Leigh Alexander (born ) is an American author and journalist. She is the former

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and News Editor for

Gamasutra ''Game Developer'', known as ''Gamasutra'' until 2021, is a website founded in 1997 that focuses on aspects of video game development. It is owned and operated by Informa and acts as the online sister publication to the print magazine '' Gam ...

, and former

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for the revived ''

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'' website ''Offworld''. She has writing credits on the games '' Reigns: Her Majesty'' and '' Reigns: Game of Thrones''.

Career

Her writing has appeared in ''

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'', the ''

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'', ''

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'', ''

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'', ''

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'', ''

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'', ''

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'', ''

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'' and ''

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''. She also produces a video series called "Lo-Fi Let's Play", in which she plays and comments on adventure games from the 1980s. Alexander has written two books about video games: ''Breathing Machine'', about growing up with gaming and the nascent Internet, and ''Clipping Through'', about life in the games industry as viewed through the lens of the

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(GDC). On February 14, 2015 Alexander released an illustrated short story, ''Mona''. The book features illustrations by

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. Alexander also recorded an audiobook version of ''Mona'' herself. Alexander cites the video game ''

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'' as an inspiration. In February 2016, Leigh announced that she would be leaving ''Offworld'' and pursuing things outside of gaming.

Gamergate controversy

Alexander was one of several women who was harassed in connection with the #GamerGate

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. On August 28, 2014, Alexander published an article on ''

'' titled "Gamers' don't have to be your audience. 'Gamers' are over". The article became a focal point within the Gamergate controversy, with users of #Gamergate successfully campaigning

Intel Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. It is the world's largest semiconductor chip manufacturer by revenue, and is one of the developers of the x86 seri ...

to pull all of their ads from ''Gamasutra''. Alexander criticized Intel's decision, saying "Intel was fleeced by a hate mob." Intel issued an apology and said that it did not intend to be "taking sides in an increasingly bitter debate in the gaming community." Intel later resumed advertising on Gamasutra in mid-November. In an interview with MSNBC Digital that aired on October 21, 2014, Leigh Alexander spoke out against the Gamergate movement and talked about the harassment of game developer Zoë Quinn. Alexander stated that her criticism of Gamergate stemmed from what she believes to be "the terroristic dominance of traditional appetites in what should be a diverse and creative field." During GDC 2015, Alexander hosted the #1ReasonToBe panel, aimed at better serving women and minorities within the video games industry. Alexander advocated for creating spaces for minorities and marginalized groups within gaming culture. Referencing both the panel and her website Offworld, Alexander said that " tdoesn’t have to be a huge upheaval. Simply create space for our experiences in our work and lives and listen to us." The panel was well received by members of the games press like Polygon's Danielle Riendeau. The panel drew an audience that filled one of the largest venues in the GDC.

Selected works

* ''Breathing Machine: A Memoir of Computers'' (January 2014, Thought Catalog) * ''Clipping Through: One Mad Week in Video Games'' (August 2014, Gumroad) * ''Mona'' (February 2015, Gumroad) * ''The State of Play: Creators and Critics on Video Game Culture'' (October 2015, Seven Stories Press)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander, Leigh 1981 births Living people 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American women writers American bloggers American women bloggers American technology journalists American women journalists American media critics Video game critics Women video game critics American expatriates in England Writers from Massachusetts