Because all games are personal

Hey, my name's Elizabeth, and I make weird things.

I make games: I started in 2007 with my self-published indie roleplaying games and eventually transitioned into digital four years ago. My games are digital and tabletop, personal and searching, and occasionally win awards. A good example would be Deadbolt, an art game about personal truth that you can read about in the LA Times. I have a bunch of stuff in the works I'd like to give you a sneak peek at.

I make waves: I'm well-known for my advocacy for women in the game industry— I was on the inaugural #1reasontobe panel at GDC, I've appeared on podcasts and traveled the country talking about how to create and support diverse companies and inclusive games. I was the one who wrote that article you read about why you shouldn't support PAX, and the one who wrote the article about Zoe Quinn, and a bunch of other articles that went viral. (I've got the hate mail to prove it.)

I make communities: I work hard, often behind the scenes, to connect and support women in our industry. Ride or die, girlfriend.

Here's what I don't make: money.

My indie game projects are personal and far-reaching, so it's important to me that they're accessible to everyone— which is why everything is free on itch.io. You can't hide advocacy behind a paywall. And monetizing community just means you're creating space for the most privileged— which is not what I'm about.

Until recently, money didn't matter: I had an excellent job with a very fancy title gamifying things for Fortune 500 companies, and before that I worked for one of the most successful mobile companies on the planet. The aforementioned gamification company I worked for recently downsized, however, and I was let go. Now I'm living in a city with no game industry to speak of, I'm supporting three other people, and without a regular income I don't have the breathing space I need to be able to do the things that are most important to me.

I want to keep making weird things, because making things is how I understand myself and the world around me. I believe in my bones that this is what I'm meant to do.

But now I need your help.

Since I make and do a wide variety of things, I'm making this a monthly subscription campaign: the amount you pledge is exactly what you'll spend each month. In return you'll get a bunch of stuff: essays, articles, and reviews; looks at rough alpha-builds of some of my current projects; behind-the-scenes explanations of some of the concepts I'm working on and why they're meaningful to me; transcripts of talks I've given that never made it online, or if we work together to hit some goals, maybe videos instead. I'll always post at least one item a month, and you can pledge as much or as little as you like.

I think that we can make some amazing things together, and I hope you think so too.