Seven Network's screenPLAY
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CAREER
Stephanie Bendixsen is an Australian television presenter, partnered Twitch broadcaster and author. She is currently presenting and producing for Seven Network’s video game culture and esports show, screenPLAY.
Stephanie is well-known in the video game industry. In addition to her work as a presenter, she regularly live streams on Twitch, and has written a series of books for children: Pixel Raiders - published by Scholastic Australia. She's also very active on social media. |
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Bendixsen began her career in 2009 when she joined Good Game as its first full-time female presenter, after submitting her own written game reviews and screen testing for the role. It was, truly, a dream come true - as she’d been a long-time fan of the show and had longed to take her place in the reviewer’s chair.
Stephanie has since become a well known presence in the gaming industry, championing the positive representation of women in video games, as well as their place within the industry itself. Good Game eventually expanded its presence within the gaming community to public events and live stage shows: Good Game: Live - before the show's end in 2016. Bendixsen also regularly attended the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, providing Australian broadcast coverage of the event. A public profile has provided Bendixsen with a platform through which she can act as a strong and confident voice for women in the gaming community. She has spoken on a number of panels at various gaming events, discussing everything from opportunities for women in the industry – to the necessity of having strong, compelling female characters in games. She has also participated in writers’ festivals across the country with video game story writers and developers to discuss the process of building narrative in games. Stephanie also hosted Good Game's companion show for younger gamers: Good Game: Spawn Point - and was grateful to user her presence on the program to send a positive message you younger gamers both on TV and at events supporting young women in the industry. |
Broadcasting live on Twitch
ABCTV's Good Game
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Stephanie says, 'The kids that watch Spawn Point have never heard of the term ‘girl gamer’ – they all consider themselves simply ‘gamers’. We need to do everything we can to encourage that way of thinking, to make sure the next generation of women in tech have every opportunity to see that there is a place within the industry for them to succeed. That’s where change needs to happen.' She is always on the lookout for more opportunities to use her public profile to encourage young people to code and create, so that the culture of tech and gaming doesn’t continue to present the view that women may be excluded.
In 2015 Stephanie co-hosted season two of ABC3's My Great Big Adventure - a show for young people that tackles youth issues. In this series, Stephanie discussed topics such as self-esteem, mental health, prejudice and divorce with her co-hosts - as well as young people - in an effort to find the best ways to deal with these issues.
In 2016, Stephanie has also presented the program How To Be A Fan With Hex for ABC iView and ABCTV. This seven-episode series explored different cultures of fandom from sport to 'cosplay', placing her in some unusual situations. The aim of this program was to gain insight and understanding into what makes someone a fanatic of their chosen sub-culture or hobby, and how it enriches their life - which saw her meeting a whole host of colourful characters along the way.
Bendixsen is also a published author - with popular children's series Pixel Raiders published by Scholastic Australia flying off Australian bookshelves with over 100,000 copies in print. The series has recently also been published for sale in the USA and Canada, and has been translated in to French.
In addition to her passionate love of gaming, Stephanie has always been heavily immersed in all aspects of geek culture. She enjoys science fiction, fantasy, collecting swords and figurines and occasionally slinging arrows at her local archery club. She is also a dedicated servant to her two feline overlords, Gandalf and Merlin, and her new puppy Skadi.
In 2015 Stephanie co-hosted season two of ABC3's My Great Big Adventure - a show for young people that tackles youth issues. In this series, Stephanie discussed topics such as self-esteem, mental health, prejudice and divorce with her co-hosts - as well as young people - in an effort to find the best ways to deal with these issues.
In 2016, Stephanie has also presented the program How To Be A Fan With Hex for ABC iView and ABCTV. This seven-episode series explored different cultures of fandom from sport to 'cosplay', placing her in some unusual situations. The aim of this program was to gain insight and understanding into what makes someone a fanatic of their chosen sub-culture or hobby, and how it enriches their life - which saw her meeting a whole host of colourful characters along the way.
Bendixsen is also a published author - with popular children's series Pixel Raiders published by Scholastic Australia flying off Australian bookshelves with over 100,000 copies in print. The series has recently also been published for sale in the USA and Canada, and has been translated in to French.
In addition to her passionate love of gaming, Stephanie has always been heavily immersed in all aspects of geek culture. She enjoys science fiction, fantasy, collecting swords and figurines and occasionally slinging arrows at her local archery club. She is also a dedicated servant to her two feline overlords, Gandalf and Merlin, and her new puppy Skadi.
