With the increased visibility of women’s issues and subjects of representation in games, it should come as no surprise that more and more people –from publications on down to individual writers– are stepping forward to join the discussion. Last year’s #1reasonwhy moment showed us a clear need for a rigorous and ongoing conversation about sexism (including cissexism) in the games industry and culture. With this in mind, we the editors of Critical Distance are pleased to bring you a month-long series of special features highlighting women writers, developers, scholars and activists, in honor of Women’s History Month.
You can look forward to the following (and possibly some hidden extras) over the course of March:
- A special Blogs of the Round Table on female role models.
- A podcast interview with developer Deirdra Kiai.
- Another podcast with contributors from the #1reasonwhy and #1reasontobe hashtags.
- This Week in Videogame Blogging roundups curated by our women editors, Kris Ligman, Katie Williams and Mattie Brice.
- A special edition of TWIVGB featuring an all-women roundup of writers.
Since taking over senior editor duties from Ben Abraham in late 2011 it has been my goal to make Critical Distance a more inclusive space, where outsider writers who might never garner the attention of a mainstream publication can be granted at least a sliver of the recognition and signal-boosting they very much deserve. And yet, outside of the week when #1reasonwhy was in full bloom, we have never come close to an even gender split in the articles we feature. The (presumed) gender disparity in male to female writers in the field is no excuse: there is good writing to be found everywhere, more than enough to overburden one’s browser in a given week, and Critical Distance was founded on the idea of finding that material and promoting it. So, I am very pleased to be stepping up and joining Women’s History Month in dedicating the month of March to celebrating the work of women around the globe.
Please stay tuned for further announcements, including March’s BoRT topic (update: it has been announced) and the date of our all-women TWIVGB. We will also be looking for participants for the #1reason podcast, so please contact us if you’re interested (and watch your inboxes, as we may already be planning to contact you). In the meantime, our submissions email is always open, and we welcome your links!
Happy reading,
Kris Ligman
Senior Editor