Gamer Girls

Discover the women behind the video games we love—the iconic games they created, the genres they invented, the studios and companies they built—and how they changed the industry forever. Women have always made video games, from the 1960s and the first-of-its-kind, projector-based Sumerian Game to the blockbuster Uncharted games that defined the early 2000s. Women have been behind the writing, design, scores, and engines that power one of the most influential industries out there. In Gamer Girls, now you can explore the stories of 25 of those women. Bursting with bold artwork, easy-to-read profiles, and real-life stories of the women working on games like Centipede, Final Fantasy, Halo, and more, this dynamic illustrated book shows what a huge role women have played—and will continue to play—in the creation of video games. With additional sidebars about other influential women in the industry, as well as a glossary and additional resources page, Gamer Girls offers a look into the work and lives of influential pixel queens such as: Roberta Williams (one of the creators of the adventure genre) Mabel Addis Mergardt (the first person to write a video game) Muriel Tramis (the French "knight" of video games) Keiko Erikawa (creator of the otome genre) Yoko Shimomura (composer for Street Fighter, Final Fantasy, and Kingdom Hearts) Rebecca Heineman (first national video game tournament champion) Danielle Bunten Berry (creator of M.U.L.E. and early advocate for multiplayer games) and more! Whether you’re a gamer girl who plays video games, a gamer girl who makes video games, or a parent raising a gamer girl, this entertaining, inspiring book will have you itching to pick up a controller or create your own video games!

Gamer Girls are four besties who prove that girls can game! But when a new game comes out, it's not a hit with everyone. Maybe they should stick to video game battles instead of middle school arguments! Celia, Natalie, Lucy, and Jess are the Gamer Girls—four gamers devoted to showing that girls can game, too. They stream together every Friday night and they’re also BFFs. Celia is the artsy, creative one of the group, so it’s no surprise when she starts designing merch for their new club. But when she falls in love with a new, cozy game called Monster Village, it’s a far cry from her friends’ action-packed battle royales. Can the Gamer Girls find common ground, or is their new club doomed? In this second illustrated book of the all-new series, Gamer Girls,four friends navigate the video game world and the middle school world . . . if only they could solve drama like defeating monsters! This series is perfect for teens and tween readers who love video games.

The Gamer Girls love playing their newest racing video game, Fast Pursuit Horizon, together. But what happens when Lucy's cousin comes to visit and throws every thing out of control? This is the third book in the illustrated Gamer Girls series! Lucy is the newest member of the Gamer Girls. She loves her new school, her family, and her friends, but she misses her old life in California, too. After unsuccessfully trying to convince her parents to let her visit California, they decide to bring her aunt and cousin Jordan to HER! +10 XP for awesome parents. Unfortunately, Jordan's presence causes a stir with the Gamer Girls . . . suddenly, like Lucy's race car in her newest video game obsession Fast Pursuit Horizon, she feels totally OUT OF CONTROL! In this third book of the series Gamer Girls, four friends navigate the video game world and the middle school world . . . if only they could solve drama as easily as they defeat monsters! This series is perfect for readers who love video games. Out of Control includes 25 black-and-white illustrations throughout.

Thirteen-year-old Natalie lives a double life. By day, she’s an average eighth grader at Golden Trails Middle. At night, she’s Gnat112, a streamer for her favorite video game, Alienlord. But when the new girl moves in next door, will Natalie's double life be revealed? Natalie has a secret. She's a gamer. By day, Natalie is an average eighth grade student. At night, she's Gnat112! Living a double life is hard . . . and keeping a secret from your friends is even harder. In this illustrated middle grade book (the first of an all-new series, Gamer Girls), Natalie and her three BFFs learn to navigate the gamer world together, one girl at a time. This series is a great read for gamers and gamer enthusiasts of all kinds. Plus, there's the occasional middle school drama . . . if only Natalie could battle math teachers like video game aliens!

Women in Gaming: 100 Professionals of Play is a celebration of female accomplishments in the video game industry, ranging from high-level executives to programmers to cosplayers. This insightful and celebratory book highlights women who helped to establish the industry, women who disrupted it, women who fight to diversify it, and young women who will someday lead it. Featuring household names and unsung heroes, each individual profiled is a pioneer in their own right. Key features in this book include: *100 Professionals of Play: Interviews and Special Features with 100 diverse and prominent women highlighting their impact on the gaming industry in the fields of design, programming, animation, marketing, voiceover, and many more. *Pro Tips: Practical and anecdotal advice from industry professionals for young adults working toward a career in the video game industry. *Essays: Short essays covering various topics affecting women in gaming related careers, including "Difficult Women: The Importance of Female Characters Who Go Beyond Being Strong," "NPC: On Being Unseen in the Game Dev Community," and "Motherhood and Gaming: How Motherhood Can Help Rather Than Hinder a Career." *"A Day in the Life of" Features: An inside look at a typical day in the gaming industry across several vocations, including a streamer, a voice actor, and many more.

They broke her. Ruined. Completely destroyed. Destiny was supposed to be perfect. As a teen, she'd given up boys for a love of pixilated wonders and fantastical ideas. She wasn't just a gamer, she was going to be a game maker. All she wanted was to give the world a little piece of her dream. Then they found her.Now, she can't do it. Can't do anything, really. Being close to another person is torture. The thought of being touched steals the breath from her lungs. Working on games? If they ever found out, they'd kill her - or so they said. She's not ok. Her memories live too close, flashbacks come too easily, and surviving each day is getting harder and harder.Nothing can take back what happened to her.He doesn't care.Chance thought he'd hit the jackpot. Finding the famous Destiny Pierce working at a hardware store? She was desperate enough to take his job offer, but the woman who'd inspired him to create this fledgling game company is not the same one standing before him now. This one is shattered.It shouldn't matter. He's not the man to fix her. Hell, he's got enough of his own problems. All he needs is for her to get his game up and running, and she's willing to help. But those sad eyes make him want to put a smile on her kissable lips, because that's as close as he can get.She can't touch people.He can't stop.For people like them, perfection is out of reach. The goal is just to keep going. For now, it's making a game, but Chance isn't ready to let her quit. If he can teach her how to live again, maybe she can get past those memories and find something worth caring about.Hopefully, that something will be him.He may not be perfect, but he's flawed in just the right way.TRIGGER WARNING: Contains off-screen rape and assault, domestic violence, addiction, suicidal tendencies, phobias, bullying, cyber harassment, violence, and more. The Gamer Girls series is based on what could have happened during GamerGate. Each novel features strong women, the men who love them, and the games that let them escape reality. Contains graphic language and situations that are suitable for a mature audience. This book is a standalone novel which moves forward a larger story.

Feminism in Play focuses on women as they are depicted in video games, as participants in games culture, and as contributors to the games industry. This volume showcases women’s resistance to the norms of games culture, as well as women’s play and creative practices both in and around the games industry. Contributors analyze the interconnections between games and the broader societal and structural issues impeding the successful inclusion of women in games and games culture. In offering this framework, this volume provides a platform to the silenced and marginalized, offering counter-narratives to the post-racial and post-gendered fantasies that so often obscure the violent context of production and consumption of games culture.

The chapters in this volume are selected from the best papers presented at the 11th Annual Consumer Culture Theory Conference held in Lille, France in July 2016. They represent the cutting edge in qualitative consumer research.