News and Panels Round-Up

It’s been hectic the last few months, and here’s why:

BBC World Service radio documentary, by @radiojay: Guns, Girls and Games

The accompanying BBC article: Sexual harassment in the world of video gaming

Sydney Morning Herald, by Lucy Meyer: It’s a man’s (virtual) world

Maclean’s Magazine, by Emma Teitel: The final frontier of boorishness (was also in the print edition)

New York Times, by Amy O’Leary: In Virtual Play, Sex Harassment Is All Too Real (was also in the print edition, page A1)

NPR, interview with the above NYT writer, Amy O’Leary: Virtual Harassment Gets Real for Female Gamers

ctrl+alt+defeat, by Amanda Lange: Ban Me, Bitch and Other Tales of Community Harassment

Forbes, by Carol Pinchefsky: Sexual Harassment in Videogame Culture and Sexual Harassment in Online Videogames: How to Fix the Problem

MSNBC.com video, by Todd Kenreck: Site shames, shares hateful gamer messages (recorded right after our FUoS PAX Prime 2011 panel!)

And there more coming, just not published or finished yet! Phew. There have been a lot more articles that have mentioned FUoS, but these are the ones we were actually contacted about / spoke with the writers for. Follow our Facebook and Twitter feeds for updates on those that we notice!

gtz will also be on a couple panels this month, including one this Saturday.

Geek Girl Con

“Go Make Me A Sandwich”: Barriers to Women’s Participation in Online and Fan Spaces

Saturday, August 11th

1:30pm – 2:20pm

RM301/302

How many times have you read “get back in the kitchen” or “go make me a sandwich” in comments on a YouTube video starring or made by women? Or have you experienced the frustrations of simply being female on Xbox LIVE? Panelists discuss obstacles to women’s participation in online spaces, illustrate places of resistance, and provide tips to combat and improve gender dynamics online.

PAX Prime 2012

Harassment and Bullying in Online Games: Technical Solutions v1.0

Friday, August 31st

5:30pm – 6:30pm

Kraken Theater (streamed on Twitch.TV)

We all know the, ahem, colorful reputation that some online gaming spaces have. When trolls attack, it can go far beyond trash-talk. You can mute. You can report. You can ignore. Or, as many people have chosen, you can stop playing online games altogether. But is there more we can do to fight bullying and harassment within the games/systems themselves? Picking up where Extra Credits’ PATV episode on Harassment left off, we’ll discuss some ways that game systems can help create and sustain more welcoming communities.