Watching: Playing A Girl

Overview

In early 2012, Angela Washko founded “The Council on Gender Sensitivity and Behavioral Awareness in World of Warcraft” as a performative intervention within the often misogynistic environment of World of Warcraft (WoW), one of the most popular multiplayer, role-playing games. Instead of continuing to follow the quest structure of the game (killing dragons, getting better equipment, joining more competitive guilds, etc.) and while performing as “The Council" Washko facilitates discussions with players inside the game about the ways in which the community therein addresses women and how players respond to the term “FEMINISM.” Washko is interested in the impulse of the community/player-base to create a somewhat oppressive, misogynistic space for women within a physical environment that is otherwise accessible and inviting.