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I know that I (Robin Ek, TGG) have stated in the past that I/we wouldn’t bring up Brinna Wu again as we don’t want to feed her any free PR (I still remember my Samus Aran/Metroid beef with her). Well, I’ve kept my word uptil this point. Because it appears as if I’ve been taken for a ride as of lately. You see, just recently I RT:ed Aardvark Swift‏’s tweet about “influential women pioneers in gaming” via Twtter (as seen in the picture down below). “So what?” Is most likely what the most of you are thinking right now. Well, so did I at the time. As I thought that the article would be about influential women pioneers in the world of video games (like Dona Bailey, who’s seen in the tweet by Aardvark Swift‏).

“We’ve written a Herstory of gaming for @developonline looking at the influential women pioneers in gaming!” – And where exactly does Brianna Wu fit into that picture?

Well, I was wrong, because I was informed (thanks Just Lyle!) that Aardvark Swift‏’s Joey Relton added Brianna Wu (co-founder Giant Spacekat, the maker for “Revolution 60”) to his “A Herstory of Gaming” article:

I honestly never thought that I would find Brianna Wu in this article. As the article was said to be about ” the influential women pioneers in gaming!”…

Yes, you read it right. Joey Relton appears to have put Brianna Wu in the same league as Carol Shaw (the first woman game programmer, she made “3D Tic-Tac-Toe” back in 1978), Dona Bailey (the first woman to work on an arcade game. She worked on “Centipede”), Roberta Williams (co-Founder of Sierra, the creator of the “Kings Quest” series) and Danielle Bunten Berry (pioneer of multiplayer games, the creator of “Wheeler Dealers” and “M.U.L.E.”). Just let that one sink in for a while, because this would be as if I would be placed in the same league as Peter Forsberg. Why? Because I have never ever played in the NHL. Hell, I can’t even skate!

“Brianna Wu, cofounder of independent studio Giant Spacekat, has been a fearless vocal activist for improving conditions in the industry for women, despite harassment received during Gamergate in 2014.” – Say what?

My point would be that Brianna Wu shouldn’t be mentioned in the same sentence as “the influential women pioneers in gaming”. As Miss Wu has not achieved or created anything in the likes of Roberta Williams or Dona Bailey, because let’s be honest. Wu’s “Revolution 60” is a mediocre game at best. So it’s not exactly fair and accurate to the actual influential women pioneers in gaming to be put next to Miss Wu.

I’m also pretty curious why Joey Relton didn’t add the following women to his article instead of Brianna Wu:

SeedScape:
Jennifer D’aww – Character designer and Animator, pixel artist and programmer

Fran Bow:
Natalia Figueroa – Designer

Journey
Robin Hunicke – producer

Among the Sleep
Karoline Aske – Artist
Alexandra Skimmeland – Programmer
Tina Alfredsen – 2D artist

Routine
Jemma Hughes – Art and design

The Typing of the Dead: Overkill
Helana Santos — programmer

Tengami
Jennifer Schneidereit – Co-founder, co-creator

Well, I think you get my point. It’s also worth pointing out that Joey Relton’s “A Herstory of Gaming” article wasn’t exactly truthful about #GamerGate either (the “harassment received during Gamergate in 2014” part) . So I think it’s safe to say that the article is anything but 100% accurate (which is rather worrisome, since Aardvark Swift is a proud sponsor of the Women in Game Awards and founder of the Breakthrough Talent Award…). Nevertheless, I’m going to let you guys and girls decide that one for yourselves. So I have added everything that you need to know down below (links and sources).

And with that said, what’s your take on this matter? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section down below!

Credit:
Just Lyle

Source:
Aardvark Swift‏
A Herstory of Gaming by Joey Relton
The Lie Heard Around the World #GamerGate #NotYourShield
TL;DR – Brianna Wu: The Victim of Everything #gamergate
Brianna Wu – Gamers were born in a sewage
Brianna Wu and Revolution 60
What It’s Like to Be a Target on the Internet Every Day
Brianna Wu on pinterest
Leading ladies: Amazing indie games made by women