Vox Games: Challenge Us
Vox Gaming currently has seven extraordinarily talented writers (and me) chosen to help launch the site. All of those writers are men. If you looked at that fact and felt that something was amiss, I understand. I get it. If you are perturbed that there are no women on that list of contributors, I understand. You’re not just entitled to an opinion; you have every reason to be concerned.
The games press is predominantly male (not to mention ethnically limited), and it pretty much sucks at making opportunities for women. Sexism abounds. I’ve seen it. I know it exists. I’m not going to make accusations. I would prefer to let my actions and writing speak for me. But we might as well call it like it is.
There’s been amazing progress in games writing over the last several years, with a wider array of voices and perspectives than ever before. But mainstream games media has been missing it. Or worse, they’ve actively worked against it by propagating and publishing content that alienates and demeans women by action or by silence.
This is the world we operate in. So for a group to come out and declare their intentions to take over the world and such without any women listed doesn’t just look like the status quo, it looks like a reaffirmation of all that sexism. You’re right to challenge us on it.
My response is simple: Vox Games isn’t that. We aren’t that.
I can’t make you believe me. I can only say that I have the same concerns. That we aren’t done recruiting, and assembling the Vox Gaming team. That we’ve not come close to scratching the surface of involving the talent we have our eyes on, and that we’ve talked to more people than you’re aware of over the course of this thing so far. I am not interested in doing the same things the same ways that they’ve been done before. I’m not interested in working for a team without a variety of voices on it, and none of us are satisfied with our team yet. We aim to be the best, the brightest, the most sophisticated voice in games coverage. That requires diversity.
You’ll get no excuses from me. But I hope that you can give us some benefit of the doubt for at least a little while.
The games press is predominantly male (not to mention ethnically limited), and it pretty much sucks at making opportunities for women. Sexism abounds. I’ve seen it. I know it exists. I’m not going to make accusations. I would prefer to let my actions and writing speak for me. But we might as well call it like it is.
There’s been amazing progress in games writing over the last several years, with a wider array of voices and perspectives than ever before. But mainstream games media has been missing it. Or worse, they’ve actively worked against it by propagating and publishing content that alienates and demeans women by action or by silence.
This is the world we operate in. So for a group to come out and declare their intentions to take over the world and such without any women listed doesn’t just look like the status quo, it looks like a reaffirmation of all that sexism. You’re right to challenge us on it.
My response is simple: Vox Games isn’t that. We aren’t that.
I can’t make you believe me. I can only say that I have the same concerns. That we aren’t done recruiting, and assembling the Vox Gaming team. That we’ve not come close to scratching the surface of involving the talent we have our eyes on, and that we’ve talked to more people than you’re aware of over the course of this thing so far. I am not interested in doing the same things the same ways that they’ve been done before. I’m not interested in working for a team without a variety of voices on it, and none of us are satisfied with our team yet. We aim to be the best, the brightest, the most sophisticated voice in games coverage. That requires diversity.
You’ll get no excuses from me. But I hope that you can give us some benefit of the doubt for at least a little while.
