The Cross Assault controversy is drawing attention—once again—to sexism in gaming culture and geek cultures more generally. I want to address what I think is the most elemental form of sexism in nerd culture: the belief that women spoil the fun.
Posts Tagged ‘ findings ’
A Fan by Any Other Name
What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet. (Romeo and Juliet II.2, 45–46) One of the things that’s been really fun about my recent interviews has been talking with people about how they use words like nerd, geek, and fan. Despite my own (admittedly nerdish)...
HBO Plays with Fantasy in A Game of Thrones
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=fRZJpX4AdAM “Winter is coming,” and so is HBO’s adaptation of the first novel in George R. R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire, A Game of Thrones. For those of you unfamiliar with the series, A Song of Ice and Fire is about the Realpolitik of a fantasy kingdom called Westeros. Its inspiration is...
What is a Subcultural Scene?
In my research on nerd culture, I have been trying to distinguish between, on the one hand, an understanding of subculture as a kind of identity position or “imagined community” (Anderson 1983) and, on the other hand, a “subcultural scene.” The distinction here is between an abstract and trans-local field (the subculture) and a...
Lessons from Ladies’ Night: Comic Shops and Community-Making
In a recent column, Kate Leth writes about her experience hosting a ladies' night event at Halifax's Strange Adventures. For one evening the store made like Y: The Last Man. The doors were closed to men, and female staff and volunteers organized artist appearances, treats, gift bags, and special deals for the hundred...
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