It really seems to be impossible that in well under a year, this group has more than doubled its size, in fact is nearly five times as big as when we first launched back in June. What started as a brain-child of Xbox.com's Trixie, after she'd attended the Microsoft's Women's Game Conference two years ago, festered for a little, before being put on the back-burner due to the necessity of launching the Xbox Ambassador's program.
But it was not to remain there. Trixie decided to bring her two co-conspirators, DirtyDiva (then Xbox MVP, now Xbox Community Manager and content provider for GamerScoreBlog.com) and myself, PMS Kitty, into the picture and we weren't just about to let the idea remain dormant for long. We recognized that admitting you're female on the xbox.com forums has sometimes meant you were met with harassment of all different kinds, and we agreed we wanted to create a place where all women would be able to come and join in on discussion, to find comfort in people in the same situation, frustration and unending support. We wanted a place where no matter what level your skill and interest, your dedication to a game or clan or console, you could find a laugh and a hug no matter what time of night.
Thus the GamerchiX program was born.
A private subsection in the xbox.com forums, an icon that would help each recognize others in the greater wide world of the forums, and the driven sense that we might just have a chance at making this work with no budget, no official support and no idea at all what might happen.
But happen it did.
We launched with 210 women who answered in force through a 54 page thread Trixie started in the forums, who were referred to us through email, through message, through pm by brothers, fathers, cousins, uncles. Anyone and everyone who thought they might know a gamer whom fit the criteria passed along the information on how to reach us at xmail@microsoft.com, subject line, XGX.
July and the beginning of August proved to see only a slow increase in interest, but as the Penny Arcade eXpo came around, Diva, myself and Trixie committed ourselves to booth duty to try and get the word out at the event, and it obviously worked, because halfway through September we celebrated our first major milestone of 500 members. The community was begging to sit up and notice a little group of women who weren't afraid to post on the forums, using the text colors of pink and purple…
Since then, we have only seen the numbers fly by.
At the close of November, we were sitting strong at 695, confident in what we'd started, and began to think, where do we go next? Trixie and Diva and myself began to throw around ideas of how we could mark, for ourselves the six months we'd put into the project, and the wonderful Chix women defiantly let us know they wanted, and were ready for more. The community at GamerTagRadio showed their support with a nomination for best Community/Team of the Year, including the still young GamerchiX community in amongst established groups such as the Frag Dolls community, and well recognized clans such as PMS, STR8 RIPPIN and KSI.
As we broke into December and seven hundred Chix, Diva, Trixie and myself decided that we were ready to permanently mark ourselves with our dedication to not only the group, but to continuing in the fight to support not only yourself but your fellow female in the gaming world. The Girl Gamer's Gift Guide, filled with suggestions for gamers and non-gaming ladies alike from the Chix, was met with laughter and not a few comments of thanks and relief from stressing gamers with significant others to satisfy. And the added exposure gifted us with the largest increase we've seen to date, with well over 200 hundred new Chix joining in and adding to the mayhem and the laughter.
While the last six months haven't been all sparkles and puppies, and some of the Chix have come and gone, the manifesto Trixie claims to have written in some backwoods cabin has proved to be sound of mind in numerous accounts.
A GamerChix does not talk trash about any other gamer – male or female.
A GamerChix has the right to have her opinion, but also to see that another has the same right to their's.
A GamerChix supports her fellow gamer.
After all, that's what this is all about. Support your fellow gamer, and more importantly, your fellow human being, and the world will a happier, healthier place.
Hope your Holidays were bright! Be safe and good gaming!