Media critic Anita Sarkeesian plans two new video series’ to explore gender in games

By Will Fulton January 27, 2015

media critic anita sarkeesian plans two new video series explore gender games — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Media critic Anita Sarkeesian announced two new video series for 2015, as part of the 2014 annual report for her producing and advocacy organization, Feminist Frequency. The videos will focus on representations of men and masculinity in video games, and on highlighting positive portrayals of female characters in games, respectively. These are in addition to the site’s ongoing series of Tropes vs. Women videos, which kick off the new year with a piece called “Women as Reward”.

The organization also plans to expands its mission to include “advocacy around ending online hate and abuse [and] analyzing and advancing awareness of how gendered harassment operates online.” Sarkeesian is working with individuals in the community to foster a dialogue and consulting with tech and gaming companies to help them address issues of harassment within their own communities.

The report was published as a requirement for Feminist Frequency’s status as a registered 501(c)(3) non profit, which it acquired in May 2014. Last year was a tumultuous one for Sarkeesian, as one of the most prominent targets of the “Gamergate” movement’s harassment campaign.

The abuse seemed to hit a peak in October, when she cancelled a speaking engagement at Utah State University when local authorities refused to adequately respond to threats of an attack. To the chagrin of Sarkeesian’s detractors, the harassment only brought her greater public attention, and Feminist Frequency had a huge year as a result.

Listed accomplishments for 2015 include major coverage in outlets like The New York Times, Businessweek, Rolling Stone, and The Colbert Report. Feminist Frequency’s YouTube videos garnered over 5.7 million views in 2014 and its Twitter account more than doubled its number of followers from 66,000 to over 157,000. Sarkeesian was also awarded the Game Developer’s Choice Ambassador Award in March for her public advocacy about gaming culture.

No doubt due to the increased media attention over Gamergate, Feminist Frequency took in over $230,000 from donations in December alone, which will allow the organization to hire new staff and expand its programming for 2015.

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Will Fulton is a New York-based writer and theater-maker. In 2011 he co-founded mythic theater company AntiMatter Collective…

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