Anita Sarkeesian#Academic credentials

Sarkeesian was born and raised near Toronto, Canada.{{Cite web |last=Wofford |first=Taylor |date=October 17, 2014 |title=Who is Anita Sarkeesian, One of the Women at the Center of #GamerGate? |url=https://www.newsweek.com/who-anita-sarkeesian-one-women-center-gamergate-278063 |access-date=July 30, 2024 |website=Newsweek |language=en |quote=Sarkeesian was born near Toronto and is of Armenian descent but identifies as Canadian-American. |archive-date=July 30, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240730163918/https://www.newsweek.com/who-anita-sarkeesian-one-women-center-gamergate-278063 |url-status=live}} Her parents were Iraqi Armenians who emigrated to Canada in the 1970s.{{cite magazine |url=http://www.cosmopolitan.com/career/a39908/anita-sarkeesian-internets-most-fascinating |title=Anita Sarkeesian Is Fighting to Make the Web Less Awful for Women – And Getting Death Threats in the Process |last=Filipovic |first=Jill |author-link=Jill Filipovic |date=June 8, 2015 |magazine=Cosmopolitan |access-date=July 21, 2015 |archive-date=July 26, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150726111839/http://www.cosmopolitan.com/career/a39908/anita-sarkeesian-internets-most-fascinating/ |url-status=live}}{{cite news |last=Moore |first=Oliver |date=July 11, 2012 |title=Woman's call to end video game misogyny sparks vicious online attacks |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/womans-call-to-end-video-game-misogyny-sparks-vicious-online-attacks/article4405585 |access-date=March 13, 2014 |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |location=Toronto |archive-date=March 15, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140315225128/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/womans-call-to-end-video-game-misogyny-sparks-vicious-online-attacks/article4405585/ |url-status=live}} She later moved to California and identifies as Canadian American.{{cite web |url=http://colorlines.com/archives/2012/12/watch_aris_bakhtanians_deconstruct_sexism_in_gaming.html |title=Watch Anita Sarkeesian Deconstruct Sexism in Gaming |last=Rivas |first=Jorge |date=December 13, 2012 |website=ColorLines |access-date=March 13, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121216040933/http://colorlines.com/archives/2012/12/watch_aris_bakhtanians_deconstruct_sexism_in_gaming.html |archive-date=December 16, 2012 |url-status=dead}}

She received a bachelor's degree in communication studies from California State University, Northridge, in 2007 and then earned a master's degree in social and political thought from York University in 2010. Her master's thesis is titled I'll Make a Man Out of You: Strong Women in Science Fiction and Fantasy Television.{{cite web |url=https://www.feministfrequency.com/about |title=About |author= |date=n.d. |work=Feminist Frequency |access-date=March 13, 2014 |archive-date=March 28, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140328192157/http://www.feministfrequency.com/about/ |url-status=live}}{{cite news |url=http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-11-26/anita-sarkeesian-battles-sexism-in-games-gamergate-harassment |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141126142636/http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-11-26/anita-sarkeesian-battles-sexism-in-games-gamergate-harassment |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 26, 2014 |title=The Gaming Industry's Greatest Adversary Is Just Getting Started |last=Kolhatkar |first=Sheelah |date=November 26, 2014 |newspaper=Bloomberg Businessweek |access-date=December 4, 2014}}

{{Infobox YouTube personality

| name = Feminist Frequency

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| channel_handle = feministfrequency

| channel_display_name = Feminist Frequency

| years_active = 2009–present

| genre = Commentary

| subscribers = 210,000

| views = 34.2 million

| language = English

| network =

| associated_acts =

| silver_button = yes

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| stats_update = December 16, 2024

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{{Further|Tropes vs. Women in Video Games}}

Sarkeesian launched the nonprofit organization and website Feminist Frequency in 2009, while a student at York University.{{cite web |last=Shanklin |first=Will |title=The award-winning Feminist Frequency is shutting down after 14 years |url=https://www.engadget.com/the-award-winning-feminist-frequency-is-shutting-down-after-14-years-185321464.html |website=Engadget |access-date=August 1, 2023 |date=August 1, 2023}} She created the site in an effort to create accessible feminist media criticism. Videos created for the site analyzed social and cultural gender structure and popular culture from a feminist standpoint, such as applying the Bechdel test to pictures nominated for the 84th Academy Awards in 2012 and highlighting Lego's role in reinforcing cultural norms.{{cite web |url=http://www.salon.com/2012/02/25/the_oscars_woman_problem/singleton/ |title=The Oscars' woman problem |first=Michael |last=Barthel |date=February 25, 2012 |website=Salon |access-date=November 25, 2019 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130313080846/http://www.salon.com/2012/02/25/the_oscars_woman_problem/singleton/ |archive-date=March 13, 2013}}{{cite web |last=Sarkeesian |first=Anita |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PH8JuizIXw8 |title=The Oscars and The Bechdel Test |work=Feminist Frequency |date=February 15, 2012 |via=YouTube |access-date=November 25, 2019 |type=video |archive-date=November 28, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161128155000/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PH8JuizIXw8 |url-status=live}}{{cite book |editor-last=Wolf |editor-first=Mark J.P. |title=LEGO Studies: Examining the Building Blocks of a Transmedial Phenomenon |last=Johnson |first=Derek |chapter=Chicks with Bricks: Building Creative Identities Across Industrial Design Cultures and Gendered Construction play |pages=90–94 |date=November 13, 2014 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-93545-2}}

In 2011, Sarkeesian partnered with Bitch magazine to create the video series Tropes vs. Women. The series examined common tropes in the depiction of women in media with a particular focus on science fiction.{{cite web |url=http://www.salon.com/2012/06/14/lara_croft_battles_male_jerks/singleton |title=Lara Croft battles male jerks |last=Williams |first=Mary Elizabeth |author-link=Mary Elizabeth Williams |website=Salon |date=June 14, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120618232555/http://www.salon.com/2012/06/14/lara_croft_battles_male_jerks/singleton/ |archive-date=June 18, 2012}} The series comprises six videos dedicated to tropes such as the Manic Pixie Dream Girl, Women in Refrigerators and the Smurfette Principle.{{cite news |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/movies/2013/06/22/anita-sarkeesian-takes-video-game-tropes-that-demean-women-and-takes-heat-for/37Q3CmQqLZY9zUWUTbUSFJ/story.html |title=Taking on games that demean women |first=Jesse |last=Singal |date=June 22, 2013 |newspaper=The Boston Globe |access-date=September 19, 2013 |archive-date=January 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180114020408/http://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/movies/2013/06/22/anita-sarkeesian-takes-video-game-tropes-that-demean-women-and-takes-heat-for/37Q3CmQqLZY9zUWUTbUSFJ/story.html |url-status=live}}

In March 2012, Sarkeesian and her blog were listed in the journal Feminist Collections{{'}}s quarterly column on "E-Sources on Women & Gender".{{cite journal |url=https://cms.library.wisc.edu/gwslibrarian/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2015/05/FC_332_E-Sources1.pdf |title=E-Sources on Women & Gender |last=Lehman |first=JoAnne |date=Spring 2012 |journal=Feminist Collections |volume=33 |issue=2 |page=13 |issn=0742-7441 |access-date=November 25, 2019 |archive-date=March 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307232331/https://cms.library.wisc.edu/gwslibrarian/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2015/05/FC_332_E-Sources1.pdf |url-status=live}} Her blog has been utilized as material for university-level women's studies courses, and she has spoken at universities on the topic of female characters in pop culture.{{Multiref2 |{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2012/mar/25/slacker-back-female-lena-dunham |title=The slacker is back – and this time she's female |first=Hermione |last=Hoby |author-link=Hermione Hoby |date=March 25, 2012 |newspaper=The Observer |access-date=October 19, 2014 |archive-date=October 25, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141025135812/http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2012/mar/25/slacker-back-female-lena-dunham |url-status=live}} | {{cite web |url=http://siskiyou.sou.edu/2012/03/04/feminist-frequency-comes-to-sou-anita-sarkeesian-talks-about-feminism-in-popular-culture |title=Feminist Frequency comes to SOU |last=Duggan |first=Padraic |date=March 4, 2012 |work=The Siskiyou |publisher=Southern Oregon University |access-date=November 25, 2019 |archive-date=July 30, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130730112328/http://siskiyou.sou.edu/2012/03/04/feminist-frequency-comes-to-sou-anita-sarkeesian-talks-about-feminism-in-popular-culture/ |url-status=live}} | {{cite web |url=http://news.sewanee.edu/events/2011/02/15/conference-on-women-keynote-talk |title='I'll Make a Man Out of You': Redefining Strong Female Characters |work=Sewanee Today |date=February 15, 2011 |publisher=Sewanee: The University of the South |access-date=November 25, 2019 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120325191643/http://news.sewanee.edu/events/2011/02/15/conference-on-women-keynote-talk |archive-date=March 25, 2012}} | {{cite web |url=https://apps.carleton.edu/media_relations/press_releases/?story_id=934156 |title=Feminist Media Critic and Blogger Anita Sarkeesian to Present Convocation |last=Cohn |first=Jacob |date=January 11, 2013 |work=Carleton News |publisher=Carleton College |access-date=November 25, 2019 |archive-date=March 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200311071001/https://apps.carleton.edu/media_relations/press_releases/?story_id=934156 |url-status=live}} }}

Sarkeesian was inspired to start a video series on female representation in video games after she was invited to speak to developers at Bungie. On May 17, 2012, she began a Kickstarter campaign to fund a series of short videos that would examine gender tropes in video games.{{Cite book |last=O'Donnell |first=Jessica |title=Gamergate and Anti-Feminism in the Digital Age |date=2022 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |isbn=978-3-031-14057-0 |edition=1st |location=Cham |pages=77-79 |doi=10.1007/978-3-031-14057-0_3 |chapter=Gamers and Gamergate}} The threats and harassment she received in response generated widespread media attention, and resulted in the project ultimately far exceeding its initial funding goal of $6,000,{{cite book |title=On Video Games: The Visual Politics of Race, Gender and Space |last=Murray |first=Soraya |date=2018 |publisher=I.B. Tauris |location=London |isbn=978-1-78-453741-8 |pages=35–36}} which it reached in less than a day.{{r|Shanklin 2023}} The final amount raised was $158,922, over 26 times its initial goal.{{r|O'Donnell p77}}{{cite web |url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/games/8384475/Sexism-in-games-series-debuts-this-week |title=Sexism in games series debuts this week |first=Matt |last=Maguire |date=March 6, 2013 |website=Stuff.co.nz |access-date=November 25, 2019 |archive-date=February 14, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150214132157/http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/games/8384475/Sexism-in-games-series-debuts-this-week |url-status=live}}

While stating that the support Sarkeesian has received "stands at a counter" to the harassment, Sal Humphreys and Karen Orr Vered, writing in Television & New Media, suggest that the harassment Sarkeesian received may ultimately serve to discourage other women from following Sarkeesian's lead for fear of being subjected to similar attacks.{{cite journal |title=Reflecting on Gender and Digital Networked Media |last1=Humphreys |first1=Sal |last2=Vered |first2=Karen Orr |s2cid=145777327 |date=2013 |journal=Television & New Media |volume=15 |issue=1 |pages=3–4 |doi=10.1177/1527476413502682 |issn=1527-4764 |hdl=2328/35044 |hdl-access=free}}

File:Tropes Vs. Women in Video Games - text logo.png

Sarkeesian initially planned to release the Tropes vs. Women in Video Games series in 2012 but pushed it back explaining that the additional funding allowed her to expand the scope and scale of the project. The first video in the Tropes vs Women in Video Games series was released on March 7, 2013.{{cite web |url=https://www.feministfrequency.com/2013/03/damsel-in-distress-part-1/ |title=Damsels in Distress (Part 1) |first=Anita |last=Sarkeesian |date=March 7, 2013 |website=Feminist Frequency |access-date=May 28, 2013 |archive-date=May 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512160135/http://www.feministfrequency.com/2013/03/damsel-in-distress-part-1/ |url-status=live}}

The first three videos discuss examples of the "Damsels in Distress" trope, in which passive and often helpless female characters must be rescued by the male hero.{{cite web |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/05/31/tropes-vs-women-in-video-games-why-it-matters |title=Tropes vs Women in Video Games: Why It Matters |last=Dean |first=Paul |date=May 31, 2013 |website=IGN |access-date=September 19, 2013 |archive-date=December 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171212202504/http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/05/31/tropes-vs-women-in-video-games-why-it-matters |url-status=live}} Chris Suellentrop of The New York Times referred to the first four videos of the series as "essential viewing for anyone interested in video games", and cites it as the reason why he asked Nintendo producer Shigeru Miyamoto about the themes of damsels present in his games, to which he responded "I haven't given it a lot of deep thought over the years".{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/15/arts/video-games/chris-suellentrop-on-the-year-in-video-games.html |title=In the Footsteps of Lara Croft |first=Chris |last=Suellentrop |date=December 13, 2013 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 11, 2014 |url-access=limited |archive-date=March 5, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140305111552/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/15/arts/video-games/chris-suellentrop-on-the-year-in-video-games.html |url-status=live}}

Colin Campbell writes at Polygon that Feminist Frequency has had a demonstrable effect on the games industry, stating, "video games have seen a rise in the number of positive women and minority protagonists and a decrease in the tropes [Sarkeesian] discusses" since the launch of the project.{{cite web |last=Campbell |first=Colin |title=Anita Sarkeesian's astounding 'garbage human' moment |url=https://www.polygon.com/features/2017/6/27/15880582/anita-sarkeesian-garbage-human-vidcon-interview |website=Polygon |date=June 27, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180918134613/https://www.polygon.com/features/2017/6/27/15880582/anita-sarkeesian-garbage-human-vidcon-interview |archive-date=September 18, 2018 |url-status=live}} In January 2015, as part of a $300 million effort to increase diversity and inclusivity in the technology sphere, Intel announced it would partner with Feminist Frequency and other groups to help promote increased career opportunities, engagement and positive representation for women and minorities in technology and gaming.{{r|Shanklin 2023}}{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/07/technology/intel-budgets-300-million-for-diversity.html |title=Intel Budgets $300 Million for Diversity |first=Nick |last=Wingfield |date=January 7, 2015 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=November 11, 2015 |url-access=limited |archive-date=January 7, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150107122321/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/07/technology/intel-budgets-300-million-for-diversity.html |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=http://newsroom.intel.com/community/intel_newsroom/blog/2015/01/06/intel-ceo-outlines-future-of-computing |title=Intel CEO Outlines Future of Computing |date=January 6, 2015 |website=Intel |access-date=November 25, 2019 |archive-date=January 14, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160114101106/http://newsroom.intel.com/community/intel_newsroom/blog/2015/01/06/intel-ceo-outlines-future-of-computing |url-status=dead}}

In January 2015, the nonprofit announced they were planning two new video series tackling the "positive" portrayal of women in video games, as well as the "portrayal of masculine identities in games".{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jan/27/anita-sarkeesian-video-series-masculinity-gamergate |title=Anita Sarkeesian launching new video series focused on masculinity in games |first=Stuart |last=Dredge |date=January 27, 2015 |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=January 30, 2015 |archive-date=January 29, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150129105744/http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jan/27/anita-sarkeesian-video-series-masculinity-gamergate |url-status=live}}{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jan/30/gamers-criticism-censorship |title=When will gamers understand that criticism isn't censorship? |first=Ria |last=Jenkins |date=January 30, 2015 |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=January 30, 2015 |archive-date=January 30, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150130172010/http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jan/30/gamers-criticism-censorship |url-status=live}}

In March 2016, Feminist Frequency launched a crowdfunding campaign for an animated video series called Ordinary Women: Daring to Defy History. The planned 5-episode series will explore the lives of historical women such as Ida B. Wells and Emma Goldman.{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/act-four/wp/2016/03/08/anita-sarkeesians-next-feminist-frequency-project-tackles-womens-history/ |title=Anita Sarkeesian's next Feminist Frequency project tackles women's history |first=Alyssa |last=Rosenberg |date=March 8, 2016 |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=November 25, 2019 |url-access=limited |archive-date=March 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315174443/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/act-four/wp/2016/03/08/anita-sarkeesians-next-feminist-frequency-project-tackles-womens-history/ |url-status=live}}{{Cite news |last=Yamato |first=Jen |date=September 23, 2016 |title=Anita Sarkeesian on Life After Gamergate: 'I Want to Be a Human Again' |language=en |work=The Daily Beast |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/09/23/anita-sarkeesian-on-life-after-gamergate-i-want-to-be-a-human-again |access-date=July 9, 2022}} The video series was released in 2017.

In March 2016, Feminist Frequency began a formal partnership with the Crash Override Network, agreeing to serve as its fiscal sponsor. Crash Override is a support group for victims of large scale online abuse formed by game developers Zoë Quinn and Alex Lifschitz in the wake of the GamerGate harassment campaign.{{Cite web |url=https://feministfrequency.com/2016/03/03/feminist-frequency-and-crash-override-partnership/ |title=Feminist Frequency and Crash Override Partnership |last=Sarkeesian |first=Anita |date=March 3, 2016 |website=Feminist Frequency |access-date=February 3, 2017 |archive-date=February 4, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170204085442/https://feministfrequency.com/2016/03/03/feminist-frequency-and-crash-override-partnership/ |url-status=live}}{{Non-primary source needed|date=December 2024}}

The Tropes vs. Women in Video Games series ended with its final episode, "The Lady Sidekick", posted on April 27, 2017. Sarkeesian announced that Feminist Frequency would produce another series.{{cite web |last=Frank |first=Allegra |date=April 27, 2017 |title=Tropes vs. Women ends the series with a look at female sidekicks |url=https://www.polygon.com/2017/4/27/15452574/tropes-vs-women-in-video-games-final-episode-season-two-sidekicks |access-date=May 8, 2017 |website=Polygon |archive-date=November 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112015443/http://www.polygon.com/2017/4/27/15452574/tropes-vs-women-in-video-games-final-episode-season-two-sidekicks |url-status=live}} In March 2019, Feminist Frequency returned with a three part miniseries on Queer Tropes in Video Games that is similar to Tropes vs. Women in Video Games.{{Cite web |last=Takahashi |first=Dean |date=March 5, 2019 |title=Anita Sarkeesian is back with Feminist Frequency video on queer tropes in games |url=https://venturebeat.com/2019/03/05/anita-sarkeesian-is-back-with-feminist-frequency-video-on-queer-tropes-in-games/ |access-date=June 12, 2021 |website=VentureBeat |language=en-US}} Sarkeesian gave a talk at the 2022 Game Developers Conference, where she said that making Tropes vs. Women in that era would be "not impossible, but harder," because "the pattern is less egregious."{{Cite web |last=Farokhmanesh |first=Megan |date=March 25, 2022 |title=Sarkeesian reflects on 10 years of 'Tropes vs. Women in Video Games' |url=https://www.axios.com/2022/03/25/tropes-vs-women-in-video-games-anita-sarkeesian-gdc |access-date=September 17, 2022 |website=Axios |language=en |archive-date=September 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920171002/https://www.axios.com/2022/03/25/tropes-vs-women-in-video-games-anita-sarkeesian-gdc |url-status=live}}

In August 2023, Sarkeesian announced that the nonprofit would close, citing "exhaustion and burnout", with operations ceasing at the turn of the year.{{r|Shanklin 2023}}{{cite web |last=Valentine |first=Rebekah |title=Gaming Nonprofit Feminist Frequency to Close After 15 Years |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/gaming-nonprofit-feminist-frequency-to-close-after-15-years |website=IGN |access-date=August 1, 2023 |date=August 1, 2023 |archive-date=August 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230801195125/https://www.ign.com/articles/gaming-nonprofit-feminist-frequency-to-close-after-15-years |url-status=live}} The nonprofit's programs would cease operations in early 2024,{{cite web |last=Jackson |first=Claire |title=Anita Sarkeesian Shutters Feminist Frequency, Operations To Cease In Early 2024 |url=https://kotaku.com/anita-sarkeesian-feminist-frequency-closing-tropes-v-wo-1850696735 |website=Kotaku |access-date=August 1, 2023 |date=August 1, 2023 |archive-date=August 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230801195125/https://kotaku.com/anita-sarkeesian-feminist-frequency-closing-tropes-v-wo-1850696735 |url-status=live}} while the Feminist Frequency Radio podcast would continue to be presented by co-host Kat Spada; past episodes would remain accessible online, along with Sarkeesian's previous media criticism video series including Tropes vs Women and The FREQ Show.{{Cite web |last=Sarkeesian |first=Anita |date=August 1, 2023 |title=Shutting Down Feminist Frequency |url=https://feministfrequency.com/2023/08/01/shutting-down-feminist-frequency/ |access-date=August 1, 2023 |website=Feminist Frequency |language=en-US |archive-date=August 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230801172651/https://feministfrequency.com/2023/08/01/shutting-down-feminist-frequency/ |url-status=live}}{{cite press release |title=Anita Sarkeesian Announces Closure of Feminist Frequency |url=https://feministfrequency.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/FFR-Sunset-PR.pdf |publisher=Feminist Frequency |access-date=August 1, 2023 |location=Los Angeles |date=August 1, 2023 |archive-date=August 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230801190732/https://feministfrequency.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/FFR-Sunset-PR.pdf |url-status=live}}

In 2011, Sarkeesian co-authored the essay "Buffy vs. Bella: The Re-Emergence of the Archetypal Feminine in Vampire Stories" for the anthology Fanpires: Audience Consumption of the Modern Vampire.{{cite book |chapter-url=https://www.feministfrequency.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/fanpires-buffyvsbella-web.pdf |chapter=Buffy vs. Bella: The Re-Emergence of the Archetypal Feminine in Vampire Stories |first1=Jennifer |last1=Jenson |first2=Anita |last2=Sarkeesian |name-list-style=amp |title=FANPIRES: Audience Consumption of the Modern Vampire |editor1-first=Gareth |editor1-last=Schott |editor2-first=Kirstine |editor2-last=Moffat |date=2011 |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=New Academia Publishing |isbn=978-0-98458-321-8 |access-date=November 25, 2019 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120625135936/https://www.feministfrequency.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/fanpires-buffyvsbella-web.pdf |archive-date=June 25, 2012}} She spoke at conferences and workshops about media criticism and video blogging, and was interviewed by UK Sunday newspaper The Observer in March 2012 about modern media culture, stating: "I think to the extent that it could be creating authentic, human female characters, it is a push towards a more feminist media."{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2012/mar/25/slacker-back-female-lena-dunham |title=The slacker is back – and this time she's female |first=Hermione |last=Hoby |author-link=Hermione Hoby |date=March 25, 2012 |newspaper=The Observer |access-date=October 19, 2014 |archive-date=October 25, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141025135812/http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2012/mar/25/slacker-back-female-lena-dunham |url-status=live}}

In October 2022, Sarkeesian began a new video series on online streaming service Nebula called That Time When, which "looks at the moments when pop culture and politics collide in modern history". She said, "Given the abuse and vitriol I receive whenever I create media online, releasing my show as a Nebula Original allowed me to make a series that felt more sincere, more playful, and less bogged down with endless counterarguments."{{Cite news |date=October 21, 2022 |title=Pop culture and politics collide in Anita Sarkeesian's new web series |url=https://www.tubefilter.com/2022/10/21/anita-sarkeesian-nebula-original/ |access-date=October 25, 2022 |website=Tubefilter |language=en-US |archive-date=October 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221027121224/https://www.tubefilter.com/2022/10/21/anita-sarkeesian-nebula-original/ |url-status=live}} The series has nine episodes about topics such as the Satanic Panic, the Hollywood blacklist, Nipplegate, the Dixie Chicks' comments on George W. Bush, the racial politics of Star Trek, the coming out of Ellen DeGeneres, and the films of Lois Weber. The final episode discusses GamerGate and Sarkeesian's own experiences of harassment, which she said she was "really tired of talking about."{{Cite magazine |last=Farokhmanesh |first=Megan |date=November 10, 2022 |title=Anita Sarkeesian Hates Talking About Gamergate—but She Has To |url=https://www.wired.com/story/anita-sarkeesian-gamergate-that-time-when/ |access-date=December 26, 2024 |magazine=Wired |publisher=Condé Nast}}

{{external media |width=210px |float=right |headerimage=210px

|audio1=[http://www.wnyc.org/story/anita-sarkeesian-undaunted/ Anita Sarkeesian, Undaunted], The New Yorker Radio Hour (2016)

|video1=[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujTufg1GvR4 Strategic Butt Coverings – Tropes vs Women in Video Games], Feminist Frequency (2016)

|video2=[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZAxwsg9J9Q Anita Sarkeesian at TEDxWomen 2012], 10:29, TEDx (2012)}}

The Tropes vs Women project triggered a campaign of misogynistic harassment against Sarkeesian that included rape and death threats, hacking of her webpages and social media, and doxing.{{r|O'Donnell p77}} Attackers posted disparaging comments online, vandalized Sarkeesian's article on Wikipedia with racial slurs and sexual images, and sent Sarkeesian drawings of herself being raped by video game characters.{{Multiref2 | {{cite journal |last1=Heron |first1=Michael James |last2=Belford |first2=Pauline |last3=Goker |first3=Ayse |s2cid=18004724 |name-list-style=amp |title=Sexism in the circuitry |journal=ACM SIGCAS Computers and Society |volume=44 |issue=4 |date=November 2014 |pages=18–29 |issn=0095-2737 |doi=10.1145/2695577.2695582 |quote=The simple launching of this project resulted in a staggering and continuing campaign of harassment, defamation and real life threats spectacularly out of proportion to the triggering incident.}} | {{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/02/us/sexual-harassment-in-online-gaming-stirs-anger.html |title=In Virtual Play, Sex Harassment Is All Too Real |first=Amy |last=O'Leary |date=August 1, 2012 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=November 25, 2019 |url-access=limited |archive-date=March 9, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170309213932/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/02/us/sexual-harassment-in-online-gaming-stirs-anger.html |url-status=live}} | {{cite book |chapter=Her Story, Too: Final Fantasy X, Revolutionary Girl Utena, and the Feminist Hero's Journey |last=Kyle |first=Catherine Bailey |title=Heroines of Film and Television |editor-first=Norma |editor-last=Jones |editor2-first=Maja |editor2-last=Bajac-Carter |editor3-first=Bob |editor3-last=Batchelor |year=2014 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |location=New York |isbn=978-1-4422-3149-8 |pages=131–32}} | {{cite journal |title=Reflecting on Gender and Digital Networked Media |last1=Humphreys |first1=Sal |last2=Vered |first2=Karen Orr |s2cid=145777327 |date=2013 |journal=Television & New Media |volume=15 |issue=1 |pages=3–4 |doi=10.1177/1527476413502682 |issn=1527-4764 |hdl=2328/35044 |hdl-access=free}} | {{cite magazine |url=https://www.wired.com/underwire/2012/06/anita-sarkeesian-feminist-games |first=Angela |last=Watercutter |title=Feminist Take on Games Draws Crude Ridicule, Massive Support |date=June 14, 2012 |magazine=Wired |publisher=Condé Nast |access-date=November 25, 2019 |archive-date=March 30, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140330184836/http://www.wired.com/underwire/2012/06/anita-sarkeesian-feminist-games/ |url-status=live}} }}

One attacker created a browser game called Beat Up Anita Sarkeesian, which prompted players to bloody a picture of Sarkeesian by clicking the mouse.{{r|O'Donnell p77}}{{cite book |chapter=Her Story, Too: Final Fantasy X, Revolutionary Girl Utena, and the Feminist Hero's Journey |last=Kyle |first=Catherine Bailey |title=Heroines of Film and Television |editor-first=Norma |editor-last=Jones |editor2-first=Maja |editor2-last=Bajac-Carter |editor3-first=Bob |editor3-last=Batchelor |year=2014 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |location=New York |isbn=978-1-4422-3149-8 |pages=131–32}}{{cite book |last=Das |first=Sarmista |chapter=Leveling (Up) the Playing Field: How Feminist Gamers Self-Identify and Learn in Online Communities |editor1-first=Vivek |editor1-last=Venkatesh |editor2-first=Jason J. |editor2-last=Wallin |editor3-first=Juan Carlos |editor3-last=Castro |editor4-first=Jason Edward |editor4-last=Lewis |title=Educational, Psychological, and Behavioral Considerations in Niche Online Communities |year=2014 |publisher=IGI Global |isbn=978-1-4666-5207-1 |page=82}} Toronto feminist Stephanie Guthrie received death and rape threats for criticizing the Beat Up Anita Sarkeesian game.{{r|O'Donnell p77}}{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/02/us/sexual-harassment-in-online-gaming-stirs-anger.html |title=In Virtual Play, Sex Harassment Is All Too Real |first=Amy |last=O'Leary |date=August 1, 2012 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=November 25, 2019 |url-access=limited |archive-date=March 9, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170309213932/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/02/us/sexual-harassment-in-online-gaming-stirs-anger.html |url-status=live}}{{cite news |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2012/07/10/gamer_campaign_against_anita_sarkeesian_catches_toronto_feminist_in_crossfire.html |title=Gamer campaign against Anita Sarkeesian catches Toronto feminist in crossfire |first=Katherine |last=Fernandez-Blance |date=July 10, 2012 |newspaper=Toronto Star |access-date=November 25, 2019 |archive-date=September 17, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140917052214/http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2012/07/10/gamer_campaign_against_anita_sarkeesian_catches_toronto_feminist_in_crossfire.html |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/07/06/internet-trolls-online-beat-up-anita-sarkeesian-game_n_1653473.html |title=Internet Trolls Up Their Harassment Game With Beat Up Anita Sarkeesian |first=Sarah |last=O'Meara |date=July 6, 2012 |website=Huffington Post |access-date=November 25, 2019 |archive-date=July 8, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120708131642/http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/07/06/internet-trolls-online-beat-up-anita-sarkeesian-game_n_1653473.html |url-status=live}}{{cite news |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2012/11/21/man_charged_with_harassment_after_twitter_attacks.html |title=Man charged with harassment after Twitter attacks |last=Magi |first=Kim |date=November 21, 2012 |newspaper=Toronto Star |access-date=July 21, 2015 |archive-date=March 20, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150320172637/http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2012/11/21/man_charged_with_harassment_after_twitter_attacks.html |url-status=live}} The resulting criminal trial against critic Gregory Alan Elliott is regarded as having significant implications for online freedom of speech in Canada.{{cite news |url=http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/christie-blatchford-ruling-in-twitter-harassment-trial-could-have-enormous-fallout-for-free-speech |title=Ruling in Twitter harassment trial could have enormous fallout for free speech |last=Blatchford |first=Christie |author-link=Christie Blatchford |date=July 15, 2015 |newspaper=National Post |access-date=November 25, 2019 |archive-date=October 22, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151022232618/http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/christie-blatchford-ruling-in-twitter-harassment-trial-could-have-enormous-fallout-for-free-speech |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=http://ici.radio-canada.ca/regions/ontario/2015/10/06/004-twitter-proces-harcelement-gregory-elliott.shtml |title=Procès pour harcèlement criminel sur Twitter |trans-title=Trial for criminal harassment on Twitter |last=Nadeau |first=Jean-Phillippe |date=October 6, 2015 |website=ICI Radio Canada |language=fr |access-date=November 25, 2019 |archive-date=March 7, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307043430/http://ici.radio-canada.ca/regions/ontario/2015/10/06/004-twitter-proces-harcelement-gregory-elliott.shtml |url-status=live}} Sarkeesian responded to the threats against Guthrie in a statement to the Toronto Standard, condemning the widespread harassment she and other women have faced online.{{cite news |url=http://www.torontostandard.com/technology/exclusive-anita-sarkeesian-responds-to-beat-up-game-online-harassment-and-stephanie-guthries-death-threats |title=Anita Sarkeesian Responds to Beat Up Game, Online Harassment, and Death Threats on Stephanie Guthrie |first=Sheena |last=Lyonnais |date=July 10, 2012 |newspaper=Toronto Standard |access-date=November 25, 2019 |archive-date=November 25, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131125223738/http://www.torontostandard.com/technology/exclusive-anita-sarkeesian-responds-to-beat-up-game-online-harassment-and-stephanie-guthries-death-threats |url-status=dead}}{{cite news |url=http://www.torontostandard.com/technology/toronto-tweeter-causes-twitter-uproar-over-violent-beat-up-anita-sarkeesian-game |title=Toronto Tweeter Causes Uproar Over Violent 'Beat Up Anita Sarkeesian' Game |first=Sheena |last=Lyonnais |date=July 9, 2012 |newspaper=Toronto Standard |access-date=November 25, 2019 |archive-date=October 29, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029193326/http://www.torontostandard.com/technology/toronto-tweeter-causes-twitter-uproar-over-violent-beat-up-anita-sarkeesian-game |url-status=dead}}

Speaking at TEDxWomen in 2012, Sarkeesian argued that many of her attackers saw harassing her as a game, describing her experience as "accidentally [becoming] the villain of a massively online game in real life".{{r|O'Donnell p77}}

In March 2014, Sarkeesian was scheduled to speak and receive an award at the 2014 Game Developers Choice Awards. The organizers later revealed that they had received an anonymous bomb threat and that San Francisco police had swept the Moscone Center hall before the event proceeded.{{cite web |url=http://kotaku.com/bomb-threat-targeted-anita-sarkeesian-gaming-awards-la-1636032301 |title=Bomb Threat Targeted Anita Sarkeesian, Gaming Awards Last March |first=Stephen |last=Totilo |date=September 17, 2014 |website=Kotaku |access-date=November 25, 2019 |archive-date=September 17, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140917231939/http://kotaku.com/bomb-threat-targeted-anita-sarkeesian-gaming-awards-la-1636032301 |url-status=live}}

In August 2014, Feminist Frequency issued a new Tropes vs Women in Games episode. This coincided with the ongoing harassment of Zoë Quinn as part of the online harassment campaign known as GamerGate. The increased volume and specificity of the harassment (including death threats) prompted Sarkeesian to leave her home. San Francisco Police confirmed that they had passed the case file to the FBI for investigation.{{cite web |url=http://www.polygon.com/2014/9/17/6225835/fbi-investigating-anita-sarkeesian-threats |title=FBI investigating death threats against Feminist Frequency creator Sarkeesian |first=Brian |last=Crecente |date=September 17, 2014 |website=Polygon |access-date=November 25, 2019 |archive-date=September 17, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140917201913/http://www.polygon.com/2014/9/17/6225835/fbi-investigating-anita-sarkeesian-threats |url-status=live}}{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/sep/03/gamergate-corruption-games-anita-sarkeesian-zoe-quinn |title=Gamergate: the community is eating itself but there should be room for all |first=Keith |last=Stuart |date=September 3, 2014 |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=November 25, 2019 |archive-date=September 16, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140916110516/http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/sep/03/gamergate-corruption-games-anita-sarkeesian-zoe-quinn |url-status=live}}

On October 14, 2014, Sarkeesian and Utah State University received terrorist threats pertaining to her planned lecture at the university the following day. The threats, one of which was issued by a person who claimed to be affiliated with GamerGate,{{cite news |url=http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/58528113-78/sarkeesian-threats-threat-usu.html.csp |title=Anita Sarkeesian explains why she canceled USU lecture |first=Erin |last=Alberty |date=October 16, 2014 |newspaper=The Salt Lake Tribune |access-date=October 18, 2014 |quote=After the mass shooting threat was sent to the school late Monday, a second threat arrived Tuesday. That one, USU spokesman Tim Vitale confirmed, claimed affiliation with the controversial and sometimes violent online video gamers' movement known as GamerGate. |archive-date=October 17, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141017231007/http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/58528113-78/sarkeesian-threats-threat-usu.html.csp |url-status=live}} specifically cited the 1989 École Polytechnique massacre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada as inspiration. The university and police did not believe the threats were credible inasmuch as they were consistent with others Sarkeesian had received, but scheduled enhanced security measures nonetheless. Sarkeesian canceled the event, however, feeling the planned security measures were insufficient given that the university could not prohibit handguns in the venue per Utah state law.{{Multiref2 | {{cite news |url=http://www.standard.net/Police/2014/10/14/Feminist-speaker-cancels-appearance-at-USU-after-terror-threat.html |title=Feminist cancels speech at USU after terror threat |first1=Cimaron |last1=Neugebauer |first2=Ben |last2=Lockhart |date=October 14, 2014 |newspaper=Standard-Examiner |access-date=November 25, 2019 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141218022042/http://www.standard.net/Police/2014/10/14/Feminist-speaker-cancels-appearance-at-USU-after-terror-threat.html |archive-date=December 18, 2014}} | {{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/oct/15/anita-sarkeesian-feminist-games-critic-cancels-talk |title=Feminist games critic cancels talk after terror threat |first=Alex |last=Hern |date=October 15, 2014 |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=November 25, 2019 |archive-date=October 24, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141024032047/http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/oct/15/anita-sarkeesian-feminist-games-critic-cancels-talk |url-status=live}} | {{cite news |url=http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/58524629-78/sarkeesian-speech-usu-students.html.csp |title=USU students, faculty protest terrorist threats against critic of video games |first=Benjamin |last=Wood |date=October 15, 2014 |newspaper=The Salt Lake Tribune |access-date=November 25, 2019 |archive-date=October 18, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141018000212/http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/58524629-78/sarkeesian-speech-usu-students.html.csp |url-status=live}} | {{cite magazine |url=https://time.com/3512862/fixing-gamergate/ |title=Fixing Everything That's Wrong with Gamergate Starts with You |first=Matt |last=Peckham |date=October 16, 2014 |magazine=Time |access-date=November 25, 2019 |url-access=limited |archive-date=May 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190526155423/http://time.com/3512862/fixing-gamergate/ |url-status=live}} | {{cite web |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2014/10/15/tech/utah-anita-sarkeesian-threat/index.html |title=Anita Sarkeesian cancels Utah State speech after threat |first1=Saeed |last1=Ahmed |first2=Tony |last2=Marco |date=October 15, 2014 |website=CNN |access-date=November 25, 2019 |archive-date=October 19, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141019070251/http://edition.cnn.com/2014/10/15/tech/utah-anita-sarkeesian-threat/index.html |url-status=live}} | {{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/16/technology/anita-sarkeesian-video-game-critic-cancels-speech-after-threats-of-massacre.html |title=Anita Sarkeesian, Video Game Critic, Cancels Speech After Threats of Massacre |last=Wingfield |first=Nick |date=October 15, 2014 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=October 15, 2014 |url-access=limited}} | {{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-29626809 |title=Feminist video-games talk cancelled after massacre threat |last=Kelion |first=Leo |date=October 15, 2014 |website=BBC News |access-date=November 25, 2019 |archive-date=October 30, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141030164224/http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-29626809 |url-status=live}} | {{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/10/15/gamergate-feminist-video-game-critic-anita-sarkeesian-cancels-utah-lecture-after-threat-citing-police-inability-to-prevent-concealed-weapons-at-event/ |title='Gamergate': Feminist video game critic Anita Sarkeesian cancels Utah lecture after threat |first=Soraya Nadia |last=McDonald |date=October 15, 2014 |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=November 25, 2019 |url-access=limited |archive-date=May 11, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150511213805/http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/10/15/gamergate-feminist-video-game-critic-anita-sarkeesian-cancels-utah-lecture-after-threat-citing-police-inability-to-prevent-concealed-weapons-at-event/ |url-status=live}} }}

The threats resulted in public attention to misogynistic and violent harassment on the Internet, along with the propriety of concealed weapons on university campuses. In an editorial, The Salt Lake Tribune wrote that the threats "would seem to support Sarkeesian's point about a link between some video games and violent attitudes toward females" and called on the state to allow universities "to ban firearms from venues where they are not just inappropriate, but destructive of the mission of an institution of higher learning".{{Multiref2 | {{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/oct/15/anita-sarkeesian-feminist-games-critic-cancels-talk |title=Feminist games critic cancels talk after terror threat |first=Alex |last=Hern |date=October 15, 2014 |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=November 25, 2019 |archive-date=October 24, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141024032047/http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/oct/15/anita-sarkeesian-feminist-games-critic-cancels-talk |url-status=live}} | {{cite news |url=http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/opinion/58524673-82/utah-sarkeesian-state-threats.html.csp |title=Editorial: Utah's laws place gun rights over free speech |author= |date=October 15, 2014 |newspaper=The Salt Lake Tribune |access-date=November 25, 2019 |archive-date=December 14, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141214180103/http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/opinion/58524673-82/utah-sarkeesian-state-threats.html.csp |url-status=live}} | {{cite news |url=http://www.independent.ie/world-news/axed-speech-sparks-us-gun-debate-30667283.html |title=Axed speech sparks US gun debate |author= |date=October 15, 2014 |newspaper=Irish Independent |access-date=November 25, 2019 |archive-date=October 19, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141019193732/http://www.independent.ie/world-news/axed-speech-sparks-us-gun-debate-30667283.html |url-status=live}} | {{cite web |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/feminist-speaker-questions-utah-campus-gun-laws-26220541 |title=Feminist Speaker Questions Utah's Campus Gun Laws |first1=Lindsay |last1=Whitehurst |first2=Alina |last2=Hartounian |agency=Associateed Press |date=October 15, 2014 |website=ABC News |access-date=November 25, 2019 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141025002932/https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/feminist-speaker-questions-utah-campus-gun-laws-26220541 |archive-date=October 25, 2014}} | {{cite news |url=http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/blogsdebate/58525647-176/utah-sarkeesian-threat-anita.html.csp |title=Game critic Sarkeesian avoids Utah due to foolish gun laws. Utah looks bad in global media... |first=George |last=Pyle |date=October 15, 2014 |newspaper=The Salt Lake Tribune |access-date=November 25, 2019 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141018234219/http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/blogsdebate/58525647-176/utah-sarkeesian-threat-anita.html.csp |archive-date=October 18, 2014}} }}

In an August 2015 interview with The Guardian, Sarkeesian remarked of dealing with the pervasive harassment (her "new normal") that older mentors and feminists told her "We were dealing with that, but they were throwing rocks at us."{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/aug/29/anita-sarkeesian-gamergate-interview-jessica-valenti |title=Anita Sarkeesian interview: 'The word "troll" feels too childish. This is abuse' |last=Valenti |first=Jessica |date=August 29, 2015 |newspaper=The Guardian |location=London |access-date=August 29, 2015 |archive-date=August 29, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150829103341/http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/aug/29/anita-sarkeesian-gamergate-interview-jessica-valenti |url-status=live}}

Soraya Murray describes the attack as a "watershed moment" in the "culture war" being fought over representations of women and minorities in video games.{{r|Murray 2018}}

At VidCon 2017, Sarkeesian appeared on a panel discussing online harassment directed towards women. A group of YouTubers and bloggers who produce content critical of feminism and political correctness sat directly in front of the stage and filmed Sarkeesian as part of a targeted harassment campaign against her.{{Multiref2 | {{cite book |last1=Aghazadeh |first1=Sarah A. |title=Online Harassment |last2=Burns |first2=Alison |last3=Chu |first3=Jun |last4=Feigenblatt |first4=Hazel |last5=Laribee |first5=Elizabeth |last6=Maynard |first6=Lucy |last7=Meyers |first7=Amy L. M. |last8=O'Brien |first8=Jessica L. |last9=Rufus |first9=Leah |publisher=Springer International Publishing |year=2018 |isbn=978-3-319-78582-0 |editor-last=Golbeck |editor-first=Jennifer |series=Human–Computer Interaction Series |location=Cham, Switzerland |pages=179–207 |chapter=GamerGate: A Case Study in Online Harassment |doi=10.1007/978-3-319-78583-7_8 |lccn=2018939005 |display-authors=3}} | {{cite journal |last1=Marwick |first1=Alice E. |last2=Caplan |first2=Robyn |date=2018 |title=Drinking male tears: language, the manosphere, and networked harassment |journal=Feminist Media Studies |volume=18 |issue=4 |pages=543–559 |doi=10.1080/14680777.2018.1450568 |issn=1468-0777 |s2cid=149246142}} | {{cite news |last=Mulkerin |first=Tim |date=June 28, 2017 |title=Exclusive: Patreon investigated YouTuber 'Sargon of Akkad' over VidCon harassment |website=Mic |url=https://mic.com/articles/181083/patreon-is-investigating-youtuber-sargon-of-akkad-over-anita-sarkeesian-vidcon-harassment |url-status=live |access-date=December 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190101050019/https://mic.com/articles/181083/patreon-is-investigating-youtuber-sargon-of-akkad-over-anita-sarkeesian-vidcon-harassment |archive-date=January 1, 2019}} | {{cite news |last=Vasquez |first=Vanna |date=June 27, 2017 |title=VidCon apologizes for panelist clash involving activist Anita Sarkeesian |work=The Daily Dot |url=https://www.dailydot.com/upstream/vidcon-anita-sarkeesian-hank-green/ |url-status=live |access-date=June 3, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612143100/https://www.dailydot.com/upstream/vidcon-anita-sarkeesian-hank-green/ |archive-date=June 12, 2018}} | {{cite web |last=Lockett |first=Dee |date=December 29, 2017 |title=The 10 Biggest YouTube Dramas of 2017 |website=Vulture |url=https://www.vulture.com/2017/12/youtube-drama-2017-jake-paul-pewdiepie-adpocalypse.html |url-status=live |access-date=July 7, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180707092639/http://www.vulture.com/2017/12/youtube-drama-2017-jake-paul-pewdiepie-adpocalypse.html |archive-date=July 7, 2018}} }} Sarkeesian singled out British YouTuber Carl Benjamin, seated in the first row, as a serial harasser of hers.{{cite book |last1=Aghazadeh |first1=Sarah A. |title=Online Harassment |last2=Burns |first2=Alison |last3=Chu |first3=Jun |last4=Feigenblatt |first4=Hazel |last5=Laribee |first5=Elizabeth |last6=Maynard |first6=Lucy |last7=Meyers |first7=Amy L. M. |last8=O'Brien |first8=Jessica L. |last9=Rufus |first9=Leah |publisher=Springer International Publishing |year=2018 |isbn=978-3-319-78582-0 |editor-last=Golbeck |editor-first=Jennifer |series=Human–Computer Interaction Series |location=Cham, Switzerland |pages=179–207 |chapter=GamerGate: A Case Study in Online Harassment |doi=10.1007/978-3-319-78583-7_8 |lccn=2018939005 |display-authors=3}}{{cite journal |last1=Marwick |first1=Alice E. |last2=Caplan |first2=Robyn |date=2018 |title=Drinking male tears: language, the manosphere, and networked harassment |journal=Feminist Media Studies |volume=18 |issue=4 |pages=543–559 |doi=10.1080/14680777.2018.1450568 |issn=1468-0777 |s2cid=149246142}}{{r|Campbell 2017}} Speaking directly to Benjamin, she said, "I hate to give you attention because you're a garbage human."{{r|Marwick 2018}} The event went viral among both critics and supporters of Sarkeesian.{{r|Aghazadeh 2018}} Benjamin accused Sarkeesian of abuse and cyberbullying; in a blog post, Sarkeesian wrote:

{{blockquote |[Benjamin] makes over $5,000 a month on Patreon for creating YouTube videos that mock, insult and discredit myself and other women online, and he's not alone. He is one of several YouTubers who profit from the cottage industry of online harassment and antifeminism.{{r|Marwick 2018}} }}

VidCon founder Hank Green issued a statement that the group's actions were clear "intimidating behaviour" and apologised for the situation "which resulted in [Sarkeesian] being subjected to a hostile environment that she had not signed up for".{{cite news |last=Mulkerin |first=Tim |date=June 28, 2017 |title=Exclusive: Patreon investigated YouTuber 'Sargon of Akkad' over VidCon harassment |website=Mic |url=https://mic.com/articles/181083/patreon-is-investigating-youtuber-sargon-of-akkad-over-anita-sarkeesian-vidcon-harassment |url-status=live |access-date=December 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190101050019/https://mic.com/articles/181083/patreon-is-investigating-youtuber-sargon-of-akkad-over-anita-sarkeesian-vidcon-harassment |archive-date=January 1, 2019}}{{Cite news |last=Vasquez |first=Vanna |date=June 27, 2017 |title=VidCon apologizes for panelist clash involving activist Anita Sarkeesian |work=The Daily Dot |url=https://www.dailydot.com/upstream/vidcon-anita-sarkeesian-hank-green/ |url-status=live |access-date=June 3, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612143100/https://www.dailydot.com/upstream/vidcon-anita-sarkeesian-hank-green/ |archive-date=June 12, 2018}}

In a retrospective for Polygon in December 2019, Sarkeesian wrote that "GamerGate's real goals were expressed in the explicit racism, sexism, and transphobia of the memes the movement generated, and the posts its supporters wrote on the message boards where they organized and strategized. Later, the flimsiness of the 'ethics in games journalism' pretense would become a mocking meme signifying a bad faith argument. It would almost be funny, if GamerGate hadn't done so much harm, and caused so much lasting trauma." She added that the video game industry was ultimately complicit in GamerGate "through its shameful silence in the face of a reactionary mob of 'gamers{{' "}}.{{Cite web |last=Sarkeesian |first=Anita |date=December 23, 2019 |title=Anita Sarkeesian looks back at GamerGate |url=https://www.polygon.com/2019/12/23/20976891/anita-sarkeesian-gamergate-review-feminist-frequency-game-industry |access-date=April 30, 2025 |website=Polygon |language=en |archive-date=April 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422042322/https://www.polygon.com/2019/12/23/20976891/anita-sarkeesian-gamergate-review-feminist-frequency-game-industry |url-status=live}}

In 2020, Sarkeesian launched the Games and Online Harassment Hotline, a free non-profit service that started development in 2019.{{Cite web |last=Takahashi |first=Dean |date=August 3, 2020 |title=Why Anita Sarkeesian started the Game and Online Harassment Hotline |url=https://venturebeat.com/2020/08/03/why-anita-sarkeesian-started-the-game-and-online-harassment-hotline/ |access-date=June 12, 2021 |website=VentureBeat |language=en-US |archive-date=June 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210623083553/https://venturebeat.com/2020/08/03/why-anita-sarkeesian-started-the-game-and-online-harassment-hotline/ |url-status=live}} In 2023, it was announced that the hotline would cease operating in September along with the closure of Feminist Frequency.{{r|Valentine 2023|Jackson 2023}}

File:Anita Sarkeesian 2013.jpg

Sarkeesian and her work have come to much greater public attention following the announcement of Tropes vs. Women in Video Games and the harassment she subsequently faced. These events helped bring the issue of pervasive sexual harassment in video game culture to mainstream media attention.{{cite book |last1=Settle |first1=Amber |last2=McGill |first2=Monica M. |last3=Decker |first3=Adrienne |s2cid=14178125 |name-list-style=amp |year=2013 |chapter=Diversity in the Game Industry: Is Outreach the Solution? |title=SIGITE '13: Proceedings of the 2013 ACM SIGITE annual Conference on Information Technology Education: October 10–12, 2013, Orlando, Florida, USA |location=New York |publisher=Association for Computing Machinery |page=175 |doi=10.1145/2512276.2512283 |isbn=978-1-45032-239-3}} Discussions occurred in a range of publications and outlets, including The New York Times, The Guardian and New Statesman.{{cite news |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2013/01/18/internet_trolls_an_online_nightmare_for_young_women.html |title=Internet trolls an online nightmare for young women |first=Anita |last=Zerbisias |date=January 18, 2013 |newspaper=Toronto Star |access-date=November 25, 2019 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213082038/https://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2013/01/18/internet_trolls_an_online_nightmare_for_young_women.html |archive-date=December 13, 2017}}{{cite magazine |url=http://www.newstatesman.com/voices/2012/12/why-should-anita-sarkeesian-have-work-free-return-misogynistic-abuse |title=Why should Anita Sarkeesian have to work for free in return for misogynistic abuse? |first=Paul |last=Casey |date=December 10, 2012 |magazine=New Statesman |access-date=November 25, 2019 |archive-date=January 14, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130114083526/http://www.newstatesman.com/voices/2012/12/why-should-anita-sarkeesian-have-work-free-return-misogynistic-abuse |url-status=live}}{{cite magazine |url=http://bitchmagazine.org/article/game-changer |title=Why Gaming Culture Allows Abuse... and How We Can Stop It |first=Katherine |last=Cross |date=2013 |magazine=Bitch |issue=57 |access-date=February 1, 2013 |archive-date=December 12, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121212014709/http://bitchmagazine.org/article/game-changer |url-status=live}}{{cite magazine |url=http://www.newstatesman.com/future-proof/2014/08/tropes-vs-anita-sarkeesian-passing-anti-feminist-nonsense-critique |title=Tropes vs Anita Sarkeesian: on passing off anti-feminist nonsense as critique |first=Ian |last=Steadman |date=August 27, 2014 |magazine=New Statesman |access-date=November 25, 2019 |archive-date=December 8, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208170920/http://www.newstatesman.com/future-proof/2014/08/tropes-vs-anita-sarkeesian-passing-anti-feminist-nonsense-critique |url-status=live}}

Sarkeesian's elevated profile led to speaking engagements on sexual harassment and online communities at the TEDxWomen conference and several universities.{{Multiref2 | {{cite web |url=http://tedxwomen.org/speakers/anita-sarkeesian-2 |title=Anita Sarkeesian |website=TEDxWomen |access-date=November 25, 2019 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209033545/http://tedxwomen.org/speakers/anita-sarkeesian-2 |archive-date=February 9, 2014}} {{YouTube|GZAxwsg9J9Q}}. | {{cite news |url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_topdoc=1&p_docnum=1&p_sort=YMD_date:D&p_product=AWNB&p_text_direct-0=document_id=%28%20141AF9E356BBF240%20%29&p_docid=141AF9E356BBF240&p_theme=aggdocs&p_queryname=141AF9E356BBF240&f_openurl=yes&p_nbid=R6AH62FWMTM4NDg5NjEyOC43MzUwNDY6MTo5OkVCU0NPMTk5OA&&p_multi=BZCB |title=Feminist website creator to speak at LLCC Oct. 10 |author= |date=October 12, 2012 |newspaper=The Breeze-Courier |access-date=November 19, 2013}}{{cite news |url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_topdoc=1&p_docnum=1&p_sort=YMD_date:D&p_product=AWNB&p_text_direct-0=document_id=%28%201422148B6244CBF0%20%29&p_docid=1422148B6244CBF0&p_theme=aggdocs&p_queryname=1422148B6244CBF0&f_openurl=yes&p_nbid=T68U60IUMTM4NDg5NTgzOS45NTA0MzA6MTo5OkVCU0NPMTk5OA&&p_multi=BGDB |author= |title=Critic assails portrayal of women in video games |date=October 24, 2012 |newspaper=The Daily News |access-date=November 19, 2013}} | {{cite magazine |url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/10724-The-Most-Dangerous-Woman-in-Videogames-Anita-Sarkeesian.3#gkylSw5f7yvv9ILZ.99 |title=The Most Dangerous Woman in Videogames – Anita Sarkeesian |last=Chipman |first=Bob |date=November 7, 2013 |magazine=The Escapist |access-date=December 10, 2013 |archive-date=December 13, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213232846/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/10724-The-Most-Dangerous-Woman-in-Videogames-Anita-Sarkeesian.3#gkylSw5f7yvv9ILZ.99 |url-status=dead}} | {{cite magazine |url=http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2013/11/hyper-mode-anita-sarkeesian-vs-the-world-level-2.html |title=Hyper Mode: Anita Sarkeesian vs. The World Part II |last=Myers |first=Maddy |date=November 13, 2013 |magazine=Paste |access-date=December 10, 2013 |archive-date=November 19, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131119064931/http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2013/11/hyper-mode-anita-sarkeesian-vs-the-world-level-2.html |url-status=live}} }}

Speaking at the XOXO Festival in September 2014, Sarkeesian described the allegation that she and other women fabricated harassment as itself being a form of harassment. "Harassment is the background radiation of my life," she later remarked in a Bloomberg Businessweek cover story on her work and the video game industry.{{cite web |url=https://www.theverge.com/2014/9/13/6145169/anita-sarkeesian-shares-the-most-radical-thing-you-can-do-to-support |title=Anita Sarkeesian shares the most radical thing you can do to support women online |last=Newton |first=Casey |date=September 13, 2014 |website=The Verge |access-date=November 25, 2019 |archive-date=September 15, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140915030154/http://www.theverge.com/2014/9/13/6145169/anita-sarkeesian-shares-the-most-radical-thing-you-can-do-to-support |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=http://mobile.businessweek.com/articles/2014-11-26/anita-sarkeesian-battles-sexism-in-games-gamergate-harassment#r=hp-ls |title=The Gaming Industry's Greatest Adversary Is Just Getting Started |first=Sheelah |last=Kolhatkar |date=November 26, 2014 |website=Bloomberg Business Week |access-date=November 11, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141128203937/http://mobile.businessweek.com/articles/2014-11-26/anita-sarkeesian-battles-sexism-in-games-gamergate-harassment#r=hp-ls |archive-date=November 28, 2014}}

On October 29, 2014, Sarkeesian was interviewed on The Colbert Report where she discussed the harassment she suffered as a result of GamerGate and her views on making video games more inclusive. She told Colbert that video games often portray women in a manner which "reinforces the cultural myth that women are sexual objects" and that her goal is not to censor video games, but to raise awareness of how women can be portrayed in more realistic, less stereotypical ways.{{cite web |url=https://www.theverge.com/2014/10/30/7130191/stephen-colbert-takes-on-gamergate-with-anita-sarkeesian |title=Stephen Colbert takes on Gamergate with Anita Sarkeesian |first=Rich |last=McCormick |date=October 30, 2014 |website=The Verge |access-date=November 25, 2019 |archive-date=November 17, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141117195158/http://www.theverge.com/2014/10/30/7130191/stephen-colbert-takes-on-gamergate-with-anita-sarkeesian |url-status=live}}{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/10/30/how-media-critic-anita-sarkeesian-turned-stephen-colbert-into-a-feminist/ |title=How media critic Anita Sarkeesian turned Stephen Colbert into a feminist |last=McDonald |first=Soraya Nadia |date=October 30, 2014 |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=February 15, 2018 |url-access=limited |archive-date=November 12, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141112111813/http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/10/30/how-media-critic-anita-sarkeesian-turned-stephen-colbert-into-a-feminist/ |url-status=live}}{{Cite news |url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-anita-sarkeesian-educates-stephen-colbert-on-gamergate-20141030-story.html |title=Anita Sarkeesian educates Stephen Colbert on Gamergate |last=Day |first=Patrick Kevin |date=October 30, 2014 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |access-date=February 15, 2018 |url-access=limited |archive-date=February 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180216084617/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-anita-sarkeesian-educates-stephen-colbert-on-gamergate-20141030-story.html |url-status=live}}

The harassment of Sarkeesian and other women in gaming was featured in the January 14, 2015, edition of Nightline. When asked by ABC News why there was so much anger, she responded "I think it comes from this idea that gaming is a male-dominated space, and that games are for men by men... it's a very misogynist backlash".{{cite web |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/jumping-gamergate-turns-fearing-life/story?id=28230901 |title=When Jumping into Gamergate Turns into Fearing For Your Life |first1=Juju |last1=Chang |first2=Katie |last2=Yu |date=January 14, 2015 |website=ABC News |access-date=November 11, 2015 |archive-date=November 3, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151103010014/http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/jumping-gamergate-turns-fearing-life/story?id=28230901 |url-status=live}} She appears in the 2015 documentary GTFO.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/08/movies/in-the-documentary-gtfo-female-video-gamers-fight-back.html |title=In the Documentary 'GTFO,' Female Video Gamers Fight Back |first=Robert |last=Ito |date=March 6, 2015 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=November 11, 2015 |url-access=limited |archive-date=June 18, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150618175601/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/08/movies/in-the-documentary-gtfo-female-video-gamers-fight-back.html |url-status=live}}

Sarkeesian's Feminist Frequency blog was highlighted by Feminist Collections and Media Report to Women.{{cite journal |title=Briefly |author= |date=Spring 2012 |journal=Media Report to Women |volume=40 |issue=2 |pages=19–21 |issn=0145-9651}} In 2012, Gamasutra considered the harassment and success of Feminist Frequency a catalyst that led to new attention on the importance of diversity and inclusion in the gaming culture and industry. They named this call for inclusion one of the "5 trends that defined the game industry in 2012".{{cite web |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/audio/the-5-trends-that-defined-the-game-industry-in-2012 |title=The 5 trends that defined the game industry in 2012 |first=Kris |last=Graft |date=December 6, 2012 |website=Gamasutra |access-date=November 11, 2015 |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924132907/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/182954/ |url-status=live}} In 2013, Newsweek magazine and The Daily Beast named Sarkeesian one of their "125 Women of Impact".{{cite journal |author= |title=125 Women of Impact |date=March 29, 2013 |journal=Newsweek}}{{cite web |url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/witw/galleries/2013/03/28/women-in-the-world-125-women-of-impact-photos.html |title=Women In The World: 125 Women of Impact (No.92) |date=March 29, 2013 |website=The Daily Beast |access-date=October 22, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130401175239/http://www.thedailybeast.com/witw/galleries/2013/03/28/women-in-the-world-125-women-of-impact-photos.html |archive-date=April 1, 2013}}

In 2014, Sarkeesian received the Ambassador Award at the 14th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards for her work on the representation of women in video games, becoming the first woman to receive the award.{{cite news |url=http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/20/the-last-of-us-claims-a-top-video-game-prize |title=The Last of Us Claims a Top Video Game Prize |last=Suellentrop |first=Chris |date=March 20, 2014 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=March 24, 2014 |url-access=limited |archive-date=March 20, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140320210728/http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/20/the-last-of-us-claims-a-top-video-game-prize/ |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/anita-sarkeesian-riot-co-founders-win-gdca-2014-special-awards |title=Anita Sarkeesian, Riot co-founders win GDCA 2014 Special Awards |date=February 11, 2014 |website=Gamasutra |access-date=February 17, 2014 |archive-date=March 28, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190328214859/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/210447/Anita_Sarkeesian_Riot_cofounders_win_GDCA_2014_Special_Awards.php |url-status=live}} She was also nominated for the Ambassador Award at Microsoft's 2014 Women in Gaming Awards for her work.{{cite news |url=http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/20/a-day-of-honors-for-women-in-the-video-game-industry/ |title=A Day of Honors for Women in the Video Game Industry |last=Parker |first=Laura |date=March 20, 2014 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=March 24, 2014 |url-access=limited |archive-date=March 21, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140321020155/http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/20/a-day-of-honors-for-women-in-the-video-game-industry/ |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/anita-sarkeesian-more-up-for-nominations-at-women-in-gaming-awards |title=Anita Sarkeesian, more up for nominations at Women in Gaming Awards |date=March 19, 2014 |website=Gamasutra |access-date=March 24, 2014 |archive-date=March 22, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140322195556/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/213512/Anita_Sarkeesian_more_up_for_nominations_at_Women_in_Gaming_Awards.php |url-status=live}}

After the Utah State University death threats, Rolling Stone called her "pop culture's most valuable critic," saying that "the backlash has only made her point for her: Gaming has a problem".{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/features/anita-sarkeesian-gamergate-interview-20141017 |title=Anita Sarkeesian on GamerGate: 'We Have a Problem and We're Going to Fix This' |first=Sean T. |last=Collins |date=October 17, 2014 |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=November 25, 2019 |archive-date=August 18, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170818112401/http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/features/anita-sarkeesian-gamergate-interview-20141017 |url-status=dead}} In December 2014, The Verge named her as one of "the 50 most important people at the intersection of technology, art, science, and culture".{{cite web |url=https://www.theverge.com/a/2014-verge-50/anita-sarkeesian |title=The Verge 50: Anita Sarkeesian |date=2014 |website=The Verge |access-date=November 25, 2019 |archive-date=April 23, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170423175031/http://www.theverge.com/a/2014-verge-50/anita-sarkeesian |url-status=live}} In March 2015, Time magazine included Sarkeesian in its list of the thirty "Most Influential People on the Internet",{{cite magazine |url=https://time.com/3732203/the-30-most-influential-people-on-the-internet/ |title=The Most Influential People on the Internet |author= |date=March 5, 2015 |magazine=Time |access-date=November 25, 2019 |url-access=limited |archive-date=March 21, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150321233428/http://time.com/3732203/the-30-most-influential-people-on-the-internet/ |url-status=live}} and in April of that year, chose her for the Time 100, the magazine's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.{{cite magazine |url=http://time.com/3822727/anita-sarkeesian-2015-time-100 |title=Anita Sarkeesian – The 100 Most Influential People |date=April 15, 2015 |magazine=Time |access-date=November 25, 2019 |url-access=limited |archive-date=April 16, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150416200231/http://time.com/3822727/anita-sarkeesian-2015-time-100/ |url-status=dead}} In May 2015, Cosmopolitan included her in its list of the "50 Most Fascinating People on the Internet".

Feminist Frequency won a Peabody Award in the category of "Digital and Interactive Storytelling" in 2022.{{r|Shanklin 2023}}{{cite news |last=Beresford |first=Trilby |title=Iconic Adventure Game 'Journey' Among Recipients of Peabody Digital and Interactive Storytelling Awards (Exclusive) |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/peabody-digital-interactive-awards-2022-winners-list-1235116612/ |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=March 24, 2022 |archive-date=January 21, 2023 |access-date=April 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230121003955/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/peabody-digital-interactive-awards-2022-winners-list-1235116612/ |url-status=live}}{{cite news |last=Hipes |first=Patrick |title=Peabodys Reveal 'Legacy Class' Winners Of Inaugural Digital And Interactive Storytelling Awards |url=https://deadline.com/2022/03/peabody-awards-digital-interactive-winners-2022-legacy-class-1234986094/ |work=Deadline |date=March 24, 2022}}

• {{cite book |chapter=Your Humanity is in Another Castle: Terror Dreams and the Harassment of Women |first1=Anita |last1=Sarkeesian |first2=Katherine |last2=Cross |title=The State of Play: Creators and Critics on Video Game Culture |editor1-first=Daniel |editor1-last=Goldberg |editor2-first=Linus |editor2-last=Larsson |date=2015 |location=New York |publisher=Seven Stories Press |isbn=978-1-60980-639-2}}
• {{cite book |title=History vs Women: The Defiant Lives That They Don't Want You to Know |first1=Anita |last1=Sarkeesian |first2=Ebony |last2=Adams |date=2018 |location=New York |publisher=Feiwel & Friends |isbn=978-1-25014-672-4}}

{{reflist}}

• {{cite web |last=Campbell |first=Colin |title=The Anita Sarkeesian story |url=https://www.polygon.com/features/2019/6/19/18679678/anita-sarkeesian-feminist-frequency-interview-history-story |website=Polygon |date=June 19, 2019}}
• {{cite web |last1=Gleeson |first1=Jessamy |title=Vitriolic abuse of Anita Sarkeesian: why the games industry needs her |url=https://theconversation.com/vitriolic-abuse-of-anita-sarkeesian-why-the-games-industry-needs-her-31826 |work=The Conversation |date=September 21, 2014}}
• {{cite book |last=Marie |first=Meagan |title=Women in Gaming: 100 Professionals of Play |date=2018 |publisher=DK Publishing |location=London |isbn=978-0-7440-1993-3 |pages=260–261 |chapter=Anita Sarkeesian: An Agent of Change Through Pop-Culture Critique}}

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• {{Official website}}

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