After months of speculation, backlash, counter-campaigns, outrage, accusations of misandry, advisory visits to video game developers, TED talks, fraudulent counter-campaigns, and even allegations of over the top shoe shopping, the first episode of Tropes vs Women is finally available to view. We've embedded it above. You can watch it right now.
The video is the work of Anita Sarkeesian for her series Feminist Frequency, examining the role of women in culture and media. She started a Kickstarter in order to fund production of a series entirely based on the representation of women in games, asking for a modest total of $6,000 and in turn receiving $158,922.
This first episode specifically focuses on the trope of the damsel in distress. Wisely, Anita has chosen to disable comments, likely a reflection of the intense backlash she's received in the several months since she started the Kickstarter campaign. It’s unclear whether they will remain off forever, or just while this is a fresh topic but hopefully it will allow us to focus on the merits of her argument and not on the reaction, for today at least.
We’re at Gameranx are, excitedly, going to all watch it now. We’ve been waiting for a while.