Documentary about sexism in games on Kickstarter
New York City based documentary filmmaker Shannon Sun-Higginson has launched a Kickstarter for a film aimed at “exposing the harassment of women in video games”. The campaign is seeking $20,000 for the film titled GTFO: A Film About Women in Gaming.
The film which is aimed at exposing the sexual harassment that women gamers endure will feature gamers, bloggers, scholars, developers, and other experts on sexism. A trailer is available on the Kickstarter webpage.
“I am just a casual gamer, so I was shocked about a year ago when a friend told me about the abuse that many female gamers and other industry figures endure on a daily basis. I immediately began researching and filming this documentary, titled “GTFO” in reference to the exclusionary response that many women encounter while gaming. “
Sun-Higginson also noted that not all gamers are trolls or abusers and that many are actually supportive and disgusted by such sexist behaviors. However, she wants to make this film as she feels “that this is a real problem, and it’s time that the non-gaming public know about it”. She feels that such behavior is not only offensive to the victim and paints a bad image on the entire gaming industry, but it also turns away countless women who would otherwise want to be part of the industry.
The purpose of the film, according to Sun-Higginson, is to “reveal the experiences of women in the gaming world, both good and bad, as well as to provide steps we can take to change the environment for the better”. While she has already filmed interviews, conventions, tournaments and classes, she would require the $20,000 to finish the remainder of the project.
A proposed budget is also planned out on the Kickstarter page. At the time of writing, the campaign already has 397 backers donating a total of $13,519 with 10 days to go. If successful, the film will be launched on March 2014.