Sarah Walsh

The popularity of Facebook and Twitter makes these sites good outlets for distributing bite-sized pieces of information and drawing the attention of the otherwise-uninterested reader who would not actively seek out magazines, newspapers or blogs; however, the journalism industry should take care not to let this attention-deficit style of reporting eclipse traditional journalism.

 A good blog should have a clear central focus so it doesn’t end up being one person’s diary posted on the internet. I’ve read those. When I was thirteen, I wrote one of those. They suck. A blog that centers around a specific topic (such as “Wonder Women,” which covers superheroines and woman creators in the comic industry) or addresses issues from a specific viewpoint (“Slacktivist,” a critique of modern religion and politics from a progressive Evangelical Christian standpoint) can attract a more solid, consistent audience and provide thought-provoking articles.

 If I were to start a personal blog, I would like to focus on the role of women in on of my favorite forms of entertainment – namely, video games. The gaming industry and consequently the gaming press are extremely male-dominated fields, ripe with all of the casual privilege and sexism that implies. (To make it worse, the men in charge are almost exclusively white and heterosexual, leading to further issues of minority representation and treatment.) Women in games are almost never protagonists, instead being relegated to roles as healers (because they’re so nurturing, obviously), love interests and even sex objects to complete the male wish-fulfillment fantasy present in games like Duke Nukem; the gaming community is infamous for harassing female players at conventions and during online play – and I know that stereotype is perfectly true, since I’ve experienced both of those situations myself. A blog focusing on this topic would not only allow me to express my own opinions and critically evaluate the medium I enjoy, but might also become a voice speaking to game developers and telling them to get with the program. It’s 2011. Your game is about bionic space marines fighting alien zealots for control of an ancient space station-slash-superweapon. I’m pretty sure that including a lady marine as a principal character, instead of having the protagonist run around talking to naked lady holograms, wouldn’t shatter your audience’s suspension of disbelief.