After their first big year and their registration as a foundation, we talked to Women+ in Magic about making the MTG space better for marginalised people, bringing men to speak out for the cause and what Wizards of the Coast and stores need to do to make game spaces welcoming.
This February, the grassroots organisation Women+ in Magic (WIM) celebrated their one-year anniversary in the Netherlands, after the initial drive sparked at MagicCon Amsterdam 2024 and subsequent organisation in 2025. Not only that, but WIM did also announce their official registration as a foundation at the same time, one year after its founding. In the course of the last year, WIM had already been a force in the Magic: The Gathering game space: Holding events with the largest European marketplace Cardmarket, for example, and being introducing their project at game stores around Central Europe.
One possible explanation is that many women prefer playing within their own trusted groups instead of attending larger events where the experience can feel unpredictable. That’s understandable, but it’s also a little sad: because the “Gathering” part of Magic: The Gathering is one of the things that makes the game so special. - Lize Korpershoek
Reason enough for us to talk to Lize Korpershoek, founder of WIM, about the drive behind the organisation: Why a foundation for women, trans people and gender-diverse players is needed in the Magic: The Gathering space, what other organisations as well as the company behind the game, Wizards of the Coast are doing for the diversity in the game community, and why it is important to celebrate successes and make marginalised people visible.
GamesMarkt: First of all, what is WIM, or Women+ in Magic?
Lize Korpershoek: WIM stands for Women+ in Magic. The “plus” is important, because we want the space to include women (both trans and cis), trans men, and gender-diverse players.
We started as a safe space, but pretty quickly we realized this wasn’t the solution. But it is a great starting point. Separating women+ from men doesn’t change the wider world.
