Summary
Over the last 14 years, Feminist Frequency has been on a mission to highlight discrimination and injustices across the gaming space, in addition to providing support to victims of cyber bullying and other such alarming phenomena. The group has also been a staunch opponent ofonline radicalization in the post-Gamergate world, all the while advocating for more equal representation of women in video games.
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Sarkeesian took online on August 1 to announce that Feminist Frequency will be closing its doors in early 2024. The media critic cited burnout and exhaustion as one of the main reasons influencing her decision to close up shop, explaining that both have “taken their toll” over the years. Althoughharassment and extremism remain pervasive across the gaming industry, Sarkeesian opined that the work done by Feminist Frequency still made a difference and effected change. She also acknowledged that the fight for equality isn’t done, even if her nonprofit is.
As a result of this move, the Games and Online Harassment Hotline that Feminist Frequency launched in August 2020 will also cease operations come July 04, 2025. The service began development in 2019, largely as a response to the then-exploding #MeToo movement highlighting examples of sexual harassment, abuse, and rape culture, all of which have long been evident in the gaming space. The head of the project, Jae Lin, will keep operating accountability support space ReSpec following the hotline’s closure. The Feminist Frequency Radio podcast—available on YouTube and Spotify, among other platforms—will also keep going without Sarkeesian, as co-host Kat Spada is set to take over that project moving forward.
One of the nonprofit’s most high-profile examples of feminist gaming media criticism was its Tropes vs. Women in Video Games series which ran over a four-year period ending in 2017. The project yielded 18 episodes criticizing tropes such as damsel in distress and women as rewards, among other issues. Its final episode took aim at the prevalence of lady sidekicks with limited agency, includingAshley Graham fromResident Evil 4.
Sarkeesian recommended that Feminist Frequency’s followers looking to continue supporting its mission look into the Coalition Against Online Violence, Right to Be (formerly Hollaback), and Take This, as all of those organizations continue to pursue similar goals. While the nonprofit’s closure represents a blow to the fight for equal representation and fair treatment of women across the gaming space, there is no denying that the world of today is much more aware of those issues than it was back when Feminist Frequency first started. After all, evenUS Congress members are looking into gaming harassmentnowadays.
