Meet the creator: PikaChulita

Equality champion Katie “PikaChulita” Robinson creates diversity-focused and charity-driven content on Twitch. She’s all about fostering fun, supportive spaces for marginalized people, with a focus on those who are Black, Brown, and LGTBQ+. In celebration of International Women’s Day, Robinson shares her journey so far, her ambitions, and a handful of her favorite femme fables on Play.

Robinson: When I first discovered Twitch, I thought, “wow, this is pretty cool; people just sit and watch you play video games. I’m pretty entertaining, and I love games, so maybe I could do that, too.” My first stream back in 2014 was inFamous: Second Son, and I loved it. The people I’ve met and the community I’ve built is hands down what I love most.

I’m a gamer and a streamer, but foremost, I’m a Black woman - both at once, not one before the other! Historically, the gaming space has had a white male status quo, but there’s so many Black women in this space, more than many people realize. We want to see ourselves represented in the games we love, we want to help create these games we love, and we’ve got a lot of work to do to make that happen.

It’s a dream of mine to work with huge game companies like Nintendo and Sony since they played such a huge part in cultivating my love for gaming. I’d love to do consulting work for diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives at game development studios, and I’d also love to make gaming more accessible for lower income communities of color. I want to help our kids.

As cheesy as it sounds, I treat almost every day like International Women’s Day. I always try to celebrate the amazing women in my life, my peers, and the women who are making an impact, especially Black, Brown, disabled, and non-cishet women. But I do feel an extra strong sense of sisterhood on IWD. I’m planning to have a glass of wine and a ladies’ gaming night.

Once Upon a Tower is a simple indie roguelike with adorable art. You play as a princess who, instead of waiting for a knight in shining armor to rescue her from the dragon’s keep, takes matters into her own hands. You can unlock a diverse assortment of princesses, too!

Forgotton Anne was a pleasant surprise whose anime art style caught my eye right away. The controls are initially challenging, but once you pass the learning curve, you’re in for a uniquely-written, cinematic puzzle-platformer.

A game that tugged at my heart strings, this is one of my favorite mobile games ever. You play as a Japanese trans woman who gets invited to a hot spring by her best friend. It’s short, but its multiple endings offer a candid view of the struggles faced by trans/gender-diverse people.

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