The official Time 100 list of influential people debuted today, and gaming critic Anita Sarkeesian made the list thanks to her tireless efforts to widen the conversation around gaming and gaming culture in the face of continuous waves of harassment.
Sarkeesian was profile by geek icon Wil Wheaton, who detailed her contributions and history in the industry. In describing Sarkeesian, Wheaton delves into the history of the Tropes Vs. Women series that launched her career, and continues, “she also became the target of vicious, misogynist harassment that included death and rape threats, pornographic vandalism of her Wikipedia page and a coordinated effort to have her Kickstarter flagged as terrorism. All of this because she wanted to have a conversation about the way women are portrayed in video games.” Emphasis mine, because it’s worth emphasizing. It’s worth repeating, because every day, Sarkeesian and others are targeted for simply trying to have some conversations about the way women are portrayed in video games.
Sarkeesian was selected for the list of Pioneers, a designation she shares with such luminaries as astronaut Scott Kelly, ballerina Misty Copeland, scientists like Pardis Sabeti, and Airbnb founder Brian Chesky.
