“Why not just review a feminist game?” I was discussing several new games with a friend and trying to decide which one I would write a review for last week, when he asked me that question. At first I thought he was kidding, but he asked again— “No, seriously. It’s […]
feminism
143 posts
Last week, designer Tina Gong and her rather innocuous-sounding Happy Playtime app created controversy as it was officially rejected by Apple’s app review committee. Despite any attempts to appeal otherwise, Apple has insisted that Gong’s app will not be available for public access on their iOS store due to its […]
He flirts excessively and inappropriately with women, has an obsessive need to ogle all the attractive ladies around him, and may or may not partner his verbal sexual harassment with physical groping or “loose hands.” Sounds like a gross character right? Not always, because deep down this character might have […]
In a shockingly poor, not to mention homophobic and just generally nonsensical, moment of PR, Nintendo admitted today that they will not include same sex relationships in their upcoming social game Tomodatchi Life. Tomodatchi Life seems to be00 a mixture of the Sims, Animal Crossing, and their Mii avatar creation […]
I must first begin with a disclaimer: there is a good deal of rant in the post that follows and for that I apologize. When I was first told that there was a growing movement of male fans of the latest Disney princess movie Frozen who had begun to draw […]
“Casual:” it’s a word that’s laden with hidden meaning in the gaming community. It’s an increasingly popular style of game that’s largely meant to target an audience outside of what might be considered the “core” gaming demographic. It’s the trend of game development companies to increase their funding and attention […]
For me Mario Party showdowns begin long before the actual competition, at least in the early editions anyway. It doesn’t begin the first time we enter a mini-game or a lost duel. No, it begins at the character selection screen where, as long as I’m playing with at least one […]
Earlier this week Lean In partnered with the Girl Scouts of America to initiate a campaign to encourage young girls to take leadership roles by reducing the stigma they often face for speaking up or taking charge. While this may be a mark of leadership in boys, such behavior in […]
The other day in my job search seminar class we discussed a topic that seems to make a lot of job-seeking, soon-to-be-graduates flinch: the increasing emphasis recruiters and employers place upon potential candidates’ social media pages. Of course this isn’t anything new, and a rather large number of the class […]
The advertisements that appear on the sidebars of Facebook pages are creepy. It’s true for a number of reasons. For instance I’ve heard stories passed around of people – specifically “edgy” looking girls – who have posted pictures on their personal social media pages only to have their faces wind […]
This past weekend during the Super Bowl thousands took to Twitter to address their concerns over representation in advertisements during the various commercial breaks that are arguably as watched as the game itself. Each tweet called out various offenses that a number of companies were guilty of – lack of […]
Games scholar James Paul Gee introduces the idea of an intersection between identity and learning in his book entitled What Video Games Have to Teach Us about Learning and Literacy, through which he infers that video games are particularly able to encourage the player to assume the identities and mindsets […]
So it’s no secret that I have a penchant for Kickstarter projects. I have backed more projects that make the geek world more accessible to children in general and girls in particular than I care to remember, everything from flash cards, to games (board and video), to graphic novels, and […]
Let me start by saying something that anyone who has ever listened to our show already knows…I Hate Pink! I have hated pink for so long and with such passion that I can no longer remember if I have always hated pink or if I hate pink because of all […]
A video released the other day for the upcoming The Last of Us DLC gave an encouraging glimpse into something that I have come to realize is sorely lacking from video games: female friendships. In the clip Riley (who I was excited to see is a person of color), who […]
Recently there’s been a lot of discussion in the media about the top films of 2013 and the Bechdel test. Movies with real, rounded female characters are doing well, by the numbers, and with award season picking up, we’ll likely see more of these reports. Unfortunately, anyone who studies the […]