Category Archives: Games

Gender Discrimination in Geek Culture

Posted on November 14, 2013 by ayvalentine

This is an article my daughter (who just turned 13!) wrote for her school newspaper. It was published before a boy tried to tell her that girls don’t play Minecraft, so it doesn’t include her impassioned argument on that topic. … Continue reading →

Posted in Games, Guest posts, Kids and Gaming, Uncategorized | 17 Comments

Roomier Character Sheet for Little Wizards

Posted on September 1, 2013 by ayvalentine

When Richard Rogers was getting ready to play Little Wizards with his 7 year old, they found the character sheet provided in the book to be a bit cramped. So Kelly Vanda designed this gorgeous landscape character sheet with lots … Continue reading →

Posted in Games, Kids and Gaming, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

RPG Editors You Don’t Know But Should

Posted on May 2, 2013 by ayvalentine

By the very nature of freelance work, there are often a lot of really talented people continuously looking for work. Some people are really quite good at the difficult-to-learn skill of putting their names out there—if you’re looking for an … Continue reading →

Posted in Editing, Freelancing Life, Games | 3 Comments

The Quest for Characters Like Me

Posted on January 9, 2013 by ayvalentine

I’ve recently read a lot of articles, tweets, and so on about girls not finding female characters in games, movies, etc. I have a geeky daughter, and I’m painfully aware of how common this is. And while she’s not necessarily … Continue reading →

Posted in Games, Kids and Gaming, Parenthood | 6 Comments

Story Matters

Posted on December 7, 2012 by ayvalentine

Story matters, on a fundamental level. Fiction reveals reality and can, in turn, change it. I have a masters degree in children’s literature. Really. I studied how we use stories, often unconsciously, to teach our children about how they should … Continue reading →

Posted in Games, Parenthood | 6 Comments

#1reasontobe

Posted on November 29, 2012 by ayvalentine

I don’t feel like I’m any kind of hero for sticking it out to become a woman working fulltime editing RPGs. It’s pretty much a dream come true, and I’ve never been more accepted and respected. As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, … Continue reading →

Posted in Conventions, Editing, Freelancing Life, Games, Kids and Gaming, Parenthood | 5 Comments

#1reasonwhy

Posted on November 29, 2012 by ayvalentine

I’ve been slowly catching up on the #1reasonwhy phenomenon—it’s still a little staggering to see a Twitter conversation between two people I know personally evolve into a trending topic covered by multiple news organizations! I had little to add to … Continue reading →

Posted in Conventions, Editing, Freelancing Life, Games | 3 Comments

The Con You Wish You Went To

Posted on November 19, 2012 by ayvalentine

In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, after driving past downed trees and long lines at gas stations, we arrived in Morristown, NJ, for Metatopia. Luckily, it was in the six block area of Morristown that somehow still had power. Many … Continue reading →

Posted in Conventions, Editing, Freelancing Life, Games, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

A Year In

Posted on September 26, 2012 by ayvalentine

Still recovering from an amazing and utterly exhausting GenCon, I realized that I’ve hit a milestone—I’ve been a full time freelance RPG editor for a year now. There have been struggles, such as adapting our budget to the sporadic paychecks … Continue reading →

Posted in Editing, Games | Leave a comment

Conversing About Conversational Tone

Posted on September 14, 2012 by ayvalentine

It occurred to me the other day how often I’ve given the advice to “go for a conversational tone.” I’ve said it to students, to writers, and to fellow editors. I say it like everyone should know what I mean … Continue reading →

Posted in Editing, Games | 4 Comments