Gaming The System - The Feminist Gaming Podcast

GamingtheSystem

The podcast where 3 intersectional feminists examine gaming and games  through a feminist lens.  New Episodes every Thursday. Alex, Jem and Matt believe gaming is good.  Gaming is good for relaxation, for learning, for bringing people together and for your mental health. But like all media, there is both good and bad and we want to address how we make gaming a safe and healthy environment for women and minority groups (although lets not forget that people of colour are the global ethnic majority). We want to see the small steps towards an intersectional feminist future that have been made in games to go further. We are Gaming the System because we want to see our beloved world of Gaming reflect the values we hold dear, and until it does we are here to shine a light on what needs to change. -----PAYPAL & PATREONIf you want to support us, you can send us a one-off donation via paypal or subscribe monthly to our Patreon.For paypal, send your donation to:wearegamingthesystem@gmail.comFor patreon:patreon.com/gamingthesystem 

  1. 1d ago

    Banning Under 16s from Social Media : Protection, or Politics? (Episode 290)

    In June, the UK government announced it will ban under-16s from social media platforms Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X, with the rules due to take effect in spring 2027. We ask whether any of it will actually make young people safer.   Age verification and the digital ID question, why Australia's version doesn't seem to be working, and the awkward truth that where there's a will there's a VPN. Matt makes the case that this is a cheap policy from a government that has ducked the expensive ones, and Alex argues you can't ban children out of the world they were born into.   We don't have a lot of answers, but we got a lot off our chests!    Over to you If you could design this properly — how do we keep young people safe online without wrapping them in cotton wool? What would actually work? Let us know, because we didn't crack it in 36 minutes. Links from this episode - The government's announcement, 15 June 2026 - Growing Up in the Online World consultation response totals (116,211 responses) - Growing Up in the Online World government response, July 2026 - Australia's under 16 ban is failing, study finds (Al Jazeera, August 2026) - What the new rules actually do a plain-English breakdown - Defend Digital Me FAQ on the ban and the digital ID question     #SocialMediaBan #Under16s #OnlineSafety #AgeVerification #DigitalID #DigitalLiteracy #ScreenTime #ParentingInTheDigitalAge #UKPolitics #Ofcom #TeensOnline #TechAccountability   📢 Support the Podcast! Let us know on BlueSky (@gamingthesystem.bsky.social), Instagram (@gamingthesystempodcast) or in the comments on YouTube! If you love Gaming The System, consider supporting us: 🔹 Patreon: patreon.com/gamingthesystem – get exclusive content! 🔹 PayPal Donations: gamingthesystem@gmail.com 🔹 Subscribe & Review: Share the podcast with fellow gamers! 🎙 Gaming The System releases new episodes every Thursday Thanks for listening, and remember – there’s always another game to play that isn’t full of nonsense. 🎮✨ #GamingTheSystem #GamingCulture #FeministGaming  #feministgamingpodcast​ #feministgamers​ #intersectionalgaming​ #equalityingames​ #GamingRepresentation #AccessibleGaming #IntersectionalGaming #GamingTheSystemPodcast

  2. Aug 6

    Optional Humans - Lara Croft joins the AI Debate (Episode 289)

    Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis looked like a genuine return to form, and then the Steam page went live with an AI disclosure, and fans started counting Lara's guns. Crystal Dynamics says generative AI was only used for placeholders, all "refined or replaced" before release. Fans aren't buying it; the PR team shut down the questions, all against a backdrop of four rounds of layoffs in a single year. What does "refined" mean? It's doing a lot of heavy lifting here. Let's be honest, the red flags matter more than the reassurances. And what if AI isn't the cause of the industry's job losses, just a convenient thing to blame them on?  Then we discuss Alex Wilton Regan walking away from X, because, in her words,  "men and boys are creating child pornography, deepfakes of women, violent images against women, girls, and other minority groups without any repercussions". This leaves us thinking that women and girls are disproportionately feeling the heat of AI, especially when we bring in the unfettered use of the AI-cloned voices in the Remastered Tomb Raider trilogy.  #TombRaider #LaraCroft #LegacyOfAtlantis #CrystalDynamics #AlexWiltonRegan #GenerativeAI #AIInGaming #AIArt #GamesIndustryLayoffs #VoiceActing #AIVoiceCloning #DeepfakeAbuse #GameDevLabour #CrunchCulture #AIRegulation #TombRaiderRemastered  📢 Support the Podcast! Let us know on BlueSky (@gamingthesystem.bsky.social), Instagram (@gamingthesystempodcast) or in the comments on YouTube! If you love Gaming The System, consider supporting us: 🔹 Patreon: patreon.com/gamingthesystem – get exclusive content! 🔹 PayPal Donations: gamingthesystem@gmail.com 🔹 Subscribe & Review: Share the podcast with fellow gamers! 🎙 Gaming The System releases new episodes every Thursday Thanks for listening, and remember – there’s always another game to play that isn’t full of nonsense. 🎮✨ #GamingTheSystem #GamingCulture #FeministGaming  #feministgamingpodcast​ #feministgamers​ #intersectionalgaming​ #equalityingames​ #GamingRepresentation #AccessibleGaming #IntersectionalGaming #GamingTheSystemPodcast

  3. Jul 29

    Game Over Part 2 Dystopias (Episode 288)

    What if George Orwell made video games? 📢 Support the Podcast! Let us know on BlueSky (@gamingthesystem.bsky.social), Instagram (@gamingthesystempodcast) or in the comments on YouTube! If you love Gaming The System, consider supporting us: 🔹 Patreon: patreon.com/gamingthesystem – get exclusive content! 🔹 PayPal Donations: gamingthesystem@gmail.com 🔹 Subscribe & Review: Share the podcast with fellow gamers! 🎙 Gaming The System releases new episodes every Thursday Thanks for listening, and remember – there’s always another game to play that isn’t full of nonsense. 🎮✨ #GamingTheSystem #GamingCulture #FeministGaming  #feministgamingpodcast​ #feministgamers​ #intersectionalgaming​ #equalityingames​ #GamingRepresentation #AccessibleGaming #IntersectionalGaming #GamingTheSystemPodcast

  4. Jul 22

    Game Over Part 1 Apocalypses (Episode 287)

    It's the end of the world as we know it. 📢 Support the Podcast! Let us know on BlueSky (@gamingthesystem.bsky.social), Instagram (@gamingthesystempodcast) or in the comments on YouTube! If you love Gaming The System, consider supporting us: 🔹 Patreon: patreon.com/gamingthesystem – get exclusive content! 🔹 PayPal Donations: gamingthesystem@gmail.com 🔹 Subscribe & Review: Share the podcast with fellow gamers! 🎙 Gaming The System releases new episodes every Thursday Thanks for listening, and remember – there’s always another game to play that isn’t full of nonsense. 🎮✨ #GamingTheSystem #GamingCulture #FeministGaming  #feministgamingpodcast​ #feministgamers​ #intersectionalgaming​ #equalityingames​ #GamingRepresentation #AccessibleGaming #IntersectionalGaming #GamingTheSystemPodcast

  5. Jul 16

    Player Two: Who Got Us Into Gaming? Episode 285

    It's just Jem and Alex this week, unpacking the tangled and often very gendered paths that led them to gaming.  They talk printouts of Tomb Raider walkthroughs, MUDs, WoW guilds, boardgaming and family influences. The chat gets into how the men in their lives and later, the women, shaped how they played and how they differed.  There;s also a shoutout for a women's gaming retreat that's already booked out its next round.   #PlayerTwo #GamingOriginStory #TombRaider #LaraCroft #RetroGaming #90sGaming #MUDs #WorldOfWarcraft #BoardGameCafe #WomensGamingRetreat #GamingNostalgia #HowIGotIntoGaming  📢 Support the Podcast! Let us know on BlueSky (@gamingthesystem.bsky.social), Instagram (@gamingthesystempodcast) or in the comments on YouTube! If you love Gaming The System, consider supporting us: 🔹 Patreon: patreon.com/gamingthesystem – get exclusive content! 🔹 PayPal Donations: gamingthesystem@gmail.com 🔹 Subscribe & Review: Share the podcast with fellow gamers! 🎙 Gaming The System releases new episodes every Thursday Thanks for listening, and remember – there’s always another game to play that isn’t full of nonsense. 🎮✨ #GamingTheSystem #GamingCulture #FeministGaming  #feministgamingpodcast​ #feministgamers​ #intersectionalgaming​ #equalityingames​ #GamingRepresentation #AccessibleGaming #IntersectionalGaming #GamingTheSystemPodcast

  6. Jul 16

    State of Play Rundown (Episode 286)

    We discuss the recent State of Play showcase. 📢 Support the Podcast! Let us know on BlueSky (@gamingthesystem.bsky.social), Instagram (@gamingthesystempodcast) or in the comments on YouTube! If you love Gaming The System, consider supporting us: 🔹 Patreon: patreon.com/gamingthesystem – get exclusive content! 🔹 PayPal Donations: gamingthesystem@gmail.com 🔹 Subscribe & Review: Share the podcast with fellow gamers! 🎙 Gaming The System releases new episodes every Thursday Thanks for listening, and remember – there’s always another game to play that isn’t full of nonsense. 🎮✨ #GamingTheSystem #GamingCulture #FeministGaming  #feministgamingpodcast​ #feministgamers​ #intersectionalgaming​ #equalityingames​ #GamingRepresentation #AccessibleGaming #IntersectionalGaming #GamingTheSystemPodcast

  7. Jul 2

    Gaming the Side Quests (Episode 284)

    This week Jem, Alex, and Matt go hunting for the side quests that quietly steal the show — the optional detours where some of gaming's best writing and its most surprising characters tend to hide. Expect judgment calls in Dragon Age: Inquisition, an unexpectedly moving Ghost of Tsushima storyline, a Witcher 3 legend, lots of Split Fiction love and a very earnest defence of in-game fishing. Episode-specific hashtags: #SideQuests #DragonAgeInquisition #GhostOfTsushima #TheWitcher3 #BaldursGate3 #SplitFiction #DeathStranding 📢 Support the Podcast! Let us know on BlueSky (@gamingthesystem.bsky.social), Instagram (@gamingthesystempodcast) or in the comments on YouTube! If you love Gaming The System, consider supporting us: 🔹 Patreon: patreon.com/gamingthesystem – get exclusive content! 🔹 PayPal Donations: gamingthesystem@gmail.com 🔹 Subscribe & Review: Share the podcast with fellow gamers! 🎙 Gaming The System releases new episodes every Thursday Thanks for listening, and remember – there’s always another game to play that isn’t full of nonsense. 🎮✨ #GamingTheSystem #GamingCulture #FeministGaming  #feministgamingpodcast​ #feministgamers​ #intersectionalgaming​ #equalityingames​ #GamingRepresentation #AccessibleGaming #IntersectionalGaming #GamingTheSystemPodcast

  8. Jun 27

    Bafta's 2026: The Big Finish! (Episode 283)

    Alex hosts Jem and Matt on Gaming the System, promoting their Patreon and PayPal support, then launches into a discussion of awards and categories through the lens of Clair Obscur, which they describe as transcendent and unfairly dominant in contexts like “debut game,” especially compared with smaller-studio releases. They debate BAFTA/Game Awards vibes, the shift to a single “performer” category, and highlight nominated voice actors including Erika Ishii, Ben Starr, Jennifer English, Troy Baker, and others, plus a call for a dedicated motion/performance-capture award citing Clair Obscur’s mocap work and Charlotte Hopfner. The conversation critiques “safe” corporate diversity choices, trigger warnings used as justification for suppressing difficult art, and contrasts this with celebratory, sanitized event branding, alongside brief thoughts on the new James Bond game’s music/celebrity choices. 📢 Support the Podcast! Let us know on BlueSky (@gamingthesystem.bsky.social), Instagram (@gamingthesystempodcast) or in the comments on YouTube! If you love Gaming The System, consider supporting us: 🔹 Patreon: patreon.com/gamingthesystem – get exclusive content! 🔹 PayPal Donations: gamingthesystem@gmail.com 🔹 Subscribe & Review: Share the podcast with fellow gamers! 🎙 Gaming The System releases new episodes every Thursday Thanks for listening, and remember – there’s always another game to play that isn’t full of nonsense. 🎮✨ #GamingTheSystem #GamingCulture #FeministGaming  #feministgamingpodcast​ #feministgamers​ #intersectionalgaming​ #equalityingames​ #GamingRepresentation #AccessibleGaming #IntersectionalGaming #GamingTheSystemPodcast

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About

The podcast where 3 intersectional feminists examine gaming and games  through a feminist lens.  New Episodes every Thursday. Alex, Jem and Matt believe gaming is good.  Gaming is good for relaxation, for learning, for bringing people together and for your mental health. But like all media, there is both good and bad and we want to address how we make gaming a safe and healthy environment for women and minority groups (although lets not forget that people of colour are the global ethnic majority). We want to see the small steps towards an intersectional feminist future that have been made in games to go further. We are Gaming the System because we want to see our beloved world of Gaming reflect the values we hold dear, and until it does we are here to shine a light on what needs to change. -----PAYPAL & PATREONIf you want to support us, you can send us a one-off donation via paypal or subscribe monthly to our Patreon.For paypal, send your donation to:wearegamingthesystem@gmail.comFor patreon:patreon.com/gamingthesystem 

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