Thus, ultimately thousands of US dollars have been donated to Girls Make Games in the name of misogyny.
We shed light on the background of the allegations against Leost in this article:
Mass Effect: Andromeda: A cosplayer is blamed for everything
The uproar over the bad animations in Mass Effect: Andromeda has now resulted in something good. Misogynistic attacks against developer Allie Rose-Marie Leost ultimately triggered a wave of donations for Girls Make Games.
The animations, especially the facial expressions in Mass Effect: Andromeda are a problem. Some people on the internet have singled out a woman as the culprit. She is supposedly to blame for everything. Developer Allie Rose-Marie Leost was targeted and fiercely criticized in a blog. It was implied that she was incompetent and had “slept her way up” at EA to get a job that does not match her qualifications.
This was followed by numerous personal attacks against Leost across social media, prompting even BioWare to feel the need to defend their former employee.
Alexandria Neonakis, an artist working for Naughty Dog, expressed her anger and outrage over these attacks against Leost on her personal Twitter account. As a woman in gaming, she felt personally affected by these attacks.
And at every damn step some asshole likes to pass it all off as “well you’re a girl so obviously that helped”
— Alexandria Neonakis (@Beavs) March 19, 2017
As a woman in the gaming industry, it is difficult. Constantly, one’s competence is questioned. The accusation: One only has the current position because one is a girl. She states that she had to earn everything in the gaming industry over 10 years, despite all the people telling her that she could and should not. And every woman in gaming she has spoken to has experienced the same.
After these statements, Neonakis herself became the target of some tweets and attacks.
Neonakis then donated $500 to the organization “Girls Make Games” in the name of these attackers. Girls Make Games (here’s their website) is an organization that offers workshops for young women who want to enter the game industry.
I just donated to @GirlsMakeGames in honor of these lovely boys. Thanks guys! pic.twitter.com/gDlbfVzan6
— Alexandria Neonakis (@Beavs) March 21, 2017
The US site Kotaku sympathizes with Neonakis, itself regarded as a target of the “Gamergate” movement.
As reported by Kotaku, Neonakis’ donation triggered a real wave of donations joined by numerous game designers. Among them was Uncharted 4 Director Neil Druckmann, Firewatch Director Jake Radkin, employees of Disney, High Moon, and other studios. Neonakis added another $500 to her initial $500.
Thus, ultimately thousands of US dollars have been donated to Girls Make Games in the name of misogyny.
We shed light on the background of the allegations against Leost in this article:
Mass Effect: Andromeda: A cosplayer is blamed for everything
