Leigh Alexander (journalist)

Leigh Alexander

Alexander at GDC 1ReasonToBe panel, 2014
Born October 22, 1981
Massachusetts
Residence London, England
Occupation Journalist, editor, columnist, author
Website
http://leighalexander.net

Leigh Alexander (born October 22, 1981) is an American journalist and author. She was former Editor-at-Large and News Editor for Gamasutra, a news and features site for video game developers. She left Gamasutra in 2015 to become Editor-in-Chief for the revived BoingBoing website "Offworld". Offworld was launched on March 9 by Alexander and games journalist Laura Hudson. Offworld is a gaming site with a focus on diversity and inclusiveness within the gaming community. The site features editorials, news pieces, and articles from guest writers, such as video game developer Zoe Quinn.[1]

Her writing has appeared in Variety, the Los Angeles Times, Kotaku, Polygon, Vice, Edge, The Guardian, and Time.[2][3] She also produces a video series called "Lo-Fi Let's Play", in which she plays and comments on adventure games from the 1980s.

Alexander has written two books about video games: Breathing Machine, about growing up with gaming and the nascent Internet, and Clipping Through, about life in the games industry as viewed through the lens of the Game Developers Conference. On February 14, 2015 Alexander released an illustrated short story, Mona. The book features illustrations by Emily Carroll. Alexander also recorded an audiobook version ofMona herself. Alexander cites the video game Silent Hill 2 as an inspiration.[4]

Gamergate controversy

On August 28, 2014, Alexander published an article on Gamasutra titled "Gamers' don't have to be your audience. 'Gamers' are over". The article was quickly picked up by members of Gamergate who took issue with the Alexander's stance on gaming culture.[5] The article became a focal point within the Gamergate controversy, with Alexander facing harassment from members of the Gamergate movement.[6] Alexander's article led to Intel pulling all of their ads from Gamasutra after Gamergate's outcry. Alexander criticized Intel's decision, saying "Intel was fleeced by a hate mob."[7] Intel later apologized for removing their ad campaign from Gamasutra although they never reinstated the ads.[8]

In interview with MSNBC Digital that aired on October 21, 2014, Leigh Alexander spoke out against the Gamergate movement and talked about the harassment of game developer Zoe Quinn. Alexander stated that her criticism of Gamergate stemmed from what she believes to be "the terroristic dominance of traditional appetites in what should be a diverse and creative field."[9]

During GDC 2015, Alexander hosted the #1ReasonToBe panel. The panel was dedicated to better serve minorities within the video games industry and was spawned from the #1reasonwhy Twitter campaign about the lack of female representation within the video game industry. Alexander advocated for more women to stand up against harassment within games media and create spaces for minorities and marginalized groups within gaming culture. Referencing both the panel and her website Offworld, Alexander said that "creating spaces like this one in your work environment doesn’t have to be a huge upheaval. Simply create space for our experiences in our work and lives and listen to us.[10] The panel was well received by members of the games press like Polygon's Danielle Riendeau. The panel drew a large audience and featured multiple standing ovations from attendees.[11]

Bibliography

References

  1. ↑ Weber, Rachel (March 6, 2015). "Boing Boing relaunches Offworld". GameIndustry.biz. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Leigh Alexander - Gamasutra - Author Bio". Gamasutra. 2014-10-02. Retrieved 2014-10-16.
  3. ↑ "Sexism, Lies, and Video Games: The Culture War Nobody is Winning". TIME. 2014-09-05. Retrieved 2014-10-16.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Announcing Mona, an illustrated short story | Leigh Alexander". leighalexander.net. Retrieved 2015-04-21.
  5. ↑ "That ‘’Gamers’ are over’ article: GG, you read it wrong. I annotated it.". Medium. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  6. ↑ Cross, Katherine (September 9, 2014). "What ‘GamerGate’ Reveals About the Silencing of Women". RH Reality Check. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  7. ↑ Wingfield, Nick (October 2, 2014). "Intel Pulls Ads From Site After 'Gamergate' Boycott". Bits. The New York Times. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  8. ↑ Tassi, Paul (October 4, 2014). "Intel Apologizes For Pulling Ads Due To GamerGate Pressure". Forbes. Forbes. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  9. ↑ MSNBC Leigh Alexander & Eric Johnson Interview #GamerGate, 2014-10-22, retrieved 2015-04-21
  10. ↑ Parkin, Simon (March 6, 2015). "Women share their #1ReasonToBe in games, in a powerful GDC panel". Gamasutra. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  11. ↑ Riendeau, Danielle (Mar 06, 2015). "The most vital, emotional panel at GDC was #1ReasonToBe". Polygon. Retrieved April 21, 2015. Check date values in: |date= (help)

External links

Media related to Leigh Alexander at Wikimedia Commons