Thursday 18 September 2014

Freeman+Szabo+Lollipop+Love: Get 'em on Your Radar!

Hey peeps, 

One of the biggest challenges of maintaining a blog, website, podcast, vlog series or any other form of media is that metaphorically, you're a grain of sand on the beach. You have to think, "Ok...what is it about me and my ramblings that could be important to people?" 

As a viewer or reader, you also have to grab the sifter every morning and go hunting for the grains of sand that are most important to you. To be honest, I don't follow a ton of bigwigs on social media. Not because I think they're unimportant, but because I eventually hear about them by osmosis anyway. 

I might be biased, but I also prefer to follow people who still have time to connect with their fans personally and who have worked hard to carve out their own niche. I love to get into quirky, personal, nitty-gritty conversations with people. And I love it when people share that kind of thing through their own writing, videos, games, music and so on.

This week I'm introducing you to 4 women who I want you to know about. Not only are they bold entrepreneurs, but they address a lot of topics with integrity, style, humor and passion. Between the 4 of them, there's a little bit of everything, so grab your morning coffee and play, watch, listen!



Nina Freeman






















(Photocred: from Embed with Games)

Nina is an independent game dev whose work often focuses on sex, women's bodies and body image, family relationships, and childhood curiosity. For me, her work evokes some of the intimate excitement and discomfort we go through growing up, but she leaves coming-of-age cliches behind. Her games are simple, poignant and poetic.

She is also the co-founder and instructor at Code Liberation which was created for women who want to dive in to the world of game-making. 

Click here play Nina's games. (If you think Barbies are nostalgic but kind of weird play this one now!)

To learn more about her work, I also recommend reading this great interview she did for Sex Magazine (don't be scared away).


Erika Szabo
.
(Photocred: Our good friend Sam Motala over at MixTapePhotos. Recognize the character??)

Erika's one of those people who instantly makes you feel comfortable. Not because she sugar-coats things, but because you're bound to have something in common. Her YouTube Channel is down-to-earth and thought-provoking while still being pretty darn adorable. Not only does she have a vast wealth of gaming, comics, and anime knowledge, but she shares it with you in a way which makes you feel like you're hanging out together. Erika is a great person to follow or get in touch with for anyone who feels like they're lacking a geek community to relate to.

He's a sample just to whet your appetite:




Lollipop Geek
















(Image cred: Mighty Ink Comics)

Ok so Lollipop Geek is not just one woman but actually three! Jennifer, Danielle and Kelly are a collective of geektastic friends who get together to discuss everything from gaming to books, movies, TV, comics and tech. Click here to listen to the podcast on iTunes (free). If you're the kind of person who'd rather spend Friday nights hanging out with the crew where you're free to let it all out, this is for you. If you're interested in hearing multiple perspectives and in-depth analysis on your favorite geeky things, this is for you. They're witty, hilarious and very real

I recommend the latest episode on female characters in gaming--something which I'm sure we all have a lot to say about! 


Christine Love
The title of Christine's site pretty much sums up her work: Lover Conquers AllAs an indie game developer, Christine writes narratives that delve into our secret desires and break apart conventional thinking about gender, technology, desire, privacy and romance.

It's rare that someone puts this much love and thought into their text and dialogues. I adore Christine's work because it proves that cuteness and controversy can go hand-in-hand; we can say the hard things we want to say and still make them beautiful.

Last winter, I had a chance to steal Christine away from her duties for an interview at the Fancy Video Game Party held at the Art Gallery of Ontario. For those of you who are unfamiliar, the video below should give an idea of the event (through our eyes anyway).


(Photocred: From Love's site, photos by Paul Hillier)



Fancy Video Game Party:



...and now for the interview with Christine:



Now my question to you is, who else should be on my radar? Feel free to post on the She Got Game FB page or to comment below if there are more amazing women in gaming who we should be following. Cheers.

No comments:

Post a Comment