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| Veronica Ripley | |
|---|---|
 Nikatine at TwitchCon 2019 | |
| Born | (1990-11-22) November 22, 1990 (age 34) Monterey, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names |
|
| Occupation | |
| Years active | 2016-Present |
| Twitch information | |
| Channel | |
| Genres | |
| Games | |
| Website | nikatine |
Veronica Carmen Ripley (born November 22, 1990), better known by her online alias Nikatine, is an American streamer and Internet personality. She founded Transmission Gaming, a Discord community for transgender gamers, and currently owns tabletop game publisher Fablescraps.
In 2019, Ripley was inducted into the official Twitch Ambassador program.
Early life
Veronica Ripley was born on November 22, 1990, to a Latina mother and an American father. Born in the Monterey Bay area, she grew up attending theater classes and participating in community theater productions. As a child, Ripley often played Starcraft with her father. She persued a career in acting, working in casting for a few years, before leaving Hollywood and returning home around early 2013. It was during this time she began her gender transition. After graduating with a Bachelor's degree in Music from CSUMB, she began to play games professionally on the livestreaming platform Twitch.
Personal life
Ripley is transgender. She has cited video games as an escape and as a method of expression for her identity.
Career
Ripley began streaming with Overwatch's release in 2016. She quickly shifted focus toward simulation games such as Kerbal Space Program and Cities: Skylines, and eventually began streaming Grand Theft Auto roleplay. She also does "Just Chatting" streams, where she discusses politics.
In 2016, she founded Transmission Gaming, a community on the instant messaging Discord for transgender gamers to meet and play games together. It has since grown to include a 68 member group of Twitch streamers.
In addition to streaming, Ripley also owns the tabletop game publisher Fablescraps.
Activism
Ripley has been an outspoken critic of Twitch's content tag system, calling for the creation of a transgender tag. According to TechRadar, Ripley was quoted as saying: "I hear this argument a lot, that trans doesn't deserve to be a tag because tags are reserved for content not for identity. But I would posit to you that if I had a podcast, and my podcast was focused on trans issues, wouldn't that make it trans content?" To circumvent this issue, she encouraged other transgender streamers to use a keycap making tag, in an attempt to create a safe space. In May 2021, Twitch introduced the "Trans" tag.
Ripley has done several charity streams, both independently and with Transmission Gaming, raising thousands of dollars for LGBTQ charities.
References
- @NikatinePrime (2020-10-03). "Hi my name is Veronica Carmen Ripley bc my initials used to be 'TV' and now they're 'VCR', which is funny to like 3 people including myself" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Sams, Brandon. "How Nikatine Became a Voice for Trans People on Twitch". Lifewire. Archived from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ Abraham, Kera (2015-02-12). "Civil rights activist answers these questions so other transpeople don't have to". Monterey County Weekly. Archived from the original on May 5, 2024. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
- ^ Leon, Pauline De (2020-08-03). "LGBTQ+ Gamers on the Need for Proper Representation in Today's Gaming World". Hypebae. Archived from the original on August 27, 2020. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
- Nightingale, Ed (17 September 2020). "Streamer Spotlight: Nikatine". Gayming Magazine. Archived from the original on November 4, 2020. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- Small, Zachary (27 December 2023). "Video Games Let Them Choose a Role. Their Transgender Identities Flourished". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 27, 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
Ripley founded Transmission Gaming in 2016 after experiences with online bullies who mocked her voice; almost 2,500 members belong to its Discord channel, where players can meet and organize tournaments.
- Girdwood, Andrew (27 July 2023). "Issliss is an RPG set a thousand years after humanity invaded a land of monsters and lost". Geek Native. Archived from the original on July 30, 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- Nightingale, Ed (2020-06-23). "Pride Week: LGBT+ streamers and the importance of communities". Eurogamer.net. Archived from the original on January 30, 2023. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
- Castello, Jay (2020-08-25). "Trans streamers need better discoverability on Twitch". Polygon. Archived from the original on August 25, 2020. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
- Nightingale, Ed (2021-01-18). "Twitch LGBTQIA+ tags: do they work?". TechRadar. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
- Nightingale, Ed (10 July 2021). "Trans streamers share how Twitch's new identity tags have helped them: 'They do a world of good'". PinkNews. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- Faber, Tom (24 April 2021). "'In the game, I knew myself as Hannah': the trans gamers finding freedom on Roblox". The Guardian. Archived from the original on April 24, 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2024.