As lead critic at Girls on Games, Catherine Ashley has spent nearly a decade examining how interactive media shapes contemporary storytelling. Her work blends technical analysis with cultural commentary, particularly focused on:
Effective outreach to Ashley should emphasize:
Recent recognition includes invitations to keynote at the Digital Storytelling Symposium and consultation work for the Canadian Media Fund’s interactive division.
We’ve followed Catherine Ashley’s evolution from a sharp-eyed game critic to a respected voice analyzing the intersection of gaming and broader media trends. Her career began with detailed game reviews for Girls on Games, where she quickly stood out for her ability to dissect narrative innovation and technical execution. Over time, she expanded into event coverage and transmedia analysis, positioning herself as a bridge between gaming subcultures and mainstream media discourse.
In this 2016 analysis, Ashley dissected Remedy Entertainment’s ambitious attempt to merge live-action episodes with gameplay. She praised the studio’s willingness to experiment with hybrid storytelling but critiqued uneven pacing and underdeveloped character arcs. Her review highlighted how the game’s attempt to blend TV and interactivity foreshadowed broader industry trends, later seen in projects like Netflix’s Bandersnatch. The article remains a touchstone for discussions about episodic gaming formats.
Ashley’s 2016 event coverage demonstrated her knack for contextualizing marketing spectacles within gaming culture. She documented Ubisoft’s prehistoric-themed launch party while analyzing how such events create player anticipation. Her observations about the tension between artistic vision and commercial promotion influenced later academic studies of game marketing strategies.
In this 2024 profile, Ashley reflected on her career evolution and advocacy for more nuanced gaming journalism. She discussed the challenges of covering an industry where fandom often collides with critical analysis, stating:
"Our responsibility isn’t to cheerlead or condemn, but to help players understand how these creations mirror and shape our cultural moment."
Ashley consistently highlights experimental storytelling formats, making her receptive to pitches about indie developers pushing narrative boundaries. Her Quantum Break analysis shows particular interest in temporal manipulation and meta-commentary. A successful pitch might involve a studio using AI to create dynamic dialogue trees that adapt to player morality systems.
With her detailed coverage of the Far Cry Primal launch, Ashley values pitches exploring how live events shape community engagement. PR professionals should highlight unique audience interaction elements or historical themes in event design, rather than just celebrity appearances or technical specs.
While not her primary beat, Ashley’s CanvasRebel interview reveals growing interest in gender dynamics. Effective pitches would focus on female-led studios innovating in gameplay mechanics rather than generic "women in tech" stories.
Her Quantum Break critique establishes Ashley as a thoughtful analyst of cross-platform storytelling. Pitches should emphasize original IPs bridging games, comics, and streaming content with cohesive lore.
Though she hasn’t covered this extensively, Ashley’s focus on cultural impact makes her likely to engage with pitches about VR’s psychological effects or privacy concerns in metaverse platforms.
While formal awards aren’t documented in available sources, Ashley’s work has achieved significant industry recognition:
At PressContact, we aim to help you discover the most relevant journalists for your PR efforts. If you're looking to pitch to more journalists who write on Gaming, here are some other real estate journalist profiles you may find relevant:
