It's 2019 and inequality is still a thing. Especially in the gaming community. From generalizations about a girl's gaming ability to straight insults. Girls have it rough when it comes to playing video games. Misconceptions surrounding girls that game are prevalent in the community. Personally, I have experienced multiple forms of harassment in the community including sexual harassment which is completely unacceptable. Part of this is due to the misconception of women being sexual objects or servants instead of being a human being. This leads to inappropriate comments on women sexually which can put many women off from gaming. After all, who would want to be in a community that treats them badly?
This is largely due to our society and how they view the activities that people participate in. Activities that require labor or "skills" are considered a boy thing and things that are simple or home-based activities are for girls. Activities do not have a specific gender. Either gender could do exceptionally well given equal opportunity. This is also the case in gaming. It is largely considered a guy thing to do but women can be just as good. There are many pro gamers that are girls in this day and age. Society just needs to see this and encourage the gaming community to become more accepting.
The view of "gamer girls" has become a negative stereotype. While it should just mean a girl that plays video games, it has a negative connotation due to the stereotypes played on it. People view "girl gamers" as fake gamers who only act like a gamer to get attention or to post pictures playing games. Often, I have heard girl gamers refer to themselves as a girl who games and not a "girl gamer" simply to try to avoid those stereotypes. The fact that women feel the need to explain themselves is an issue. Women should not be afraid to share what they are passionate about.
To get more perspective, I wanted to ask another member of the gaming community their experiences with sexism in gaming. I reached out to Skynyx who is a partnered streamer on Twitch. Partnered streamers are some of Twitch's top content creators. Skynyx streams a variety of games including Just Dance, League of Legends, and Apex.
1. What misinterpretations do you feel the gaming community makes about female gamers?
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"Misinterpretations: 1: All girl gamers are the same 2: We aren't good at video games (or aren't as good as the 'guys') 3. People only watch us because we're pretty/cute/sexy/have boobs. 4. That we only picked up gaming because its 'mainstream' now, many girl gamers have been gaming their entire lives. 5. We all play support and somehow that makes us 'less' than any male support main."
2. How do misinterpretations about female gamers affect you personally?
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"Misinterpretations listed above effect my stream. Plenty of trolls come in to hate, make fun, call me boosted or bad at the game, etc. I'm sure plenty of people won't even click on my stream because they see a girl and assume those things about me. Also, I can't prove this for sure, but I have been turned down for multiple sponsor opportunities because 'they want to work with gamers' whether that's a shot at my gender, or the fact that I do multiple kinds of content (not just gaming) I can't be sure."
3. Are there any ideas that you think could help combat sexism in the gaming community?
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"Ideas: It's easy to say but people just need to be open minded. Give female gamers a chance. Don't write us off as bad or 'less' because we were born with different parts than you. Watch a stream for a few minutes before drawing conclusions. Stop reading a book by its cover. Just because a girl is pretty/sexy doesn't mean that's all there is to her. I know some gorgeous gals who could kick most of my guy friends butts in games. Personally, I reached Diamond Elo in LoL while all my guy friends stayed hard stuck silver despite playing the game a year before I did. We might not be Shroud, but we can be just as good if not better than guys. Same goes for entertainment value, even if we suck it could be the most entertaining thing you'll see. There's more to gaming than just being good. I think sexism needs to be addressed earlier in life to truly change. Stop classifying games as a 'boy thing'. Stop classifying anything as a 'gender-specific activity'. If a guy wants to play with dolls let him, if a girl likes hot wheels who cares."
Skynyx is spot on when it comes to this issue and she is not the only one who feels this way. Women are becoming more open about gaming and more confident in themselves, but it still takes time. Society itself must take action and stop shaming people for things that they are passionate about. If someone is happy and it does not harm anyone, it should not matter to others what someone chooses to have as their hobby. We have to all work together and support fellow gamers/streamers no matter their gender. In the grand scheme of things, what does gender really have to do with anything anyway? Absolutely nothing.
Just remember, next time a guy tells you to "get back in the kitchen" or any other nasty comment while playing a video game, don't stoop to their level and remind him that girls can be just as good by winning.
You can check out Skynyx here.
