100 episodes and four and a half years and last weekend was a damned near perfect way to commemorate it. We all got together and played video games and just chatted and then followed that up with an awesome conversation about video games, tech, and feminism with Brianna Wu of Giant Spacekat. We have found ourselves privileged enough to share the #yesiplay stories of Kiva Bay and Katie O’Neal that not only shows the diversity of gamers, but also illuminates just how important games can be in the lives of the people who play them. So 100 episodes and four and a half years in to working on Not Your Mama’s Gamer I find myself reinvigorated by the awesome women that I find myself surrounded by every day. Women who donate their time and energy to a cause, improving conditions for women in and around video games.
The 100 episode milestone gives me the chance to go back and look at some of our best episodes. It’s still almost impossible for me to believe that 5 years have passed since Alex and I sat in my campus office and discussed the need for a strong feminist voice in the games podcasting community. There were lots of really good woman hosted blogs in the space at the time, but most were unwilling or unable to take up the feminist mantle and with good reason because it wasn’t the most friendly space to inhabit at the time (and even less so now). Unfortunately, many of the podcasts that served as our inspiration are no longer around (including Girl Fight, Ladies of Leet, and Sarcastic Gamer Pink) and while they may be gone, new voices have come to the fore (like Justice Points, Unconsoleable, Black Girl Nerds) and are strengthening the collective feminist voice in the games community. Every day I am pleased and humbled by the fact that we are able to add to that collective voice.
Over the years some of my favorite episodes have been the interviews. The moments where we have had the opportunity to sit down and talk to people working in and around the industry about how they put their own beliefs and philosophies into practice. From industry veteran, Sheri Graner-Ray who shared with us the stories of how she struggled to make women visible in the game design industry, to author Christa Charter who founded Microsoft’s Gamerchix in order to make a safe space for women to game online and who now uses her industry experience as fodder for the Lexy Cooper Mystery series, and to parent and practitioner Mike Hoye who came into the spotlight because he hacked The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker so that his young daughter could play Link as a female character.
In addition to the fabulous folks who have agreed to talk to us and put up with our general shenanigans, the last 4 1/2 years have seen some awesome women who have co-hosted and shared their knowledge and experiences with us for varying lengths of time. From Sarah White, Nicole Marie, and Carly Finseth who will always be with us in spirit to our current cadre of guest writers, regular writers, and podcasters who give their all every week, I say “Thank You!”. Words are not enough to convey the gratitude and love that I have for y’all. And to Alex Layne and Alisha Karabinus thanks for the partnership in steering this (sometimes leaky) ship. NYMG wouldn’t be what it is today (or what we hope it will become) with your invaluable input.
In the months and years to come I can only hope that Not Your Mama’s Gamer continues to grow and provide a strong feminist voice in the games community and I hope that you all (the community) are there to help guide us, engage us, and just enjoy the ride.
