Who can resist the allure of downloadable content? Not Feminist Frequency, which just released a tongue-in-cheek "DLC" mini-episode that examines how women (and their bodies) are often used as rewards in, well, video game DLC.

If you missed the original "Women as Reward" video from Anita Sarkeesian (a friend and colleague of Offworld) check it out below, and then enjoy all the sweet, sweet bonus analysis of gender in media. — Read the rest

When I set out to research the out-of-control harassment problem in gamer culture, I never dreamed my mother would be caught up in the middle of it all.

Last Week on the Colony is a new, regular Monday item here on Offworld, a special satellite transmission designed to highlight our favorite Offworld stories, wonderful trends, and the stories from elsewhere in the galaxy that got us talking

But it's not for the reasons you think.

The game developer and Gamergate bogeywoman/survivor has furnished the authorities with the graphic death-threats she received for speaking out about online harassment of women, but they won't take action.

When Joss Whedon took down his Twitter account, speculation ranged widely: was it because of feminists attacking him over Avengers 2's portrayal of Black Widow? Nope, reports Adam B. Vary.

"That is horseshit," he told BuzzFeed News by phone on Tuesday.

New policies at Twitter for reporting, automatic message muting, and enforcement could turn the noise way down for users subject to harassment.

Rachel Talalay is one of the few women to work as a director on Doctor Who, a show that has been notoriously slow to diversify its creative players

Meet the professional victimizer.

That tell-tale wedding of relentless hostility and ethical affectation is a peculiar youth subculture spilling out into the open web. Get ready for more of it.

Glenn Fleishman reports on how the platform could fix its harassment problem.

Feminist media critic Anita Sarkeesian was Stephen Colbert's guest last night. Can you guess what they discussed? "One man, one joystick—it's right there in Sega Genesis"

Waxy took a deep three-day sample of #Gamergate-tagged tweets and did some great analysis to uncover the composition and patterns of participants on both sides of the debate.

Former federal prosecutor, free speech advocate and generally smart dude Ken "Popehat" White has posted "ten short rants" about #Gamergate, which, surprisingly, contain nuance and gloss I haven't yet encountered in the verbiage devoted to the subject elsewhere.

Copywriter Nicole Dieker on how a convention creates a welcoming space with language

The mainstream media finally discovered the Internet's latest subculture of hostile, cynical, easily-led youngsters. Matt Binder on the narcissists, grifters and creeps arriving in its wake.

Laurie Penny, author of Unspeakable Things: Sex, Lies and Revolution explains "Social Justice Warriors" and why they're winning.

Gamergate, the online backlash targeting a female game developer and critics of sexism in games, has a surprising new friend: Intel, the world's largest chipmaker.

According to game news publication Gamasutra, the company pulled ads from the site after being "flooded" by complaints from gamers upset at its criticism of the protest. — Read the rest

Glenn Fleishman reports from Portland's beloved arts and technology festival, where a darker sense of mission and meaning took hold in the event's third year.

Anna Sarkeesian's brilliant, crowdfunded Tropes vs Women in Video Games web-series (previously) has a new episode, Women as Background Decoration: Part 2 [TW: rape, sexual violence, violence], which expertly dissects the use of violence against women, especially sexual violence as a lazy means of establishing skimpy motivations for player characters to hunt down the baddies.