30 Facts About Anita Sarkeesian

Anita Sarkeesian is a Canadian-American feminist media critic.

Anita Sarkeesian is the founder of Feminist Frequency, a website that hosts videos and commentary analyzing portrayals of women in popular culture.

In 2012, Anita Sarkeesian was targeted by an online harassment campaign following her launch of a Kickstarter project to fund the Tropes vs Women in Video Games series.

Anita Sarkeesian has spoken to TEDxWomen, XOXO Festival, and the United Nations' Broadband Working Group on Gender, and appeared on The Colbert Report discussing her experiences of harassment and the challenge of attempting to improve gender inclusivity in gaming culture and the media.

Anita Sarkeesian's parents were Iraqi Armenians who emigrated to Canada in the 1970s.

Anita Sarkeesian later moved to California and identifies as Canadian American.

Anita Sarkeesian received a bachelor's degree in communication studies from California State University, Northridge, in 2007 and then earned a master's degree in social and political thought from York University in 2010.

Anita Sarkeesian launched the nonprofit organization and website Feminist Frequency in 2009, while a student at York University.

Anita Sarkeesian created the site in an effort to create accessible feminist media criticism.

In 2011, Anita Sarkeesian partnered with Bitch magazine to create the video series Tropes vs Women.

Anita Sarkeesian's blog has been utilized as material for university-level women's studies courses, and she has spoken at universities on the topic of female characters in pop culture.

Anita Sarkeesian was inspired to start a video series on female representation in video games after she was invited to speak to developers at Bungie.

Anita Sarkeesian initially planned to release the Tropes vs Women in Video Games series in 2012 but pushed it back explaining that the additional funding allowed her to expand the scope and scale of the project.

Colin Campbell writes at Polygon that Feminist Frequency has had a demonstrable effect on the games industry, stating, "video games have seen a rise in the number of positive women and minority protagonists and a decrease in the tropes [Anita Sarkeesian] discusses" since the launch of the project.

In 2011, Anita Sarkeesian co-authored the essay "Buffy vs Bella: The Re-Emergence of the Archetypal Feminine in Vampire Stories" for the anthology Fanpires: Audience Consumption of the Modern Vampire.

In October 2022, Anita Sarkeesian began a new video series on online streaming service Nebula called That Time When, which "looks at the moments when pop culture and politics collide in modern history".

One attacker created a browser game called Beat Up Anita Sarkeesian, which prompted players to bloody a picture of Sarkeesian by clicking the mouse.

Anita Sarkeesian responded to the threats against Guthrie in a statement to the Toronto Standard, condemning the widespread harassment she and other women have faced online.

In March 2014, Anita Sarkeesian was scheduled to speak and receive an award at the 2014 Game Developers Choice Awards.

The increased volume and specificity of the harassment prompted Anita Sarkeesian to leave her home.

The university and police did not believe the threats were credible inasmuch as they were consistent with others Anita Sarkeesian had received, but scheduled enhanced security measures nonetheless.

Anita Sarkeesian canceled the event feeling the planned security measures were insufficient given that the university could not prohibit handguns in the venue per Utah state law.

At VidCon 2017, Anita Sarkeesian appeared on a panel discussing online harassment directed towards women.

Anita Sarkeesian singled out British YouTuber Carl Benjamin, seated in the first row, as a serial harasser of hers.

Anita Sarkeesian is one of several YouTubers who profit from the cottage industry of online harassment and antifeminism.

VidCon founder Hank Green issued a statement that the group's actions were clear "intimidating behaviour" and apologised for the situation "which resulted in [Anita Sarkeesian] being subjected to a hostile environment that she had not signed up for".

In 2020, Anita Sarkeesian launched the Games and Online Harassment Hotline, a free non-profit service that started development in 2019.

On October 29,2014, Anita Sarkeesian was interviewed on The Colbert Report where she discussed the harassment she suffered at the hands of GamerGate and her views on making video games more inclusive.

In 2014, Anita Sarkeesian received the Ambassador Award at the 14th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards for her work on the representation of women in video games, becoming the first woman to receive the award.

Anita Sarkeesian was nominated for the Ambassador Award at Microsoft's 2014 Women in Gaming Awards for her work.