Lena Chen MFA ’22 with collaborator Maggie Oates are among the recipients of the 2022 Mozilla Creative Media Awards for their project “OnlyBans.” The 10 winning projects, which together will receive $250,000 in funding, were selected by a panel of 12 judges who are artists, engineers, activists, Mozilla staff, and past Mozilla Fellows and Creative Media Award winners.

“OnlyBans” is a browser-based game about social media censorship and digital discrimination against the sex worker community, made by the sex worker community and allies. Players attempt to establish an online fanbase and earn money through posting sexy images. Along the way, they confront content moderation algorithms, shadow-banning, and other threats based on actual experiences of sex workers. Players also encounter the richness of the sex worker community, meeting peers who offer tips for avoiding stalking and mitigating platform data extraction.

Mozilla announcement