Some of my earliest reminiscences embody watching my dad play as Master Chief in Halo: Combat Evolved. My brother and I’d cover behind the sofa to sneak a peek on the tremendous troopers and aliens in battle, which my mom thought is perhaps an excessive amount of for our younger eyes. But it left an impression on me. When I used to be a bit of older, I dropped into battle with my personalized Spartan, who had pink armor and a unicorn banner, proper alongside my brother.
Even although gaming is certainly one of my passions, I struggled to search out gamer mates on the all-girls college I attended. Aside from an occasional celebration sport session, gaming simply didn’t seem to be a means I might join with my mates. As a lady, I didn’t determine with the perceived aggressive, macho tradition that was related to players on the time. Few video games had been marketed towards ladies, and most of them concerned pets or model title dolls. While I loved these video games too, I additionally needed to expertise RPGs, first-person shooters, and action-adventure video games the place I could possibly be the hero. One of my brothers, although, acquired to take pleasure in Halo LAN Parties along with his mates. He acquired Xbox Live and performed with on-line mates, too. I used to be envious that I couldn’t share that very same expertise with my mates.
I’m grateful, although, that the business has modified to be extra inviting and inclusive of all folks. I’ve labored with Microsoft for 5 years and landed this wonderful position with Xbox working as a Senior Product Manager with the Xbox Store. I’m proud to be a part of a company that continues to evolve to extend various illustration in its sport assortment and amongst sport creators. I additionally discover success in educating laptop science to highschool college students as a part of the Microsoft TEALS program, which pairs business volunteers with academics to impart curriculum to them in a sustainable means. It means a lot to me to see girls more and more represented in these courses and function a job mannequin to these fascinated about STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) careers.
Halo was the primary sport I skilled which allowed me to customise my character to signify me not directly. Even nonetheless once I play a sport, whether or not it’s Disney Dreamlight Valley, Fortnite, or Animal Crossing, I take pleasure in customizing my character’s look, gear, and skins. Having that illustration creates an emotional connection for me that makes me wish to activate my console, seize a comfy blanket, and return to my favourite video games time and again.
In honor of ladies, and particularly girls who take pleasure in gaming, listed below are just a few ways in which Team Xbox is uplifting and supporting girls this yr.
Gaming and Impact with Microsoft Rewards
Microsoft Rewards members can earn and donate factors to organizations supporting girls with Xbox. The organizations under will likely be featured on console all through March:
- Girls Who Code: Girls Who Code is a nonprofit group working to shut the gender hole in tech by equipping college students who determine as ladies or nonbinary with the mandatory computing expertise to pursue twenty first century alternatives. (Canada, UK, and US)
- Games & Online Harassment Hotline (through Feminist Frequency): The Games and Online Harassment Hotline is a free, textual content message-based, confidential emotional help hotline. This Hotline was created particularly for the gaming group. Whether you’re a participant, a developer, a streamer, a competitor — any a part of this group — they’re right here for you, whether or not which means providing emotional help or discovering the referrals and assets that you simply want. (US)
- Women in Games International: Women in Games International works to domesticate assets akin to superior information sharing, entry to expertise, and actionable mentorship packages to normalize variety within the video games business by means of elevated illustration. (Global)
- National Center for Transgender Equality: NCTE advocates to alter insurance policies and society to extend understanding and acceptance of transgender folks. In the nation’s capital and all through the nation, NCTE works to switch disrespect, discrimination, and violence with empathy, alternative, and justice. (US)
Xbox players can earn Microsoft Rewards factors in varied methods, akin to taking part in or buying video games after downloading the Microsoft Rewards app on Xbox. Earn factors and redeem them for actual rewards. Join us right this moment and donate by means of Xbox.
Artist Tacha P Shares Her Vision of Womanhood and Gaming by means of her Xbox Logo Design
My work is targeted on conceptualizing the realms of digital and bodily experiences by means of immersive visuals, and I usually take inspiration from the gaming group, particularly in character improvement and world-building. It’s an honor to be a part of Women’s History Month celebrations at Xbox and share a design idea impressed by development, desires, and stepping out one’s consolation zone with out essentially understanding the end result.
The thought of womanhood fueled my creativity right here, and particularly, selecting to see the wonder that exists in every single place on the earth – even locations you’ve by no means been, or inside emotions not but tapped into. This is private to me as I do know that the trail lies forward, but the vacation spot is unclear. Spiritually, I really feel a definite connection to my future that fuels my very own development. In the piece, golden rays spotlight the controller, signifying the positivity introduced into the world by the gaming group. Meanwhile, summary shapes and larger-than-life objects invite us to dream massive and know that we maintain the ability to form our personal destinies.
Check out extra of Tacha’s work at HotSupply.
Xbox Sponsoring First-Ever All Women’s Valorant Team to Compete on a National Stage on the CECC
Xbox is partnering with EportsU and Paidia Gaming to offer girls players with alternatives for competitors, larger visibility and entry to consultants within the gaming discipline, in addition to ship content material that celebrates excessive achievement, inclusivity, and optimistic play. This activation contains three gaming occasions and two content material collection, designed to highlight collegiate girls players in addition to up and coming feminine shoutcasters. This groundbreaking partnership concludes with sending the primary ever girls’s crew and two new feminine shoutcasters to the nationwide Collegiate Esports Commissioner’s Cup (CECC) in Texas this May.
Find out extra about how one can observe and help the ladies on their ‘road to nationals’ journey within the following occasions and content material collection:
- Competitive nationwide, collegiate Valorant qualifying event with schools taking part throughout the United States and Canada.
- Finals on the Collegiate Esports Commissioner’s Cup (CECC) in Texas, which runs May 5 to May 7, 2023.
- Women’s Matchmaking Season, a separate nationwide competitors for girls players, with prime two groups competing at CECC Texas.
- “Road to CECC” will spotlight taking part groups as they put together for competitors in Texas.
- “Cast This” will concentrate on discovering and creating budding shoutcasting expertise.
Xbox Women’s History Month Affirmation Deck
Regardless of the place they’re of their careers, the ladies that work throughout the complete group of Microsoft are important and integral to our mission, success, and tradition. In help of the gifted girls who work at Xbox, we collected affirmations and quotes that encourage us and our private journeys. We created this interactive Xbox Affirmations Deck so that you can obtain or the Xbox Affirmations Deck so that you can print. We encourage you to make use of these playing cards as a part of your self-care routine, to meditate on these phrases, and to set a optimistic tone in your day.
Women’s History Month 2023: Xbox Ambassadors Share Their Stories
The Xbox Ambassadors group is made up of various players from all over the world and we like to amplify and spotlight the voices of those gamers. In celebration of Women’s History Month, we requested choose Xbox Ambassador Community Champions what it means to them to be a lady in gaming.
Here’s a sneak peek from our Q&A with Xbox Ambassadors BlondiebutGeeky and oOGingerAleOo.
What is your favourite reminiscence as a lady in gaming?
“I would have to say when a younger female gamer came to me and thanked me for helping them. While we look at each other as all gamers, it is nice to be some kind of a role model for younger women.” – oOGingerAleOo, Xbox Ambassador
From your perspective, what does the long run appear like for girls in gaming?
“I think it looks very promising. Ever growing. With more women in the industry, from game developers to hundreds of other roles. Women will be a part of every avenue and making the gaming space bigger and brighter. I watch how the narrative of games has expanded, grabbing the attention of women, and turning them into gamers. Programs like STEM and Women in Games are encouraging women to explore fields they might not normally gravitate towards. Empowerment like this is making huge differences in the growth of women in gaming and technology. We need to raise the awareness and have more conversations about representation for women in gaming.” – BlondiebutGeeky, Xbox Ambassador
Visit the Xbox Ambassadors Community Blog to see the total story!
The Xbox Ambassador group can be celebrating Women’s History Month with a collection of XA Missions that characteristic video games with highly effective girls. Play, share, and focus on your favourite video games by turning into an Xbox Ambassador right this moment!
Explore Games Featuring Powerful Women and Games Created by Women
Women have been an enormous a part of progressive expertise for the reason that starting and the historical past of video video games isn’t any completely different. Not solely have girls been concerned within the creation of video games each step of the way in which, however research are displaying increasingly more that ladies play and luxuriate in video games as a lot as males do. Since seeing ourselves represented is so vital, we wish to showcase that highly effective can imply many issues, from with the ability to tackle a horde of enemies to with the ability to observe empathy for others.
During March and past, we’re highlighting video games that deliver focus to highly effective girls protagonists and video games created by girls. These collections can be found on The Microsoft Stores on Xbox, Windows, and throughout the Game Pass cell app year-round as a part of our ongoing work to create extra inclusive gaming ecosystems and elevate content material that resonates with communities.
Featured titles throughout the collections on the Microsoft Stores on Xbox and Windows, Xbox Game Pass, and PC Game Pass embody:
- Signalis (Available with Xbox Game Pass and Rated M) – Created by Yuri Stern and Barbara Wittman, this creative tackle survival horror follows the story of a humanoid android, Elster, on a quest to search out her lacking associate, Ariane. Discover terrifying secrets and techniques, difficult puzzles, and nightmarish creatures all whereas looking for misplaced love in a dystopian photo voltaic system.
- The Walking Dead: Michonne (Available with Xbox Game Pass and Rated M) – Haunted by her previous, this sport explores the trauma from the devastating loss and troublesome choices that the resilient character, Michonne, needed to endure with a view to survive the zombie apocalypse on her personal. Nichole Martinez, Meghan Thornton, Erica Harrell, and Desirée Proctor had been all contributing writers for this deeply emotional mini-series.
- A Plague Tale: Requiem (Available with Xbox Game Pass and Rated M) – Take on the position of Amicia, the clever protector of her cursed youthful brother, Hugo, on this heartrending sequel to A Plague Tale: Innocence. Embark on a journey to discover a new residence in a twisted world of supernatural forces and determine simply how far Amicia is prepared to go with a view to save her brother.
- Cities: Skylines Remastered (Available with Xbox Game Pass) – Originally delivered to us from lead designer Karoliina Korppoo, this metropolis constructing sport has now launched a remastered version for console. The newest version supplies the chance for larger and extra stunning cities. This sport encourages creativity and self-expression by permitting gamers to design a metropolis of their desires whereas managing the ever-changing calls for of hundreds of residents.
- Gears 5 (Available with Xbox Game Pass and Rated M) – As the primary girl protagonist of this iconic franchise, Kait Diaz is on a mission to uncover the origins of the Locust Horde. Kait not solely battles her means bravely by means of swarms of enemies, but in addition endures disturbing visions that inevitably assist her get the solutions she seeks. Experience Kait’s journey of self-discovery as she learns her household’s true historical past.
New Gamerpics, Profile Theme, Wallpaper and Avatar Items to Celebrate Women’s History
In partnership with girls communities at Xbox, we’re introducing a brand new gamerpic, profile theme, wallpapers and avatar gadgets! The gamerpic and profile theme will likely be out there on console and the Xbox PC app. Get your avatar gadgets and wallpaper gadgets right here. Content is topic to availability by nation.
Xbox Plays Livestreaming
Every Monday in the course of the month of March, the Xbox Plays crew will likely be spotlighting a few of our favourite girls streamers and welcoming them to take over the Xbox Twitch Channel in celebration of Women’s History Month! Tune in and catch all of the motion on Twitch.television/Xbox!
March 6
- Atiyana taking part in Disney Dreamlight Valley (11am PT)
- Ashlinaa taking part in Disney Dreamlight Valley (3pm PT)
March 13
- Emme taking part in Disney Dreamlight Valley (11am PT)
- TacticalGramma taking part in Call of Duty Warzone 2 (3pm PT)
March 20
- Laelindra taking part in Disney Dreamlight Valley (11am PT)
- Bettynixx taking part in Disney Dreamlight Valley (3pm PT)
March 27
- Blushi taking part in Minecraft (11am PT)
- OathxX taking part in Halo Infinite (3pm PT)