User blog:Itsjieyang/Women's History Month Fandom Gaming Stories: Miranda Phaal and Tiffany Tse

As March comes close to an end, we finish up the last of our series celebrating women, femme-identifying, and non-binary people in the gaming vertical goes on as we shine a light on the power of representation as these gamers share their favorite characters.

To explore the theme of Embracing Equity during Women’s History Month, we connected with gamers on Fandom’s staff and throughout the community as they shared their perspectives on the power of camaraderie, navigating the gaming community, and some key recommendations. If you missed the previous two, they can be viewed here and here!

This blog features our awesome staff members, Miranda Phaal and Tiffany Tse!

Miranda Phaal
How have games with strong female representation impacted you?

It's refreshing to find games in which the female characters are handled more or less like the male characters. It's humanizing. They can still fulfill the tropes of whichever genre they find themselves in right alongside their male counterparts, and it makes for a much more interesting story and game world. It's more fun to play among a well-rounded cast of characters.

What female-led games or female characters deserve more love/recognition?

Two female characters that I think deserve more love are Chell from the Portal series and Zelda from the Zelda series (Link isn't Zelda 🥲)!

How have gaming communities impacted your experience as a gamer?

I love customization and self-expression in every aspect of life, including gaming, so I am deeply indebted to the awesome modding community. As a PC gamer, I know I can always turn to them to help me literally change the game!

Do you have a favorite gaming wiki on Fandom to visit and why?

The Elder Scrolls Wiki is incredibly detailed and always active, even though we've still got a long ways to go until TES VI. We're all in it together!

Tiffany Tse
How have games with strong female representation impacted you?

Games with female representation really impacted me when I was a young girl and even now as an adult. It's refreshing and empowering to have the chance to play as a female main character. It gives me the idea and appreciation that a woman could be an adventurer, a warrior taking down huge enemies and bosses, and just overcoming any obstacle thrown at them. It's even more impactful when the backstory and the character stands for what they believe in, and has great character development. Makes you more connected with the character.

What female-led games or female characters deserve more love/recognition?

I think the game Kena: Bridge of Spirits definitely deserves more love! The game is visually beautiful with a great story and great combat. It's a wholesome story with a female lead who is a spirit guide trying to help the deceased move on. The stories of the side characters you meet along the way and the little rots you collect are wholesome and deep.

How have gaming communities impacted your experience as a gamer?

Gaming communities have impacted me very positively. I get to engage in great conversations with strangers or friends about games, the stories, possible new games to try out based on interests, or just hilarious glitches. During the pandemic lockdown it was very helpful. Being able to play online and chat when in different countries and states really helped me stay connected with friends.

Do you have a favorite gaming wiki on Fandom to visit and why?

The Animal Crossing Wiki. During the lockdown, I was playing Animal Crossing everyday, and it was the best wiki to find out which character I wanted to move onto my island based on their descriptions, photos and personalities. It helped me and my friends pretty often with those choices!