UArts to Host Lecture and Screening about Misogyny in Gaming
August 20, 2019
This fall, UArts’ Game Art program and the International Game Developers Association will co-host a talk with the director and a screening of Shannon Sun-Higginson’s documentary, GTFO. Sparked by a public display of sexual harassment in 2012, GTFO pries open the video game world to explore a $20 billion industry that is riddled with discrimination and misogyny. In recent years, the diversification of the gaming community has led to a massive clash of values, with women bearing the brunt of the consequences every day through acts of harassment ranging from name-calling to cyber-vandalism and death threats. Featuring interviews with video game developers, journalists and academics, GTFO paints a complex picture of the video game industry, while revealing the systemic and human motivations behind acts of harassment.
Shannon Sun-Higginson is a documentary producer and director whose credits include GTFO (which premiered at SXSW), No Reservations on the Travel Channel, Parts Unknown on CNN and The Contenders on PBS. Her latest feature documentary is titled The Witman Project; it covers a 1998 murder case in rural Central Pennsylvania, and will be distributed by Magnolia Films and air on Discovery Channel in 2020. She currently works as a producer and director for All Ages Productions in Philadelphia.
The screening and talk will be held Sept. 10 at 7 p.m. in Caplan Recital Hall in Terra Hall, 211 S. Broad St. The event is free and open to to the public.