III: Unfair Games — Chapter 2

Summary

• The chapter centers on the debate about the gender of Ichigo, the main character of a video game developed by Dov, Sam, Sadie and Marx.
• Sam and Sadie initially chose not to assign a gender to Ichigo, but Dov insists it should be a boy to cater to the target audience of the game.
• Two companies offer to publish Ichigo: Cellar Door Games, which is comfortable with the character’s genderless identity, and Opus Interactive, a larger company that insists Ichigo is a boy.
• Despite preferring Cellar Door, and having issues with Opus' assumption that Sam was the lead programmer (which he wasn't), Sadie agrees to go with Opus as Sam has financial problems and sees potential in the Opus offer.
• Once Ichigo is confirmed as a boy, its identity becomes more mixed with Sam's. Despite sharing the development with Sadie, the public attributes the game to Sam, seeing him as the game's auteur.
• Sam embraces the attention and does most of the promotion for Ichigo, while Sadie stays behind, preferring to work on the game and complete her degree.
• Sam’s natural charisma and ability to engage with an audience shines through their joint promotion endeavors, which further enhances his public image and diminishes Sadie’s presence.