Earlier today we showed you some of the many, many Tweets describing the sexism that women in the video game-making business put up with. These were all issued with the hashtag #1reasonwhy
https://kotaku.com/heres-a-devastating-account-of-the-crap-women-in-the-ga-5963528
This morning, something else happened. Author Rhianna Pratchett decided to create #1reasontobe, a complementary tag that would collect reasons women have for working in the games industry.
#1reasonwhy is important, but I’m creating #1reasontobe because I’d like female devs to share why they're in games & what they get from it.
— Rhianna Pratchett 🧙🏻‍♀️ (@rhipratchett) November 27, 2012
The #1easonwhy Tweets were dismaying. These, one hopes, will be inspiring. Here’s a sampling:
#1reasontobe because playing games is the first thing we do as humans and the most natural, it is how we learn and discover the world
— Voxel Vagrant (@voxelvagrant) November 27, 2012
#1reasontobe so I want to help people make games that are worth discovering. No, not games for change, but games that change you.
— Voxel Vagrant (@voxelvagrant) November 27, 2012
#1reasontobe Because writers from other mediums treat me like I’ve come from Narnia – full of wisdom and insight about a strange new land.
— Rhianna Pratchett 🧙🏻‍♀️ (@rhipratchett) November 27, 2012
https://twitter.com/embed/status/273433067094425600
https://twitter.com/embed/status/273438370393358336
#1reasontobe Because using tech to achieve something visual/interactive/tangible that people connect with is brilliant fun
— Carina Mclane (@carinamclane) November 27, 2012
The #1reasontobe where I am now is because my mother made sure I played computer games with my brother "It would be important one day"
— Nia Wearn (@Wormella) November 27, 2012
https://twitter.com/embed/status/273452923609038848
https://twitter.com/embed/status/273457935584227330
#1reasontobe because some of us (myself included) have never encountered these scenarios. Which hopefully means attitudes are changing.
— Nicole Zeckner (@PurelyNicole) November 27, 2012
#1reasontobe in games: because my 15 year old niece plays games, and she's an inspiration.
— Caryn Vainio (@Hellchick) November 27, 2012
https://twitter.com/embed/status/273487718946848770
https://twitter.com/embed/status/273493998499414017
https://twitter.com/embed/status/273501750462402561
#1reasontobe The feeling when you whip out a computer/iphone/whatever and said "I made this" and someone engages with it.
— moved to zoequinn.bsky.social (@UnburntWitch) November 27, 2012
And there’s plenty more. Go check them all out. And check out #1reasonmentors as well. That tag is full of female game creators offering their support to girls and women who want to break into the game-making field.
