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The Border House is a blog for gamers. It's a blog for those who are feminist, queer, disabled, people of color, transgender, poor, gay, lesbian, and others who belong to marginalized groups, as well as allies. Our goal is to bring thoughtful analysis to gaming with a feminist viewpoint and up-to-date news on games, virtual worlds, and social media.Discussion Policy
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Category Archives: General Gaming
Women in Games History collection
Last month I asked for submissions for a collection of essays on women’s history in games. That collection is now ready! Check it out. It includes a follow-up essay by Samantha Allen after her great Border House post about female characters … Continue reading
Posted in General Gaming
1 Comment
First Impressions: Transistor and Remember Me
Last month, I had the chance to check out a few upcoming games at PAX East. Since the lines for everything were quite long, I prioritized two that featured playable female characters: Supergiant Games’ recently announced Transistor, and Dontnod’s Remember … Continue reading
Posted in Console Games, General Gaming
Tagged capcom, dontnod entertainment, female protagonists, remember me, supergiant games, transistor
16 Comments
The 2013 Game Developer Gender Wage Gap
I’m reading through the latest digital edition of Game Developer Magazine which contains their annual survey. The salary numbers overall weren’t concerning to me, until I scrolled down and saw the differences between the male and female survey respondents. The … Continue reading
Posted in General Gaming
Tagged game developer magazine, salary, sexism, wage gap, women in games
23 Comments
What I Saw at PAX East 2013: Female Protagonists!
At PAX East 2012, the only game I played with a female character was Borderlands 2. I did play a couple of games with a first-person POV with no emphasis on gender, but I encountered a serious lack of female … Continue reading
Posted in Console Games, General Gaming, Indie Games, Mobile Games, PC Games
Tagged capcom, Charlie Murder, Compulsion Games, Contrast, Divekick, dontnod entertainment, female protagonists, Giant Spacekat, Iron Galaxy Studios, Journal, Lords of New York, Lunchtime Studios, Melissa Royall, PAX East 2013, remember me, Revolution 60, richard perrin, Ska Studios, Spooky Squid Games, supergiant games, They Bleed Pixels, transistor
12 Comments
The Narrow-Mindedness of the ‘Accepted Wisdom’
Today’s guest post is by Sarah Argodale, a young student who is getting ready to start her Master’s degree in Public Policy/Administration. In her spare time, she likes to write about feminism and video games. You can follow her here. A recent … Continue reading
Posted in General Gaming
Tagged bioshock infinite, Dragon Age III, Ken Levine, marketing, PAX East, remember me
33 Comments
The Fantastic #1ReasonToBe session at GDC 2013
This week I was fortunate enough to attend the Game Developers Conference and sit in the crowd for the #1ReasonToBe session. It was arranged as 6 smaller microtalks, filling up its hour long time slot to the brim with interesting, … Continue reading
Posted in General Gaming
Tagged #1ReasonToBe, 1reasonwhy, GDC, GDC13, GDC2013, sexism, women in games
5 Comments
No Excuses: It’s Time for More Female Protagonists
If the game design of 2009′s Velvet Assassin were half as interesting as its history, I might be able to bring myself to play beyond the first mission. Velvet Assassin is loosely based on the story of Violette Szabo, a … Continue reading
Posted in Console Games, General Gaming, PC Games
Tagged assassin's creed, character design, characters, diversity, game industry, gears of war, gender, grand theft auto, Velvet Assassin, women
67 Comments
Game of the Day: Misogyny Island by Samantha Allen, Fred McCoy, and Kat Haché
Today’s game, written by Fred McCoy, Kat Haché, and TBH contributor Samantha Allen, is a satirical reality show (hosted by who else but Daniel Tosh) where you compete with other contestants for the title of Uber Misogynist. It’s hilarious in … Continue reading
Posted in General Gaming, Indie Games
Tagged fred mccoy, game of the day, kat hache, misogyny, misogyny island, reality tv, Samantha Allen, twine
15 Comments
Watch the First Tropes vs Women in Video Games Video
The first Tropes vs Women in Video Games video is here! It covers the history of the Damsel in Distress trope and the classic games that make use of the trope (over and over and over…). There is a transcript … Continue reading
Posted in General Gaming, Web
Tagged anita sarkeesian, criticism, feminism, Feminist Frequency, mario, tropes vs women in games, Zelda
20 Comments
Kickstart This – Delver’s Drop
At PAX Prime 2012, I played a short demo of Delver’s Drop. At that time, the demo was a few rooms of a dungeon, but I was impressed with the fluid movement and physics-based interactions between the character and the … Continue reading
Posted in General Gaming, Indie Games, PC Games
Tagged Delver's Drop, kickstarter, Pixelscopic
7 Comments