Female Game Developers Discuss Harassment In The Games Industry

Before Gamergate, before death threats forced Brianna Wu and Zoe Quinn from their homes, before bomb threats, before Anita Sarkeesian had to cancel appearances for fear of being shot. Before all of that women faced harassment in the games industry and it has to stop. In this fascinating footage released by the producers of GameLoading: Rise of the Indies — a feature film about indie development — a number of women opened up about the struggles they had personally faced working in video games.

These interviews all took place months before Gamergate started. They have nothing to do with allegations of ‘corruption’. These are just women opening up about the difficulties in being a women involved with games.

Zoe Quinn discusses the harassment she faced immediately after the release of her game Depression Quest — death threats, rape threats — the reasoning behind those threats? Depression Quest wasn’t a ‘real game’.

Perhaps the most poignant part of the video is the moment when Quinn admits that one of the most difficult parts of being harassed are the accusations that harassment doesn’t happen, or that women should just toughen up and accept harassment as part of the status quo.

Obviously, they shouldn’t. That fact shouldn’t even have to be stated. Harassment, of any kind, is unacceptable and the sustained harassment of women in the games industry is a nasty little thread that needs to be weeded out immediately.


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