Brianna Wu just wanted to make good games.
She co-founded the indie game development studio Giant Spacekat in 2010 with the mission of creating “stories for everyone.”
“I wanted to bring something to market where the women were the heroes, not an afterthought,” she explained. [1]
In an industry skewed towards straight, white, middle-class young men, Wu represented the new guard. A group of developers calling for greater diversity and inclusivity.
And why not? Everyone plays games. Women now make up 42% of the gaming population. [2] Games designed for women make good business sense.
But in October 2014, Wu’s direction in life changed forever.
“They threatened the wrong woman this time,” Wu wrote in xoJane. “I am the Godzilla of bitches.” [3]
Wu had become a target for a vague and ill-defined movement to protect the privilege of the gaming industry. Her crime?
Tweeting a joke about GamerGate, a loose collection of trolls claiming to represent the gaming industry. They’d attacked her friend Zoe Quinn after an ex-boyfriend accused her of sleeping with a journalist to get a good review for her game “Depression Quest.”
But these weren’t just any trolls. They were specialists in the art of destroying lives.
Their playbook included death threats, rape threats, targeting family members, attempting to hack into financial accounts, and releasing personal information about their victims online.
That’s when things got really dangerous. Wu’s home address was published online. As the threats of violence rolled in, Wu fled her home. She contacted local police and the FBI. Her family even offered an $11,000 reward for information leading to a conviction of her harassers. But no one was ever charged.
Today, death threats are just part of Wu’s everyday life. When she speaks in public, the venue must be swept for bombs. A brick was thrown through a window of her house last November. Yet she keeps speaking out.
And her face is going to be even more public in future, if her dream comes true.
Last year, on the day Donald Trump was sworn in as president, she announced her intention to run for Congress.
“If you look throughout history, there’s a really interesting phenomenon that [happens] when you push women too far and we decide to put an end to it,” she explains. “It’s when wars get stopped, it’s when economies shift, it’s when civil rights fundamentally move forward.” [4]
And Wu wants to be part of that.
For all the horrors that are going on right now, I think it’s awakened literally millions of people out there in America to stand up and get involved and make a difference.” [5]
Although a video game developer might not be your first choice as a politician, she’s using technology to reach Millennials in ways unfathomable to the old guard … like using a video game livestream to fundraise.
She hopes to provide incentives to keep startups in-state and serve on the House technology committee.
We need people making policy that actually understand technology, that understand the assault on our privacy.” [6]
Regardless of whether Wu wins her campaign or not, she’s made her point.
No one can silence a strong woman.
No matter what you do to stop her, she’s going to keep coming back louder and prouder.
That’s what makes her our latest #BrilliantBabe.
As for her attackers, she has only one thing left to say to them:
“Gamergate, I have one message for you so listen up. When you take your last dying breath, I want you to know this. It was an absolute pleasure knocking you on your ass for the fine women in this field.” [3]
Stay Tuned for More #BrilliantBabe Profiles
Here at Your Brilliance, we believe the best way to figure out how bright you’re able to shine is to look up to other woman who are doing what you’ve always wanted to do.
The women you see featured in glossy magazines, climbing sheer rock cliffs and heading Fortune 500 businesses and crafting unique Etsy art from the comfort of their own homes, got there on guts and faith.
They didn’t know if they’d be able to succeed at their dream. But each and every one made the decision to take the first step. And the second. And the third.
We hope these profiles of brilliant women inspire you to reach for your dreams.
[1] http://www.giantspacekat.com/about
[2] https://www.statista.com/statistics/232383/gender-split-of-us-computer-and-video-gamers/
[3] https://www.xojane.com/it-happened-to-me/brianna-wu-gamergate
[4] https://www.cnet.com/news/after-years-of-gamergate-harassment-brianna-wus-still-fighting/
[5] https://www.cnet.com/news/gamergate-donald-trump-american-nazis-how-video-game-culture-blew-everything-up/
[6] http://thehill.com/homenews/news/311302-game-developer-brianna-wu-eyeing-run-for-congress-in-2018
Let us know what you think!