Happy Wednesday, friends! It's been a very busy week here at WIRED Games, and we have a ton of great stories for you to check out. First of all, the unstoppable Cecilia D'Anastasio is back with another, "Welcome to Planet Egirl," probably the best piece I've read on egirl culture ... well ... ever. And as expected, Cecilia doesn't take the usual "What's this weird thing I'm keeping at arms' length" approach—she talks to the people whose form of self-expression has earned both admiration and respect in some corners, derision in others, and, now, the unexpected attention of billion-dollar companies. It's well worth your time. And if you love that, wait until you see what she has in store for us later this week. When you're finished, check out Luke Winkie's piece on why there are so few women in wargaming circles. The answer is predictable: old-fashioned misogyny and gatekeeping in yet another field designed to keep new, fresh players out, even at its own expense. But there are people eager to change that, and Luke talks to some of them about their experiences. Also, it's Pride Month, and we have a few things lined up to celebrate. The first is this amazing lookback by Laine Yuhas at SaGa Frontier's bisexual lead, Asellus. Twenty years after the original game, and playing through SaGa Frontier: Remastered, Laine talked to the game's producer about the story, the future of the game and the franchise (if there is one), and the importance of writing a bisexual character whose sexuality is never in question. All of us deserve that—to be seen in video games without our identity being a question or a plot point, allowed to exist and take up space and be part of the story without being a caricature or token. That approach also led Williesha Morris to chat with the folks at Arkane Studios about their upcoming title, Deathloop, which prominently features two Black lead characters, the protagonist and, as far as we know, one of the primary antagonists. Their Blackness is present and seen through their characters, but it's not some kind of plot device, nor are they token characters who are two-dimensional except for their Blackness, and that's refreshing to see. The developers and producers at Arkane seem to know what they're doing, too. OK, that's a lot of deep, interesting stuff, so let's round things out with a little more fun to take the edge off, shall we? First, please read my friend and WIRED product reviewer Louryn Strampe's take on Chair Simulator, a free PC game where, yes, you guessed it, you just sit. That's all you do. And it's majestic. And speaking of the absurd, if you haven't played Disco Elysium: The Final Cut yet, now's the perfect time to pick it up, according to Laurence Russell, who's played through the original and the updated Final Cut version, and lives to tell the tale. Maybe I'll play it on stream, if it won't get me either DMCA'd or reported for adult content. Hmm. Speaking of Twitch, make sure you follow us over there for alerts when we go live! And as always, if you have games you'd like us to play on stream that you think would either be fun for a chill Wednesday night during Game Therapy or a Friday variety stream, hit us up at games@wired.com with your suggestions. Have a great week! 💖 Welcome to planet egirl. What happens when your personal form of self-expression grabs the attention of a multibillion-dollar industry? Is it reductive or is it supportive? Do you find more people like you, or do you just experience the ire of people who don't get it? In truth, it's all of those things, and then some. ⚔️ Why are there so few women in wargaming? Old fashioned sexism plays a role, for sure, but so does sexism, harassment, and, in some cases, an aging, unwelcoming community that's only eager to see new people that look like the old people. Meet some of the players eager to change that. 🏳️🌈 I revisited SaGa Frontier—and my bisexual video game crush. In SaGa Frontier, no one was confused or surprised that Asellus liked girls as well as boys. The only thing that frustrated the characters in the game was that it took her so long to admit her feelings were real. ✊ Deathloop and the radical necessity of 2 Black leads. When Deathloop was announced, the presence of two Black lead characters seemed amazing, revolutionary even. Now, after a wild year, it feels necessary, important, and transformative. And the team at Arkane agree. 💺 Chair Simulator is a game about … sitting. This absurd game is exactly what it says on the box. And it's free, which means you should give it a try. Seriously, take a seat. 🔥 The incredible, absurd world of Disco Elysium: The Final Cut. Arguably one of the most in-depth, detailed, and well-produced games in recent memory, there's never been a better time to pick up Disco Elysium: The Final Cut, even if you played before the Final Cut update was added. And if you've never played? You're in for a treat. |
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