As we move into March, we take the time to acknowledge some of the women in media who helped shape their industry. Often having their credit stolen, overlooked, or forced out of a male-centric industry, women have played huge roles in the progression of all forms of media. Today we highlight a few of these matrons of film and gaming.
Alice Guy-Blaché
Alice Guy-Blaché is the first female film maker and is responsible for creating, in 1896, one of, if not the first, narrative films. Guy’s career of 24 years of directing, writing and producing films is the longest career of any of the cinema pioneers. From 1896 to 1920, she directed over 1,000 films, some 350 of which survive, and 22 of which are feature-length films.
She is revered as the first female director and writer of narrative fiction films, and is seen as a great visionary who experimented with Gaumont’s Chronophone sound syncing system, color tinting, interracial casting, and special effects.
Guy was one of the first women (along with Lois Weber) to manage and own her own studio, The Solax Company. Few of her films survive in an easily viewable format (primarily those involving Charlie Chaplin), although preservation and recovery efforts are ongoing because of the documentary Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché.
A number of Alice’s films can be found in our collections at the UNT Media Library.
Dona Bailey
Determined to break into the game making biz, Dona Bailey received a position as an engineer at Atari in 1980. As Carol Shaw had already left for Activision, Donna was the only female game designer at the company. There she co-created and designed, along with Ed Logg, the classic arcade hit, Centipede.
After its release to instant success, Donna disappeared from the video game industry only to resurface 26 years later as a keynote speaker at the 2007 Women in Games Conference. Donna admitted it was the pressure and criticism from her male counterparts which drove her from the business.
Today Donna encourages women to pursue careers in games and works as a college instructor, teaching numerous courses, among them game design.
Centipede can be played on our retro gaming console station in the Media Library.
Elizabeth J. Magie
Elizabeth J. Magie was an American game designer and Georgist. She invented The Landlord’s Game, the precursor to Monopoly, to illustrate teachings of the progressive era economist Henry George.
Her game, with two rule sets: an anti-monopolist set in which all were rewarded when wealth was created, and a monopolist set in which the goal was to create monopolies and crush opponents, was patented in 1904. The game was intended to demonstrate that the first set of rules was morally superior, yet it was the monopolist version that caught on.
When Parker Brothers started selling “Monopoly” in 1935, they marketed it with the inspiring story of how struggling salesman Charles Darrow created the game in his basement to support his family during the Depression. Darrow earned a patent for Monopoly in December 1935, and neither he nor Parker Brothers mentioned The Landlord’s Game. Thanks in part to a 1970s patent dispute between Parker Brothers and “Anti-Monopoly” game designer Ralph Anspach, the true origins of the world’s best-selling board game were unveiled again.
Check out one of our version of Monopoly at the Media Library.
Set amidst the first encounter of European and Native American cultures during the founding of the Jamestown Virginia settlement in 1607. Tell the classic tale of Pocahontas and her relationships with adventurer John Smith and aristocrat John Rolfe. This woman’s journey of love lost and found again takes her from the untouched beauty of the Virginia wilderness to the upper crust of English society as we witness the dawn of a new America.
Every year, the UNT Libraries are graced with numerous patrons and donors that drive our work in supporting the student community in more ways than we can count. Bi-weekly, here on Contribution Corner, we will acknowledge one patron by exploring a donated game or movie they have given.
This week, our game of choice is Tail Feathers from Plaid Hat Games.
Shadows whisper deep within the oaken roots of Nestlebrook. Wizards scry black wings from pinpoint drops of water. Silence scouts from the edges of Meanderfield. All voices ring with the same message, the Downwood Militia must take arm.
Tail Feathers takes place in the same world as the Plaid Hat hit Mice and Mystics. In this game, our mousy friends take wing, riding their starling and blue jay mounts, to fight the invading rat army and their allied rooks.
Unlike Mice and Mystics, which takes the form of a story driven co-op dungeon crawl RPG, Tail Feathers instead looks at tactical combat and incorporates an interesting flight mechanic into a skirmish battle game. Balancing speed and maneuverability as you manage your flying units, and disrupting this balance through tactical placement of ground forces is key. Combined, this new take on flight movement with incomplete information mission options creates deep strategic gameplay and interesting player interaction. Using familiar themes, characters, abilities, and components from Mice and Mystics, this game quite successfully integrates one genre into another.
We had an absolute blast playing this game. Each scenario from the provided scenario book created unique choices in how each player approached the game. Early on, our Downwood Militia player took some hard hits, allowing for the Vermin Raiders to obtain a bit of an edge. The added benefits of each game was minor though, and by scenario 3 the Downwood Militia gained a win through superior mission usage and action card selection. The final game was a tough one that lasted a bit longer than the estimated 60-90 minute time frame. Meticulous decisions were made, but in the end, the Downwood Militia was victorious.
In all, we would highly suggest Tail Feathers as a strong selection for a competitive two player game!
We would like to thank Plaid Hat Games for this great donation.
If you would like to give Tail Feathers a try, or another selection from Plaid Hat Games, they are 
