“Resistance and Survival Through Community and Horror” in Game Devs & Others: Tales from the Margins (CRC Press, 2018)

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“My games specifically use body horror to talk about mental illness through this lens to address the ways marginalized bodies and experiences are violently erased or talked about in many conversations about mental health — and about eating disorders specifically. Focusing on anorexic bodies erases people with bulimia, with binge-eating disorder, or with any other diagnosis that falls under the broad categorization of an eating disorder. Focusing only one specific body type in this conversation is erasure of other body types and experiences, just as focusing only on women with eating disorders is an erasure of cis and trans men and people who are non-binary or genderfluid. Nobody is immune to eating disorders.”

“Resistance Through Community and Horror” is an exploration of how the games community and making horror games helped me navigate recovery from an eating disorder.

Game Devs & Others: Tales from the Margins tell the true stories of life in the industry by people of color, LGBTQIA and other marginalized identities. This collection of essays give people a chance to tell their stories and to let others know what life on the other side of the screen is like when you’re not part of the supposed “majority”.

Key FeaturesThis book is perfect for anyone interested in getting into the games industry who feels they have a marginalized identityFor those who wish to better diversify their studio or workplace who may or may not have access to individuals that could or would share their stories about the industryIncludes initiatives aimed at diversifying the industry that have a positive or negative impact on the ongoing discussionsCoverage of ajor news items about diversity, conferences aimed at or having diversity at its core of content and mission are discussedIncluded essays are written with as little game dev specific jargon as possible, makeing it accessible to people outside the industry as well as those in the scene but that may not have all the insider lingo