Tuesday, June 7, 2016

The Gaming Community Still Doesn't like Girls in their Club

Even though I am female that is planning on gong into the game industry, I haven't understood or researched much into the entire controversy behind Gamergate. All that I knew up until recent digging is that the movement was promoted by men who didn't like certain women in the industry and/or what they were saying about gaming.

It turns out that my initial impression wasn't exactly wrong. I don't understand why it is so hard for some boys to understand that girls can make and play games as well. I have heard the term "Fake Geek Girl" thrown around a lot on social media, especially in regards to cosplayers and other con-goers. Memes like the one below can be seen all over the internet, inferring that you can only appreciate games if you actually look like the stereotype of a "nerd".
However, as this article puts so very well, the idea behind "fake geek girls" and #gamergate is all linked back to boy's fragile insecurities and gatekeeper syndrome rather than this being an actual problem in the gaming and geek culture community. Just as with any other passion, there is no reason why you should have to fit in with the stereotype in order to be able to enjoy your favorite things.

And heres another image just for fun illustrating this point:

Monday, June 6, 2016

Fighting ISIS Using Music

By now you've probably heard of Helly Luv, the Kurdish pop star that supports the fight against ISIS in the middle east through her music. After releasing her single "Revolution" she has even received death threats from the terrorist group, which means that her methods must be working as she had hoped.

Luv's song "Revolution" (violent content warning)

As the old adage goes: "The pen is mightier than the sword." And I believe that this is a prime example of this in action. In a war situation, you can only use violence so much before that becomes an ineffective threat, but helping to spread the message that gets people to unite against a common enemy is a force that is hard to kill. The internet may have its downsides and problems, but allowing for people to unite and spread hope to those who might otherwise not be able to hear it is one of the perks and great advantages that we now have in the digital age.

Sunday, June 5, 2016

So Easy, an Artist Can Do it

I am not a coder, I am an artist. With that being said, it kind of sucks that I'm expected to keep an online portfolio of my work to be able to reference when applying for any job in my field. If I was left to my own abilities, my website would look like a mess, and no one would probably ever want to hire me. Sure I could pay for one of those services that let you pay someone to make a site for you, and you just have to pay a monthly fee to make sure that it stays functional and looking proper; but why would I do that when it's so easy to do it yourself with only basic coding skill?

Many people take the easy way out by simply just paying someone, but since I know how to type basic commands and apply templates, I can do the same thing without paying anything at all. Templates are far easier to manipulate than people think. All you need to know is how to save the files in the right spot, and being able to link things within the page properly. Even if you don't know how to do this already, Google has the answers from people with abilities that range from basic to professional, typically giving you the same results.

It's interesting how many people don't realize this, and would rather pay for a website with a pretty layout.

Snapchat: Feeding the Crazy

Like most people born around the millennium, I use Snapchat as a way to communicate with my friends. Although I mostly use it for purposes of sending quick pictures of stuff around me and the occasional response to something that's been sent to me. I just hope that I never become like one of the crazy people that use Snapchat as a way to keep tabs on their SOs and friends.

I have heard many stories of girls going crazy over the fact that their boyfriend has another girl in their "Bestfriends List" on Snapchat. Why does that matter? Are you really so insecure in your relationship that you feel threatened by any other female that your SO is talking to? In my opinion, if you act this way just because of a list on some app, then you have larger problems than your boyfriend talking to other girls.

Even though this kind of behavior has become the norm since the social media boom, that doesn't mean that it should be considered okay. Social media might be an easy way to feed our egos and make ourselves feel more important than we really are; but when our life is centralized around it, we turn into these people who get into relationship fights over friend lists.