TMUnderground

I was able to attend portions of the MachinExpo 2008 in Second Life earlier today.

It was very well-organized and I was impressed by the friendliness, courtesy, and open-mindedness of everyone involved. Thank you to the organizers for getting us all together, and for making it so easy for Second Life noobs to get acclimated!

Of particular interest to me personally was the panel discussion titled “Women in Machinima.” Afterwards, I spent some time reflecting on the women in TMU.

The first director who immediately comes to mind is Sisch. She crafts her movies with fine precision and attention to every possible detail. I honestly would challenge anyone to not watch her movies and walk away inspired and thinking about what she had accomplished. She has proven herself to be a superb writer, director, sound editor, producer, voiceactress, singer – you name it, this woman can do it. In fact, for many, the first TMU director that comes to mind, male or female, is Sisch. She sets the bar.

Kate Lee, who we haven’t seen in some time, is one of the best writers you’ll ever come across, and is by far a master of film Noir. She is a serious woman who truly crafts her work, and, last I heard, is pursuing aspirations outside of machinima and into film.

Riott007 is nothing if not controversial. She has a unique voice and spirit and there is no one else on TMU that she can be compared to. She is not one to hide behind the skirt of feminism – instead, her movies make me feel like she is proclaiming, “This is who I am – take it or leave it world. Either way, it doesn’t matter to me!” She sneaks in technical expertise, all the while making it look effortless.

And, well, in a moment of vanity, I’ll mention myself (Dulci). I’m known more for my voiceacting than my writing and directing (that’s what happens when you’re the first woman in a community who comes forward and offers to voiceact), but my cryptic movies have their own cult following and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Still, of the 458 registered members of TMUnderground, only 16 have marked their gender as female. I’m sure there’s more that just haven’t bothered with their profile, but I was surprised by that figure.

I walked into the panel discussion a bit wary. I was concerned that gender stereotypes would be embraced and that I would be forced to bite my tongue until it bled. Instead, I found myself nodding and smiling throughout the discussion. I walked away believing that women in machinima want to be known for being machinima crafters, not for being women. I couldn’t have asked for a more sound conclusion to the discussion. Well done ladies! I applaud the panel’s level-headedness.


*disclaimer – this post reflects entirely the thoughts of Dulci and not the TMUnderground as a whole*