The manosphere is back (Ed: Did it ever go away, then?), and we’ve lost mainstream feminist websites such as Teen Vogue; bigots everywhere are celebrating what they see as the death of “woke”. Put it all together and we have a dismal stew of doom for someone like me, a queer woman and a feminist who’s been a games journalist and critic since 2007.
Perhaps because your immediate focus is on what you are, as opposed to what you do...?
In the mid-2010s, I worked for a small “geek girl” feminist website called the Mary Sue, and it was a unique pleasure to write very specific articles for a very specific audience. The Mary Sue relied on advertising income, which meant that all of us had to write up to six articles every weekday; there wasn’t time to spend on investigative reporting, for example, or long-form critical essays. I’m still proud of what we achieved, despite the intensity of those working conditions, not to mention the amount of harassment we faced just for existing.
'Harassment' no doubt limited to people's refusal to read said website?
Later, I left the Mary Sue and went on to work for Kotaku and then Polygon, both huge games websites where I was writing for broader audiences, rather than the hyper-specific one we catered to at the Mary Sue.
Both huge games websites thst were once readable, but are now shadows of their former selves, conquered as they have been by the identity politics crowd,
But then, in the summer of 2025, my then-employer Polygon underwent a mass layoff and acquisition. We went from a staff of 42 people to just eight. After a particularly disheartening video call with our website’s new owners, I realised I was going to have to quit.
The only surprise was she disn't leap into a cozy spot at Reactormag. Another publication that seems to hire mostly people unable to sublimate their political leanings and personal sexual hang-ups long enough to do their job.
Another one of my colleagues at Polygon – Zoe Hannah, games editor – quit as well, for similar reasons. She hit me up with an idea she had for a feminist games website. “You should do it,” I told her. And then I sat there for a moment and thought about it. No, we should do it!
I believe our website is a necessity in our current political climate. It should have existed before, when I and millions of other girls who grew up playing games were made to feel out of place by media and advertising that was laser-focused on teenage boys. But it’s not too late for me to make sure it exists now.
Well, I wish you luck. You're gonna need it!
