I need help...maybe from an AGD?

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Emily_Konichi
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I need help...maybe from an AGD?

#1 Post by Emily_Konichi » Sun Oct 05, 2008 10:42 am

Ok, I'm hoping this is the right place to post this, and I really hope this topic won't end up in a flame war v.v I'm not going out to try and cause a riot or anything, I'm only posting this to ask for some help in anyway possible about a particular situation in my life...

So, here's the thing...I'm a transsexual...for those who don't know, that is usually someone who was born as either male or female, but their body and their mind are two different genders (i.e. in my case, I'm a girl, but born a guy...that make sense?). In either case...I had an argument with my parents a while ago about this...and they put up a lot of tough arguments that I couldn't get around...problem was...I doubt anyone could get around them.

One particular argument they made is the following: "Women don't make or play video games!" Due to the fact that I not only am an avid game player, I also have a desire to get into game making. Now, I have looked through the AGD cast and seen at least 3 females in the crew that made QFG2. Also, I have found a lot of names of girls involved as major people in making other games such as the Sims 2 and so on. I've been attempting to compile these names into a list, so that I can show it to my parents in a hope to at least counter one argument. The main hope, is to find a way to counter all their arguments until there simply is nothing left to argue about.

I would like it greatly if any members of this forum could direct me to the names of any women who have worked on games over the years. It would help even greater if they came from more "violent" games (like World of Warcraft, Diablo, Zelda, etc.) but just about any game would be helpful.

Now, here is the really tricky part...this is where I need help from an AGD member. I know you probably won't, but I was hoping that, maybe, one of the female AGDs could right a letter about how females can make games, and how it doesn't matter if you are male or female, game making and playing, is for everyone. I don't expect this part of the request to get done...and I can also understand if none of the AGDs are willing to help in this degree. I can make due with a simple list of names if that is all the help I can get from you all. I'd prefer if ti came in a list that not only has their name, but also the game they worked on (i.e. Emily Selwood - QFG2VGA (that was one of the AGDs right? Sorry if I got your name wrong!).)

I'd like to say thanks in advance to everyone who can help me out in this...and I apologize if this was the wrong place to ask for this...and again, I ask that no flame wars erupt from this...I don't care if you think transexuality is wrong...I don't care if you want to yell and scream at me...but it won't change my mind...not even having my whole family and all my friends yelling at me about it has changed my mind. This is something I must do, so I ask that people PLEASE do not post if all you plan to do is attack me about being transsexual...It's firstly against the rules of this forum, and secondly, I'm just tired of it...I've been dealing it with for 2 years now, I'd like it to just stop...even if for only a short time...

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Re: I need help...maybe from an AGD?

#2 Post by Lady Pyro » Sun Oct 05, 2008 11:47 am

Unfortunately I haven't worked on any games, but I know girls who have. I'm an animator (Most of the time, ignore the between contract unemployment at the moment) and I can speak with certainty that there are girls in our field.
Also, one of my best friend's is a programmer whose worked side by side with plenty of girls in the past. Granted not on any games, but that's the nature of the field where we are. You go where the contracts are.

Gender should never be an excuse not to take up a field. I'll tell you now that you defiantly notice when your profession is dominated by one gender or the other, and yeah, it does affect your work area (Animation is a very silly field filled with lot's of crude jokes and drawings of penises, if you're an overly sensitive girl yo would have to learn to ignore it or roll with it. Personally I enjoy it but I'm a bit odd like that). But it's worth it to do something you're passionate about.

As for playing video games, well I just spent the past three days (pretty much solid) playing Overlord, I have an abundance of systems hooked up to one TV, a Computer built solely to play games and carry my gameboy around like it's my life support system.
Me, My mom and my Sister all own (or will own by Christmas in my mom's case) a Next gen console. I've logged over a month of my life on Final Fantasy games (We added up the hours on the ones that log it), won the Super Smash Bros Tournament (amongst friends) in both the original and Brawl (We skipped Melee, don't know why) and at my sister's school we dominated Timesplitters in her building.

Kudos to you for doing what feels right. I know I'm just an internet stranger but you get my full support when it comes to living the way you want, both career wise and gender wise.
And if anyone gives you a hard time about wanting to get into a male dominated field with 'Girls don't do blah blah blah" just say "Well it's about time they did!" :) Sorry I know it's not that easy, and it wont be easy (College for me was rough, I was one of the four girls there my first year) but it's worth it if it's what you love.

Good Luck!

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Re: I need help...maybe from an AGD?

#3 Post by Erpy » Sun Oct 05, 2008 12:21 pm

Sierra itself is an example that women are in their element in the game development industry. Most of Sierra's well-known franchises had females in the director's chair. Roberta Williams was in charge of the King's Quest series and Laura Bow series, Lori Ann Cole came up with the Quest for Glory series, Christy Marx was responsible for the Conquests series and Jane Jensen was at the helm of the Gabriel Knight series.

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Re: I need help...maybe from an AGD?

#4 Post by FamousAdventurer77 » Sun Oct 05, 2008 7:34 pm

Men who say "Women don't *insert topic here*" are usually ones that aren't good at it themselves.

Like the argument men tried to make for years that women are bad at math and other logic problems. I not only have better logic than most men I know, but for crying out loud I have 20 credits in math I did pretty well with in college. One of my toughest math professors was also a woman, who held a doctorate in math. I'm an accounting major with plans on being both a game designer, and financier for my own gaming company.

As for other women in the industry--

Not only was Roberta Williams the queen of adventure gaming when Sierra was in its golden age, but if you want a very "un-girly" violent game example? Phantasmagoria. That game got banned from stores at one point because of the crazy live-action sequences-- I was 11 when I played that game and it scared the crap out of me, and gave me a far different look into the mind of the person who gave us the King's Quest series. A girl also created an AGS original game that was definitely not girly and somewhat violent, Cirque du Zale...a fisherman goes crazy and eats a seal.
Another great game designer is Georgia Bensley, the creator of Hanako Games-- she's made girlier stuff but "Fatal Hearts" was downright awesome.
Amanda Fitch, the chair and chief game designer of Amaranth Games is another example. The Aveyond series are really addictive, and she did very well with it and announced a third game in the series to be released.


I agree with Lady Pyro-- being told "girls don't...(insert field here)" is yet another reason to go for it. As for me, I dealt with that with finance jobs. Accounting's become more gender-integrated (where I'm currently training, women actually outnumber men) but when I worked for a stockbroker, I was one of two women working there. I also play in a punk band...which has also usually been a boy's town. Pretty much everything I liked in life has always been seen as a boy's town...hang in there. You're not the only one.

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Re: I need help...maybe from an AGD?

#5 Post by Angelus3K » Sun Oct 05, 2008 7:48 pm

The way I see it is that you are who you are. Why do you need to convince your parents? One day soon (depending on how old you are) you'll move out, get your own place and live your own life and convincing you parents won't really matter.

Seems to me that no matter how much you'll convince them and counter their arguements that they still won't accept it.

Just be who you are and they'll have to accept it one way or another evenutally.

Thats how I see it at least.

Good luck ;)

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Re: I need help...maybe from an AGD?

#6 Post by Blackthorne519 » Mon Oct 06, 2008 1:23 am

We have several women who've worked with us at IA, and their work is paramount to the quality and success of our games.


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Re: I need help...maybe from an AGD?

#7 Post by Fender178 » Mon Oct 06, 2008 4:59 am

What your parents said is totally untrue. Theres one game from the 21st century that I can think of in which a female is the Lead Designer which is Full Spectrum Warrior which is a military training game. Hope this helps. So Women are involved in making games in some way or another.

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Re: I need help...maybe from an AGD?

#8 Post by Emily_Konichi » Mon Oct 06, 2008 5:10 am

Wow, I didn't expect this much help. Thanks, everyone, for helping out. I'm hoping this list will help out with at least trying to get my parents to stop arguing about my transexuality. I'm still open to more names (and that letter if possible, though I'm not really expecting it, as I know it's probably not a good idea to get involved in an argument to try and help someone you don't know at all). Again, though, thanks so far, and I really hope all of this helps. I don't plan to give this letter to my parents for a while (It's nowhere near done yet), but I will surely add in all the names I can get from here.

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Re: I need help...maybe from an AGD?

#9 Post by Fender178 » Mon Oct 06, 2008 2:13 pm

Hey no problem. Glad to help ya out. There is an article about female gamers and 38% of U.S Gamers are female. http://www.reuters.com/article/technolo ... 2W20081003 read that and put that into your letter like you are doing a research paper.

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Re: I need help...maybe from an AGD?

#10 Post by FamousAdventurer77 » Mon Oct 06, 2008 2:52 pm

"Didi Cardoso, managing editor of Grrlgamers.com, a video game review website produced by women, said that the trends in female-oriented games are pink boxes, fashion, cooking, babies and makeup. "I think a girl's world is a little bigger than that," she said

Sutton, in New York to celebrate her sweet 16 at the Nintendo World Store on September 12, said games that focused on cooking, fashion and babysitting were demeaning. Some of her favorite games are cartoon fighting game Super Smash Bros., racecar game Mario Kart and farm simulation game Harvest Moon."



At least I'm not the only one who thinks those games are demeaning. Though I think one of the most demeaning games ever made was Ciao Bella. I left a really scathing review of it somewhere on the internet. It has both anti-feminist content and really crappy gameplay. There's far better sim games out there...which on that note, I think it was also a girl who created the Final Fantasy Dating Sims on Newgrounds.


So you see..."girl gaming" doesn't have to be all stuff about fashion, makeup, and babies and all the other things society shoves down our throats. If Roberta Williams did it with Phantasmagoria and Amanda Fitch's long and addictive Aveyond RPGs...we can do anything we set our minds to!

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Re: I need help...maybe from an AGD?

#11 Post by Broomie » Mon Oct 06, 2008 5:57 pm

Assassin's Creed was produced by Jade Raymond who is also host of The Electric Playground (that show KQ1, KQ2, KQ3 and TSL was *featured* on) although I'm not sure if she was the one who said, 'That was a little before me time, man' regarding the fan remakes/sequels of King's Quest but seeing how successful Assassin's Creed was it just shows the gaming industry isn't just a man's world.

Never be discouraged though when stereotypes come into play. There are plenty of female gamers and developers and if you believe that's the industry you want to go into than go for it! And you cannot help the way you are either, we're all different people and people who may judge you are quite frankly, and obviously idiots who are best ignored, and we all know ignorance is bliss. :)

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Re: I need help...maybe from an AGD?

#12 Post by Senor Matt » Tue Oct 07, 2008 3:37 am

FamousAdventurer77 wrote:


As for me, I dealt with that with finance jobs. Accounting's become more gender-integrated (where I'm currently training, women actually outnumber men) but when I worked for a stockbroker, I was one of two women working there. I also play in a punk band...which has also usually been a boy's town. Pretty much everything I liked in life has always been seen as a boy's town...hang in there. You're not the only one.

Well girls can do whatever they want, but ACCOUNTANTS can't be PUNK ROCKERS!!!!!! That's just wrong and a crime against nature!! ;) :p

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Re: I need help...maybe from an AGD?

#13 Post by seraphimdreamer777 » Tue Oct 07, 2008 4:09 am

This thread kind of makes me think about myself and my situation. I've dealt with similar problems also and I hope no one here thinks I'm making a bad joke cause I'm not. But I've been trying to escape transgender feelings of my own and (I man this is hard for me) but I've felt like I am a lesbian woman but I was born a man and I've been in church trying to escape who I feel I am I've made so many friends there to and most of them know the situation and they don't think a true Christian can be that way I'm still confused and I don't know if when I mess up and do something that well promotes that lifestyle if the reason I feel bad for it is truly because god don't want me doing it or just that I'm disappointing friends or family who think I'm better off living a straight life I don't know also my best friend he thinks I can never escape it and I might expect the same from y'all and still I don't know where life will lead me but right now I feel nervous but a little better getting this off my chest but it's still hard for me and I know if I follow my personal feelings I'll lose a lot of friends that I have grown very fond of and love so much but if I keep going the way my church says I'll be sad and depressed well I don't know but worst of all I recently became an usher and now I feel even more trapped . So if anyone has any advice on what I should do I well I don't know.

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Re: I need help...maybe from an AGD?

#14 Post by Lady Pyro » Tue Oct 07, 2008 11:40 am

seraphimdreamer777: I truly believe that any God that loves us despite our flaws wouldn't care what gender you choose to be, and would never see it as wrong if you wanted to change. If you already feel like a woman inside, it seems to me that's how God would already regards you. Our exterior is all just makeup, a house for what we really are. Saying God cares what gender you choose, or if you change it, or who you love (too me) is just ludicrous.
The perfect God we're taught about loves you for who you are, not what and changing the outside doesn't change what's inside. If changing the outside makes you happier, I would think that's what God would want.
And a 'True Christian' can be anyone of any situation that follows the teachings of Christ. It's only humans that make judgments like that.

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Re: I need help...maybe from an AGD?

#15 Post by FamousAdventurer77 » Tue Oct 07, 2008 1:22 pm

ACCOUNTANTS can't be PUNK ROCKERS!!!!!!
You'd be surprised at how many of us hold down very "professional" jobs. Al Barr (the original Radicts, Dropkick Murphys, Street Dogs) is an attorney, Jeff from 2 Man Advantage is a paralegal and the singer of that band is an architect, everyone in that band The Wives were all lawyers.

I just didn't want to be left in a situation where I wouldn't be able to find a job. And with how much dough accountants make? I just want to use all the proceeds to open my own game and music companies and totally retire by 45. That, and sometimes living a double life is hilarious.

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Re: I need help...maybe from an AGD?

#16 Post by Emily_Konichi » Wed Oct 08, 2008 2:16 am

Thanks for those words everyone, it gives me some ideas to put into my letter. Another argument they have been pulling, actually, is that it will all go away if I just read my bible everyday...it hasn't been, though, and I plan to put in all the research on that I have found (pastors going through it, you people, etc.). I'm glad I'm getting help here. When I opened the thread, I was worried people would cause a riot...this kind of thing isn't worldwidely accepted...

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Re: I need help...maybe from an AGD?

#17 Post by Erpy » Wed Oct 08, 2008 4:31 am

The contrary actually seems true. Some of the most messed-up people I've heard about were people who used religion as a drug to avoid having to face their person issues.

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Re: I need help...maybe from an AGD?

#18 Post by Emily_Konichi » Wed Oct 08, 2008 4:39 am

Really? Well, I suppose that is true...I read a story of a pastor who went through 3 marriages, had kids, etc. then finally around 40 years old went into the transition. So, I guess I could see how that's possible. I'm also dealing with my friends, though...my one friend keeps saying that he can't see me as a girl, and yada yada, and my other friend keeps trying to pull up all the bad things (i.e. no sex organs, the millions of surgeries I'll have to get, etc) to try and pull me away from it...even though he's also all "I support you, dude" I don't really believe he supports me, though...especially when he says that all MtFs look male until after some surgeries, and he met a friend who hadn't had surgery, and he thought his friend was a girl. Any ideas for how to deal with them? It's kind of getting annoying...

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Re: I need help...maybe from an AGD?

#19 Post by seraphimdreamer777 » Wed Oct 08, 2008 5:05 am

I sent you a PM that might help you some cause I think you shouldn't throw Christ away from your life cause he has helped me through a lot since I got saved last year. By the way I have a friend thats the same way about me he supports me but says I'd be an ugly girl. I'm sure you will be beautiful O.K.

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Re: I need help...maybe from an AGD?

#20 Post by Gronagor » Wed Oct 08, 2008 9:51 am

Hmmm... well. At Hero6 we've had a number of people who made it big time. Since you're asking about Blizzard type of games, the one that pops into mind is Cyst. (I think you can still find the wallpapers she created for Hero6 on the site)

I believe her real name is Kristen DeMeza... who's currently a 'Lead Designer' or something. You can find her Elfwood gallery (which she created about the time she was with Hero6... about 6-7 years ago) if you search for that name.



"Among the major finds of this study was the fact that those who play games are, on average, 41 years old with an annual income of roughly $55,000. Perhaps more surprisingly, however, 52 percent of all gamers are women." read the whole article (2006): http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/featu ... 627/?biz=1
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Re: I need help...maybe from an AGD?

#21 Post by Anonymous Game Creator 2 » Wed Oct 08, 2008 10:59 am

Personally, I believe that religion is the absolute last thing a person facing such a huge, potentially life-altering decision should be turning to for advice. Religions are traditionally backwards-thinking, dogmatic systems of control which tend to group people into two categories: good and evil, and there's little gray area in between. That kind of labeling is not really helpful when looking for guidance by turning to a 'God' who supposedly loves you, but would opt to punish you for a 'quirk' (for lack of a better term) that s/he as the supreme creator was responsible for placing in your genetics/chromosomes in the first place. Using religion as an indicator of what to do is only going to cause more confusion and give you mixed feelings.

My advice would be even if you don't want to ditch religion, simply don't use it as part of your decision-making process because religions aren't geared in such a way to provide helpful insight on matters that are considered 'taboo' or 'wrong' by the majority of religious leaders and followers.

In the end, it's your life and you know better than any religion or your friends about how you're going to feel most comfortable. You should seek advice from an unbiased source who is capable of giving you all the info; the pros and cons for both sides of the dilemma. Seeing a psychologist or another doctor qualified and experienced in such matters would be the best place to start asking for advice that you can use in a beneficial way.

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Re: I need help...maybe from an AGD?

#22 Post by DrJones » Wed Oct 08, 2008 11:45 am

I really don't think that you should turn to Internet for advice, specially for dramatic decisions. If anything, because people in those situations tend to look for guidance at the worst places to do it.

That said, I don't see why you wouldn't be able to work in games, but I've heard that the wage is low, is not steady, and the bosses usually don't treat you well, not something I would try without a backup plan.

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Re: I need help...maybe from an AGD?

#23 Post by Erpy » Wed Oct 08, 2008 12:29 pm

I agree. Best place to go to would be a doctor or counselor to seek advice. Internet's not always the most reliable way to get help with this kind of thing.

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Re: I need help...maybe from an AGD?

#24 Post by Gronagor » Wed Oct 08, 2008 1:51 pm

Agreed.
Besides... it sounds to me the issue here isn't as much the career-choice, but rather the transexual part. Sounds like neither you or your parents have fully accepted this.
PS: Could be wrong. :) Go talk with someone who can look you in the eyes. :)

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Re: I need help...maybe from an AGD?

#25 Post by FamousAdventurer77 » Wed Oct 08, 2008 2:42 pm

The internet may not always be great place to look for advice. But...sometimes one seeks opinions from (fairly) like-minded people. It's easy to assume most people here are gamers. Right? And judging by the title "reviving past adventures" in the frame bar...Nostalgic. Nostalgic gamers are the kind of people I'd rather talk to than a wider scope like most "social networking" sites. (Where you probably WOULD get flamed to no end, because more closed-minded than open-minded people tend to populate those things.) Thus, seeking advice from other gaming enthusiasts sounds like a good place to start. But if there's deeper issues than just speculating gender disparities in the gaming industry...


Most therapists are give or take, I speak from experience there. Some of them are totally useless and others are great. Others...you have to wary of because all they'll do is push psychotropic drugs on you instead of actually trying to solve your problems and talk them out in an unbiased manner.
But the bottom line is that you need to speak with one who can either relate to you, or speak with you on a level that's mutually understandable...and can do more than just listen.

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