Vancouver-based company Paida has announced the beta launch of its online gaming portal. Designed to empower women and allies of all genders, Paida seeks to deliver a secure and inclusive environment for players.
Starting now, anyone can create an account via Paida’s website and take the “Paida Pledge”. This is in place to denounce online harassment, abuse, and will also encourage players to sign up for a subscription membership. Currently, the company is offering a 60-free trial in order to get a feel of what the proprietary gaming portal offers.
Paida is committed to providing additional perks to members outside of providing an inclusive environment. Members will be able to access an “impressive library of games” that can be used to host and play in tournaments.
Original content including on-demand classes, written editorials, podcasts, and audiobooks will also be available. This will include a free podcast hosted by Audrey Adair dubbed ‘The Move Makers Podcast.’ It will be available on iTunes and Spotify and will feature interviews with women in the games industry. Season one features six episodes, one of which will include Stephanie “missharvey” Harvey, which is available today. Jeannail “CuddleCore” Carter and Kelsey “KelseyDangerous” Impicciche are also official ambassadors, alongside Harvey.
Plus, members will have access to new and affordable technology thanks to Paida partners Xbox Canada and Razer. Both Xbox Canada and Razer have joined as founding partners. Members will be given access to various titles from the Xbox Game Pass library as well as “collaborative content”. Prizes and giveaways will be hosted by Razer, including Razer Gold, Peripherals, and Paida-themes Razer Custom Laptop skins.
“At Xbox Canada, we believe that gaming is for everyone. It should be inclusive and accessible to all. Paida shares these same values, which is why this collaboration is such a natural fit,” said Christina Verdurmen, integrated Marketing Communications Lead at Xbox Canada.
Women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and people of colour have often found themselves the target of harassment within the gaming industry. Paida’s platform provides a safe space where a budding community can support and play games with one another without being excluded or harassed. Paida is also providing valuable learning material to better educate the community, which ideally could be used outside of the gaming portal.
A Paida subscription costs $9.99 USD (roughly $12.50 CAD) per month.
Image credit: Paida