On International Women’s Day, we celebrate the achievements, creativity, and leadership of women around the world. While gaming has long been seen as a male-dominated space, women are an increasingly visible and active part of the communities that shape the games we play.
In Ingress, Resistance women are part of that effort every day. They organise events, coordinate operations, create artwork, tell stories from the field, and build the communities that keep the game alive.
To mark the day, we spoke with nine women across the Resistance, each with their own story about how they became part of the community and what keeps them returning to the scanner.
Here are their stories.
Community Leader: TrishCZ (🇬🇧 🇨🇿 UK & Czech Republic)
What motivates you to bring people together in the Resistance community?
“Answers can be short” she said – you’ve met me, right? This is a briliant and very important question that deserves a proper answer, so bear with me here please 🧸. We live in a complicated world that’s becoming ever more difficult to navigate. I was lucky enough to live part of my life in a time & place where diversity and kindness was and still is celebrated and I quickly learnt one thing – this is the environment I want to help to build in a “game” that occupies such a big space in my life. So when I moved to the UK and we decided to built UKRES, in order to connect the fractured local communities, we made sure the door is open as wide as possible and that whole admin team (LINK – cause we are here to connect 💙) realises we have a duty of care. We are here to offer a platform people can share their (not only) ingress joys and pains, not to run a secret cabal (well besides that one time when Machina took over our @EVlEBot).
What’s a moment in the community that made you especially proud?
Seeing anomalies I was involved in succeed, people being happy with their swag, enjoying themselves in a pub you chose for them, making new friendships… That’s a massive energy boost and source of joy for me, and I’m looking forward to that again in Prague! (Join the hype chat!). Same for the community events – shambles, camps, BBQs – seeing people happy is big… What was the best moment for me though was when I realised, I’m no longer necessary. When good decisions were made without me when I was on holidays. When fun events were organised and UKRES was used as a platform to herd the cats and I didn’t have to be in an orga team. Not that I don’t enjoy it, but I cannot be everywhere, every time and the fact that I don’t have to because I helped build something that makes all of this possible, is the ultimate legacy that I’m the most proud of. Oh and also seeing other anomaly sites taking inspiration from creative decisions we made for UKRES anomalies is pretty cool too 🌈🐓
Lore Enthusiast: CataCat (🇨🇱 Chile)
How did you first get hooked on the story behind the game?
The guy who recruited me into ingress was a table-top RPG player… So he actually got me into ingress through the lore. He explained to me the fact about XM and the factions and their different goals and takes on XM and told me about the XM researchers and all. So, you could say, I was always into the lore, because that’s how I was brought in all the way back in 2014.
What part of Ingress lore fascinates you?
I love how the Lore of the game tries to make you feel like a real field agents for your faction. How supposely the game is a leaked experiment and you are aiding your faction’s goals by interacting with XM in the game. It’s pretty clever. It’s pretty dark too. In a way, you can be a “willing” agent if you “know” the lore and what’s going on, or an “unwilling” agent if you think this is “just a game”. I think it gives a lot of possibilities for immersion and role-playing, especially if you meet other people who are also playing the “willing agent” angle or if you ever get to interact with the actors.
I’m from Chile. So for me interacting with the ingress “characters” was a distant dream. Until I had the chance to travel for the second Camp Navarro experience, and there most actors stayed in character all the time, so you could actually had crazy conversations about XM as if you were a “fellow scientist/researcher” at any point and that just blew my mind!
GORUCK Titan: Wolfyone (🇺🇸 USA)
What do you enjoy most about participating in GORUCK events?
The people and shared experience of the event are what I love. There seems to be something about the people who ruck a level of comradery not found in many other places. When you are rucking nothing else maters and everyone is looking out for the people to their left and their right. We all bring different strengths, physical, mental, emotional, leadership, and they all combine to form a cohesive unit.
What’s one GORUCK moment you’ll never forget?
One of the many GORUCK moments I will never forget is winning the last portal standing challenge in Providence at the end of Stealth. After a grueling night of rucking up hills and challenges, we went into the final challenge of the night tied at 2:2 on challenges. Cadre announced the last challenge would be Last Portal Standing where you have to hold your ruck (20+ lbs) over your head. I didnt have any faith in my ability to win it as I had never been successful at holding my ruck up for an extended time. The challenge started and everyone looked strong and then people started to drop on both sides. Next thing I knew my whole team was down and I’m still holding. The guy across from me (ENL) was holding but struggling. You could tell he didn’t want to lose it for their team. My teammates cheered me on which eased the pain some. I just kept thinking its 2:2 I can’t let my team down and at this point I am the only one left. I dug deep determined to leave nothing on the table, finally the ENL agent dropped and I turned to Cadre and my team lead to confirm we were good before letting my ruck fall to the ground. I had finally been able to do something I had always wanted to be able to do but could never achieve. It also gave me fond memories of an agent no longer with us who got me started rucking and had faith in me while I couldn’t have it in myself.
Swag Collector: YeIIowFirestar (🇳🇱 The Netherlands)
What’s your favorite piece of Ingress swag you’ve collected and why?
To me, collecting swag is about collecting memories. So it’s hard to select one favorite, since all memories are awesome and unique in their own way. The Munich swag is special because that was my first anomaly, some swag I treasure because it was given to me by special people and other swag just looks totally awesome.
I love my Pietermaritzburg swag because it was the first anomaly for which I designed a logo. Unfortunately I didn’t attend the anomaly, but being part of this special anomaly through the orga chat was a unique and lovely experience.
What makes Ingress swag special to you?
Swag connects people. Trading swag is an easy way to meet new people and it’s a great conversation starter. To just start talking to someone I don’t know that well is not something that comes naturally to me, so handing out biocards, stickers and other goodies helps me with that.
The international swag community is an amazing group of people from both Resistance and Enlightened and I always enjoy meeting them during anomaly weekends.
Anomaly POC: Godstar0 (🇨🇭 Switzerland)
What inspired you to step into the role of anomaly POC?
I’ve done community and organization work in the past, and I’m usually someone who prefers to stay calm and work in the background. I wouldn’t say leadership necessarily comes naturally to me, but you grow with the responsibilities you take on. Being POC is a bit like herding cats. One person wants to go right, another wants to go left, and somehow you have to get everyone moving in the same direction while still keeping an eye on the ones who might fall behind. Like most agents, I’ve always wanted an Anomaly close to home, and Geneva, as the birthplace of Ingress, has really earned one after all this time. I was really excited when Niantic announced the site, and I wanted to help make it a memorable and fun experience for everyone visiting, and of course win it.
What’s the most rewarding or fun part of helping create these events?
Needless to say the event itself with all the virtual interactions between the faction players is great fun, but in my experience the most fun part is always when the event is nearly over and you meet old and new friends at the party. Everyone is talking about their day, you see all these awesome pictures and hear about their personal little adventures. Then you know that your hard work has paid off!
What are you hoping agents will experience when they come to Geneva?
Good weather, a really nice and fun virtual battle in a very interesting town with great mountain views and a wonderful afterparty. Maybe some brave ones might even go for a dip in the very cold Lake Geneva – and of course lots of very good chocolate and if all goes to plan, a Resistance win! (Join the Geneva Hype chat if you’re interested to learn more about this place!)
BAF Fielder: Nyxx66 (🇺🇸 USA)
What do you love most about building large fields?
I would have to say for one I get to travel . I explore small towns, farming communities and mountain villages known for its beautiful scenery and skiing. I also love to offer any agents in my home cell the chance to achieve their onyx illuminator medal, and so far I have helped 2 get onyx and another agent currently platinum!
Lastly I get to work on separate goals of my own.
It’s how I keep my own relationship with MU spicy. After hitting the goal of 10 billion you’d think one would field less, but last year I wanted to be one of the first agents in the US to solo 1 billion in MU. Which on it own in the US it’s almost impossible without additional agents aiding. I give credit to all my mentors who supported me over the years. I don’t think I would’ve been driven to achieve what I have without their friendship and guidance.
What’s the most memorable field operation you’ve been part of?
I feel that I don’t have just one most memorable. Some it was about the location I was in like fielding in Iceland. Others it was about connections built with other agents from the US, Canada and India. Of course the MU! The Ingress miracle happened when machina cleared over the city of Chennai India while I was there and I was blessed to be hanging out with a local agent.
Over the next 10 days I fielded just over 6 billion in MU and fielded with an agent who I’d never met before who now I consider a friend.
I’ve been blessed being able to be involved with so many others. Like fielding over Montreal Canada, Dallas TX , Boston MA , Reykjavik Iceland and Chennai India.
Strategist and Intel Operator: ChiisaiKuma (🇳🇱 The Netherlands)
What do you enjoy most about working on the intel side of an op or anomaly?
I see planning and preparing an op or an anomaly as a giant puzzle. You’re working with so many different elements that need to come together into some sort of unified force for a successful execution. What I truly enjoy is piecing that puzzle together and the complexity of it. I am dealing with ‘soft’ elements, like who agents are, their skills, needs, possibilities, their faith in the intel operator, or their specific behavior. At the same time there are the ‘hard’, and in some cases mathematical elements, like objectives, points, limitations within the game or the rule set, the portal network, the landscape or accessibility and so on. And this all happening within the context of trying to analyze and predict the actions of the opponent. Using my brain full to bring all of this together to ensure that the execution is as good as it can possibly be, and helping others to learn this too, is what I absolutely love about the intel part of any RES action.
What’s the most memorable moment you’ve experienced as an intel operator?
I probably have thousands of memories of shards, anomalies, longest links, fields, sea defenses, global challenges or linkstars, but truthfully, although everyone is unique some of them have blurred together over the years. What hasn’t become a blur, however, is the feeling behind it all.
That’s where the truly memorable moments are and what I consider the real magic of Ingress: the community. Seeing a group of agents come together to make the impossible happen. The drive, the creativity, and the insane effort that agents are willing to put in to do exactly the right thing for the Resistance at that one moment. And above all, the sense of Resistance camaraderie, regardless of a win or a loss. This is what stays with me and what makes memorable moments for me. This is what makes Ingress way more than just a game for me.
RGNN Reporter: meronpanda (🇯🇵 Japan)
What do you enjoy about telling the stories of agents or the community?
Writing about agents and the community is also a way for me to show my appreciation. Behind anomalies and events, there are many people quietly supporting the community.
People engage with Ingress in different ways, and every agent has their own story. I find it rewarding to shine a light on agents who usually stay behind the scenes and recognize the efforts of those who contribute so much to the community.
I’ve learned so much from my fellow RGNN members. Their curiosity, kindness, and dedication to the community have inspired me. I’m very grateful for that.
What story from the Ingress community has stuck with you the most?
Rather than one specific moment, what has stayed with me most are the times when we planned operations or events together and successfully carried them out as a team.
The Ingress community brings together people from many different backgrounds. Everyone contributes their own knowledge and experience, and we work together toward a shared goal. Moments when all those ideas come together and the plan succeeds are especially memorable for me.
I also think initiatives like IWWC and Hackvent are wonderful examples of agent-driven projects. They grow naturally from the community and give agents around the world something to enjoy together. They inspire me as well, and I’m always thinking about ideas that might help create something fun for the community.
Graphic Designer: Katvinci (🇦🇷 Argentina)
What inspires you when creating designs for the Resistance community?
Most of what I design is anomaly branding and swag, so the host city is always a big part of the inspiration. I aim for each event to have a unique identity that blends elements from the city’s architecture, history, or art, sometimes layered with Ingress vibes and lore, or relevant design styles. I do my own research to find things that can spark a theme, and sometimes orga already have interesting ideas to build from. Local mythology is a great source too: Dragon myths in Mallorca, or the story of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Other times it’s about taking something representative of the city or its RES community and elevating it in a fictional way, like some of the mascots: Chicago’s Volt, or São Paulo’s Sussu.
What’s your favorite design you’ve made?
Honestly, it’s hard to choose. I have favorites for very different reasons! But for designs in general, Seattle and Cambridge stand out for me. For both I had genuine creative freedom and enough time to explore ideas properly, which made space for innovation not just in visual design but in swag items and experiences for the community to participate in.
