Tag Archives: Twitter

Polygamer #49: Serenity Caldwell of iMore on Pokémon GO

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Serenity Caldwell is the managing editor at iMore, a features and reviews site for all things Apple. As part of her mission to help Apple users get the most from their iPhones, Serenity has penned a definitive series of articles for playing Pokémon GO, the mobile game that launched on June 6 and has since amassed more users than Twitter and higher engagement than Instagram, Facebook Messenger, Snapchat, and Tinder.

In this episode of Polygamer, Serenity and I theorize why Pokémon GO is so popular, especially compared to developer Niantic’s previous game, Ingress, and how covering the game aligns with iMore’s mission and Serenity’s beat. We also discuss the changing face of online journalism, as seen through our respective careers at sister publications Macworld and Computerworld; how all of Serenity’s jobs have come from Twitter, and how to get oneself noticed on that social network; effective strategies for both introverts and extroverts to be full-time telecommuters; stepping into the college classroom as a first-time educator; and roller derby, where Serenity is known as

Stream the audio edition of this interview below or from iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play Music, Mixcloud, acast, or TuneIn. Click past the jump for links to resources mentioned in this episode.

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A year of GamerGate and online harassment

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A year ago this month, shortly Polygamer‘s launch, GamerGate erupted across the Internet. I was at a Boston Indies meetup, preparing to give a lightning talk, when a speaker presented five ways to support women in gaming. One method involved Depression Quest, of which I was already a fan.

Based on my positive experience with the game, I retweeted the advice to police the game’s reviews, without understanding why it was in need of such.

When I discovered the larger context of this advice, I pinged fellow podcasters: are you going to cover GamerGate? No, they said — we’re hoping it will blow over. But within a month, it was evident that GamerGate was not going away. A year later, there have been several pieces published reflecting on GamerGate, with some common themes and lessons.

First, Quinn spoke with her new home’s newspaper, The Seattle Times, about how women game developers fight sexism in industry. The article lists several positive accomplishments within the industry in response to (but not arising from) GamerGate, such as the diversification of Intel and DigiPen; the founding of Quinn’s own Crash Override anti-harassment network, for which she granted Polygamer an interview; and the software being developed by Kim Swift or published by BioWare. But the article ends unhappily:

And whatever message the Gamergaters intended to send about women in games, it’s not the one that necessarily registered.

While at DigiPen, I asked a group of young female students what lessons could be gleaned from Gamergate.

Without missing a beat, they said, “Be careful who you date.”

That may not be the message GamerGaters intend to send, but it’s not the lesson we want women to learn, either. The repercussions of Quinn and Eron Gjoni‘s relationship are inappropriately public and wildly disproportionate. Placing the responsibility for GamerGate’s existence on the decision to date Gjoni is blatant victim blaming. Gamers should be able to engage in intimate relationships without concern that your ex will incite an Internet hate mob against you.

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Polygamer #21: Sabriel Mastin, indie game reviewer & Let’s Player

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Sabriel Mastin is a prolific game reviewer and YouTube personality, having produced content for such sites as Indie Haven and Indie Gamer Chick. She has attended both PAX East and PAX South and is a regular guest at events in the Minneapolis area, only a short drive from her native Fargo. And, if all that weren’t enough, Sabriel is also a former roller-derby athlete, having torn up the local circuit with her unique brand of hell on wheels.

In this episode, Sabriel and Ken talk about how to break into games writing and whether it’s fair to expect a volunteer to write for free; what equipment goes into an amateur audio/video studio; strategies for Twitter networking and hashtagging; the moral objections to attending Penny Arcade Expo; the local gaming scene in Fargo, North Dakota; and teaching yourself HTML and CSS.

Download the audio edition of this interview below or from iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play Music, Mixcloud, acast, or TuneIn. Click past the jump for links to resources mentioned in this episode.

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Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:04:24 — 30.3MB) | Embed

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