In light of the shocking revelations that have come to the fore this week about the sexist, misogynist and overall toxic work environment at Activision-Blizzard, I wanted to take the opportunity to look at the widespread sexism that has always existed within the games industry. Though these sorts of stories of abuse may seem shocking to the outside world when revealed, unfortunately they’re nothing new and very little has changed for women and minorities in the games industry for decades.

So in order to do so without awkwardly inserting myself into a situation which I do not have first hand experience of, I wanted instead to bring a short browser game to your attention. A Woman Goes to a Private Games Industry Party, by Rosa Carbo-Mascarell, is a brief piece of interactive fiction which contains actual quotes (some paraphrased in order to give context) that men have said to the creator at industry events.

Rosa’s intro on the game’s page will give you a bit more context as to what led to its creation; I’m wary of speaking for her and fully believe that the experience speaks for itself. You can play the game at itch.io in your browser using this link.