Hit all your enemies with tampons. If you run out of ammo, the game is over. The rules of Tampon Run are fairly simple. The first-person shooter is a hyperactive girl armed with a packet of tampons. Refills and a steady line of enemies await. Fire. Jump. Run. Yet, this story is different.
Tampon Run was developed by Andy Gonzales and Sophie Houser, two high school students in the U.S., as their final project for their course with Girls Who Code, an NGO that works towards bridging the gender gap in technology and engineering. “The programme was an incredible experience. The final project didn’t have many requirements, other than incorporating computer science. It could have been a mobile application, a research project, or an art/graphics project (in our case, a video game),” says Gonzales.
The idea of Tampon Run began as a joke but soon Gonzales and Houser realised that they could address a serious issue through the project. Gonzales was keen on making a video game and Houser wanted to use that game as a platform for social change. “I actually wanted to target the hyper-sexualisation of women in video games, which is also a prevalent issue. We were brainstorming, when Houser joked about making a game where you throw tampons. Although it was a joke, we realised that there really was an issue we could address,” says Andy.
The project was then approved by Girls Who Code, and has gained many supporters. “I remember when I told my mom our idea, she gave me a funny look and asked, ‘Are you sure that’s what you want to do?’ She has since become one of our biggest supporters,” adds Houser.
The game begins with an explanation of how menstruation is still a taboo in a world that has normalised violence in video games; that the game is important until a time when a tampon shooter game becomes normal. “The issue is pertinent because it teaches women that a normal and natural bodily function is shameful and wrong, something to be hidden. It teaches them to be embarrassed about a fundamental piece of their womanhood,” says Houser. The girls hope that Tampon Run will spark discussion about the taboo and, through discussion, combat it. “We also thought a game was a great medium to address the taboo because it allows the user to engage with the topic rather than just passively read about it.”
Houser and Gonzales had barely a week to complete the game (including the art and sound, apart from the code). “People were incredibly supportive! A little apprehensive at first, maybe, but open to the idea,” says Gonzales. “We worked on it for another week after the programme ended, polishing the game. And Girls Who Code has continued to help us in the past two months since we’ve released the game,” adds Houser. The girls plan to use Tampon Run to continue talking about menstruation and also use code to create discussion and social change.
To play, visit > the site .
