In celebration of women around the world, we speak to three Malaysians about how they conquered bias, stereotypes, and discrimination in their respective industries
How hard is it to break the bias? Is a world that's free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination a faraway dream? This year's International Women's Day (IWD) theme, #BreakTheBias, aims to uplift women around the world and empower them to stand up and speak up to break the bias in communities, schools, and workplaces to level the playing field.
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In reflection of this day, we speak to three Malaysian women—a film and TV producer and screenwriter, a photographer, and a gamer—about their challenges, changing archaic perceptions and steering the narrative to create a more positive change.
1. Wong Shu Faye, Influencer and Gamer
At 11 years old, Wong Shu Faye had her first taste of the gaming world when her classmates introduced her to MapleStory, a free-to-play, 2D, side-scrolling massively multiplayer online role-playing game. It was love at first sight and a game that'll forever hold a special place in my heart (and a tattooed spot on her arm).
"My classmates and I would play MapleStory after school. It required a lot of grinding and farming so I spent a lot of my afternoons behind the computer. I remember the grind got so bad that I fell asleep at the computer once while grinding and my character died in a pool of wraiths. And we only had one PC at home so I had to fight my brother every day to the point of crying or ruining each other's personal belonging," she reminisces. What about homework? "I would rush my homework in school, during breaks or free periods, so that I didn't have to worry about doing them at home!"
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Growing up a casual gamer, aside from MapleStory, Wong also played The Sims, Club Penguin, and the Xbox. Then, in college, she discovered Dota 2. "They say that Dota 2 isn't a beginner-friendly game because there are too many things to learn, but because my friends were already playing it, it was easier for me to pick it up. I then met more friends and began playing every day in a cybercafe until night came. Just as I did in primary school, I'd start my assignments earlier and complete them in small doses every day so that I'd have more time to play Dota 2. In fact, while others would study the night before an exam paper, I'd be playing games to relax," she shares.