women in Video Games.

Backers can keep up to date on my Kickstarter page where I will be posting regular production updates and details about the evolution of the project and how it will expand given all the extra funding.

Media Round Up

Below I’ve posted a few of the interviews and articles that have appeared on blogs and news sites discussing this project, the recent attacks on me and some thoughtful commentary about online harassment in gaming and on the internet in general. (A word of warning before entering the comments in some of these articles)

Note: This list is regularly updated

INTERVIEWS
• From Samus to Lara: An Interview With Anita Sarkeesian of Feminist Frequency – Gamespot
• How Anita Sarkeesian funded a project about video game sexism – PMSClan
• Tropes Vs Women in Video Games – Gaming As Women
• Feminist Take on Games Draws Crude Ridicule, Massive Support – Wired
• Interview: Anita Sarkeesian, games, and Tropes vs. Women – Destructoid
• Women and Gaming: Smashing Stereotypes – CBC Radio “The Current”
• Woman Vs. Internet: How Anita Sarkeesian beat the trolls – GamesIndustry International

NEWS
• Dear Internet This Is Why You Can’t Have Anything Nice – New Statesman
• Think sexism’s OK in games, you may be in the wrong century – Guardian
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