As a female gamer, I would like to say to most of my male counterparts, LEAVE ME ALONE. Please and thank you.
Any girl who’s played video games has faced some twisted speculation from the minds of males and even other females sometimes. It’s absolutely not okay. Everyone has things they like to do and a right to do those things. With a term as ambiguous as “gamer girl” there somehow comes along an expectation in the gaming community that can make it really uncomfortable to do what we like. Below I have compiled a brief (but really frustrating list) of things female gamers go through while trying to destroy the enemy team and misogyny.
Being mistaken for a young boy…
And being undermined for it. You could make a solid strategy, but one turd bunny is going to go all macho and say, “I’m not taking advice from a little boy who hasn’t hit puberty,” like whether or not you work a nine to five job makes you play video games better. There are two ways the situation progresses from here. Either you correct him and tell him you’re a girl to which he may worship you or harass you (both are uncomfortable), or you pretend to be a young boy for fear of greater harassment as a female.
The oversexualized ideal of the gamer girl…
When being a “girl gamer” became a trend, you could find pics like this all over the internet. The idea that there is a “fake gamer girl” and a “real gamer girl” has only perpetuated the idea that females need to prove themselves to males. A similar scene can be found at comicons and anywhere there is typically geeky paraphernalia. Why do we have to prove we know our stuff? Why are we getting hazed for enjoying video games, comics, etc?
When people find out you’re a girl…
Old meme, same old issue. Letting fellow online gamers find out you’re a female usually brings about some hypersexualized misogynistic language and conversations. It’s a risk, but I have found a solid group of about eight people that don’t mention the fact that I’m a woman when we’re playing. They treat me like the other teammates, and that’s much appreciated.
Too many guys online either worship female gamers or degrade them with crude statements like ‘you belong in the kitchen’, ‘girls should play healers/support’, or ‘send nudes’. To all you Neanderthals, I’m telling you to crawl back into your cave. We don’t need you here and we won’t need you- ever.
Memes like this circulate for entertainment:
Haha… we will totally crush you in Overwatch and Six Siege… and we’ll maintain a huge farm. So what’s it to you jerk face?
Stupid things like this happen:
Like, seriously? Not only did you make rape seem as though it has light offense with light consequences, but you equated it to something that is totally different! A death in a game can be undone- you resurrect, respond, reset- these things can’t happen after a rape. Are you dumb? The fact that a woman wrote this is so painful I can feel my soul shriveling up.
All in all, I have to say this has all been a test. If you read through this and thought “this is relatable,” or “this has happened to me before,” you have been a victim of misogyny. If you read this and cringed, you are either a victim or a bystander who didn’t realize (or possibly didn’t care enough) about the problems women face in the online world. Call. Them. Out. If you read this and you identified some phrases as things you have said, done, or passively agreed with, you’re a misogynist and you need to stop.
In the end, a gamer is a gamer and if you can’t appreciate that, maybe you should look forward to your long life alone.