Blog Post 8 - Fallon

 Russworm et. al's article intrigued me the most. Their perspectives are so incredibly clear, and advocate for disrupting the erasure of black women in the video game industry. This article stuck out to me the most, as it utilized song lyrics and a "mixtape" to convey their message, and the emotionality of each section, equating the importance of these black female artists as well as the emotions and their significance in each song truly set the stage for the reader as to what they should expect. This really stuck a chord with me, because it showed the truce creativity of these authors, their dedication to uplifting other black women, as well as their own creative spirits. It's clear that, as a reader, I can see that a lot of heart and thought went into the writing of the text, and I was immediately drawn in. While there were certainly excellent academic points, I felt that I was able to emotionally connect with this article in a way I was otherwise unable to. 

The entire article truly painted a vivid picture as to how black women and their impact were consistently erased in the video game industry, and even how the behavior of the dominant class in gaming (heterosexual white men) drove them further into the sidelines. "Probably the most prominent and consistent experiences I've had are men expecting me to be sexually and romantically available, or even to serve as a confidante" (Richard, 105). Aggressive behavior that has been so pervasive in the gaming industry as a whole either tells women like Richard to learn how to deal with it, or to keep voice chat off to not trigger said behavior. 

I also appreciated the section where Scott discusses interviewing older black women on their gameplay. It struck a chord, as this is a demographic that is often overlooked and ignored, even more so than younger black women. As a society, we only tend to think of games as those dominated by heterosexual white men: Xbox, Nintendo, Playstation, PC, and even "nerdier" board games, like Dungeons and Dragons. However, these older women got fulfillment out of playing mobile and FaceBook games. They truly found joy out of these games, and even used them as tools to keep their minds sharp during retirement. Games like Candy Crush can provide a comforting escape, and a way to use your brain; though they're consistently overlooked as they typically appeal to people who play casually. The women didn't consider themselves gamers, even though they spent a significant amount of time per week playing these games. Even though these women are finding fulfillment and fun out of games like Candy Crush, we are taught to not consider them as games that "count", or ones that matter despite their significant impact on these women. 

Wholly, these articles made me reexamine my perspectives on black women in gaming culture, and how consistently they are erased from the narrative. I'd personally love to learn more on their impact or their experiences, as we're only typically taught, at best, a white perspective (as opposed to a white male perspective). It truly speaks volumes to how we are determined to erase black women and their impacts at every turn, and how we as modern feminists need to fight with these women to be heard and to stop continually erasing their narratives.