When theater director, educator and playwright Kirsten Brandt’s 14-year-old daughter declared her desire to pursue a career as a game developer, Brandt’s first reaction was immense pride.
Followed by fear.
Women who have attempted entry into the Silicon Valley boys club of game development have not exactly met with open arms. Take Zoë Quinn, for example, who was the epicenter of the Gamergate controversy in 2014. Quinn developed the game “Depression Quest” in 2013 when she was 26, and was attacked by online trolls after a former boyfriend detailed their relationship in a blog post a year later. The post included a false allegation that Quinn benefited from positive coverage for the game from a journalist she was dating.
Quinn was a victim of “doxing,” which includes slanderous online bullying. Death and rape threats were commonplace, and no amount of misogyny was out of bounds. It’s a topic Brandt has delved into with her play “Coded,” getting its world premiere at City Lights Theater Company in San Jose this weekend, then closing early due to Coronavirus concerns.
The play is a comedy but explores some of the darker themes of the male-dominated game development world. It follows five women of different generations, led by gaming industry leader Jerrie, who must focus her attention on a legion of internet trolls unleashed on her by a competitor.
“It’s been six years since (Gamergate) and it’s still appalling what happens to women when they create games online,” says Brandt. “The trolling and doxing that occurs is awful.”
Brandt has found joy in all kinds of games throughout her life, from Monopoly, cards and the old school Atari 2600 console, to the elaborate storylines that permeate modern video games. City Lights executive artistic director Lisa Mallette knew Brandt had incredible ideas to share and wanted her audiences to be the first to experience the story.
“We were committed to commissioning a world-premiere play from a local, female playwright, and I love working with Kirsten,” says Mallette. “She has such a strong voice, and I’m most excited that we will be presenting a play which did not exist before this partnership and collaboration.”
“Coded” is set in the near future, and the lines between real and fantasy are blurred considerably, both in games and in real life.
“What a good game means is the ability to explore what you can’t do in the real world, which is role-play different aspects of your own personality,” says Brandt. “There is therapeutic value in a great game and it builds community and engagement. Games can do so many things, and that’s hugely important.”
Unfortunately, there is a group of territorial, online vigilantes who ruin the fun for everyone.
“The scary thing is that trolls hide behind user names and avatars and are not being held accountable,” says Brandt. “It really does push a lot of young girls and women out of the field. They love it and want to do it, but when misogynistic terrorists descend upon them, it’s really upsetting.”
Mallette knew this was a chance to tell a true Silicon Valley story, one that hasn’t been told enough.
“I’m keenly interested in stories that shine a light on inequities and empower women,” says Mallette. “Gaming and programming are big business, especially in Silicon Valley. Talented, strong women in this field and the challenges they face are of interest to me, because skills and talent should be genderless.”
Despite the dismal record of the gaming industry to make a more welcoming place for women, Brandt is encouraged. UC Santa Cruz’s game design program, with multiple women who hold important faculty roles, is listed in Forbes Magazine as the No. 8 game development program in the country. There is even a hotline in the works which supports gamers and developers who are experiencing online harassment (TEXT 23368).
The City Lights’ cast is full of female gamers, who are having fun engaging with the topic during rehearsal and going home after to play games late into the night. In the play, characters make Youtube videos throughout and, according to Brandt, engage in something called “Aggressive Flossing.”
Brandt’s daughter, who was the only female in her first coding class a few years back, is undaunted, ready to change the developer world one game at a time.
“I think if we fundamentally raise awareness of what’s going on, we can share the beauty, joy and possibilities of games for everyone. That’s the world I want for my daughter.”
‘CODED’
Written and director by Kristen Brandt, presented by City Lights Theater Company
When: In previews March 12-13, opens March 14, closing after the March 15 matinee
Where: City Lights Theater, 529 South Second St., San Jose
Tickets: $23-$47; 408-295-4200, cltc.org
