Posted on 06/03/2012 8:49:51 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
The world of video gaming has a problem with sexual harassment. The number of women gamers is growing fast - in the US they now make up 42% of the total - but it remains a macho environment, where women are often exposed to abusive language. (The language in this report reflects that reality.)
"Get back in the kitchen and take your goddamn hands off a video game controller."
The male voices are aggressive, even angry. Their put-downs are laced with strong swearing and sexual insults.
"Stupid bitch," says one. "Fat whore," adds another.
"I hope your boyfriend beats you. Nah, you can't get a boyfriend."
The tirade of abuse ends and Jenny Haniver laughs.
"Get back in the kitchen?" she says. "I'm not in the kitchen because I'm here kicking your ass on video games, that's what I'm good at."
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
Take that away, and what's the point?
Oh look...another news article painting men as pigs. Good thing the BBC is not sexist.
I can get pretty... aggressive when it comes to gaming.
They should come with warnings of crude language, and maybe game spaces would sell in which the crudest conversation would be verboten, but still. You’re right, the point IS to be unreal, and how do you know that gal is a gal or that guy is a guy? On the internet, nobody knows you’re a dog (or a cat).
Many years ago a friend and I use to pretend we were female players online (it was Quake then) just to torture the other players when we crushed them...
This article really irks me, as a female gamer. I can dish whatever I get and if someones feelings are “hurt” they shouldn’t play games where they interact with people. If I gotta listen to a few bad words so be it. The day that I have to deal with the “speech police” on video games, is the day I stop playing.
And the problem is?
It's not reality. You play it to release your aggressions so you don't release them in the real world.
No matter how "aggressive" you get, the worst damage you could do is hurt some little %*&^%*^ ^%#@& ^(*%&%$'s feelings.
I wonder if the writer bothered to look at what is said to male participants? I do not play online games, but I suspect there is much banter and trash talking back and forth. It is a sign of equality not sexism when women players are treated the same.
In the pseudonymity of the iternet, who’s a “he” and who’s a “she” and who’s a “he-she”?
Does anyone really give a she-it?
...it remains a macho environment, where women are often exposed to abusive language...Too bad about that gun to their heads, eh?
/bingo
People complain when I yell at my own team for being terrible. I tell them, “What’s wrong with me expecting everybody to know what to do?”
I played Knights Online for a minute with a female character. You wouldnt believe how many teen boys from Turkey wanted to give me armor and gold.
I would think that a conservative parent would want his/her children to treat others with respect-—someone who consistently treats others with respect online is someone who displays a great deal of character.
Showing a lack of character while hiding behind the cloak of anonymity is certainly the right of those—male or female-—who engage in that behavior.
But it reflects on them, and not positively so.
Whether men or women, we should treat each other with equal dignity and respect.
My wife plays, and I’ve used her login a few times. My impression is that guys usually treat girls like princesses in these games.
I play Wizard 101 and it can be brutal even being a “Family” game, especially in the PvP arena.
I have two accounts and run them at the same time. I have both male and females and I can see a difference in how they are treated. I have had my girls yelled at for attacking instead of letting some boy get the kill. Sorry if I have an attack up I’m going to play the card. And no my Life isn’t just there to heal, I do have attack cards and know how to use them.
I’m sure that the majority do, however, those who do not (whether men or women) reveal their own true character when they do not.
I’ve never run into abuse of female gamers in my experience mentioned in this article and I’ve been online gaming for 10 years with voice chat.
Even playing Warcraft using private voice servers the problems are never in game voice channels where an audience will overhear you. The problem becomes private messages in game where one guy starts asking really detailed personal information, wants email addresses and starts an in game stalking of someone. That I’ve seen more than once.
In game sexist trash talking? Haven’t heard it. However I agree, it is definitely equality when a guy has to trash talk you because you’re kicking his ass and he’s trying to get in your head.
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