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Anita Sarkeesian announced today that Feminist Frequency, the nonprofit that launched the famous “Tropes vs Women in Games” YouTube series and the Games and Online Harassment Hotline, is shutting down this year. Its services will wind down within the next few months, with its final annual report coming early next year.
Sarkeesian said in a statement, “I started this project to fill a need that was missing in the media criticism and video games space. Over the past decade and a half, along with an invaluable team of staff members and industry partners, we’ve accomplished so much to be proud of. Feminist Frequency grew into something I never could have anticipated when it began all those years ago.”
Feminist Frequency launched in 2009, and Sarkeesian began her video game-centric series in 2012. They launched the Hotline in 2020 following the rise of the MeToo movement and won a Peabody Award in 2022. The Hotline will remain available through September 30 — director Jae Lin will continue to run ReSpec, an accountability support space, afterwards, and the website will offer several resources to those in the industry.
Regarding the reason for the shutdown, Sarkeesian added, “At this point, I think it’s important to share that exhaustion and burnout — not uncommon in the nonprofit world — have taken their toll. The work we’ve done to effect change in the industry made a difference, and all of us at Feminist Frequency and the Games and Online Harassment Hotline are hopeful to see improvements continue to be made. But the time has come to close this chapter and rest before starting the next phase of my professional life.”
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