Misogyny: Game Over

The gaming industry has long been known as a male dominated industry in which bro culture has reigned supreme.

But as gaming continues to increase in popularity, the industry is confronting a crisis of its own making, in which video games are not representative of the population; and online gaming platforms are a toxic cesspool of rampant misogyny, extremism, racism, and homophobia.

In  order to fully understand the crisis the industry is confronting, we need to talk about the summer of 2014. In August 2014, the public was introduced to the sexist culture of gaming. This moment was dubbed #Gamergate- the prelude of the cultural wars and toxic online spaces we are seeing- where factions of gaming consumers launched coordinated attacks meant to intimidate women and LBTQIA journalists and developers under the dubious guise of journalistic ethics and the demand to make video games more inclusive of women.

Since then, it’s been gender non-conforming and women gamers who are bearing the brunt of online gaming spaces becoming riddled with toxicity , despite making up nearly half of the industry’s customer base, due to the  inaction of many gaming companies. In fact, at least 77% of women gamers experience gender-specific discrimination or harassment while gaming, and more than half of online gamers have encountered extremist statements in games that featured multiple players during the past year. 

It is because of the industry’s collective inaction that has forced many women and gender-nonconforming players to mute themselves throughout any multiplayer gameplay – robbing them of the ability to fully enjoy their gameplay experiences simply because of their gender. Beyond robbing nearly 50% of their customer base of their ability to fully participate in a gaming experience, most companies are failing systematically to protect gamers who do report the abuse they witnessed or were subjected to by failing to hold repeated offenders accountable for the harm they are causing. 

But toxic online gaming experiences are just the beginning. Gaming has progressed to video-streaming platforms like Kick and Rumble,  a far-right streaming platform that is a hotbed for misogyny and racism. Today, right-wing extremist groups continue to promote hate-based rhetoric, network with potential sympathizers, and mobilize their misogyny into violence. 

Ultimately, the burden should not be on women and gender non-conforming gamers to take individual steps to protect themselves from constant harassment. Instead, the onus should be on gaming companies and Big Tech to recognize and take steps to address the ways in which  their products are being used to radicalize young men and further fuel the hatred of women.