Assignment 1

 

 

 

Title:

Conference Paper

 

 

Name:	Elijah Appadoo
Student Number:	20807647
Unit Name:	Social Media, Communities and Networks
Email Address:	20807647@student.curtin.edu.au
Date Submitted:	09/04/23
Word Count:	[1925]
URL (if applicable):

 

 

 

 

 

I declare that I have retained a copy of this assignment. I have read and understood Curtin University policies on Plagiarism and Copyright and declare that this assignment complies with these policies. I declare that this assignment is my own work and has not been submitted previously in any form for assessment.

 

 

1. Appadoo

 

(Date/Signature)

(Typing your name in the space provided is sufficient when
submitting online via FLECS-Blackboard.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Conference Stream: Identity and Online Advocacy

 

Title: Investigating the misogyny faced by the Gamer Girls of Gen Z

 

Abstract: Gaming has become a widespread hobby, enthusiasts around the world have been able to make new acquaintances, deepen enduring connections, and meet new people. However, some users are permeating this platform with negativity, especially towards female presenting participants. This conference paper will explore the misogyny faced by women in gaming, from the casual player to the experienced streamer.

 

Video games have been proven to enhance one’s ability to interact with others, deal with stress, and overcome anxiety. Unfortunately, a lot of bad actors in the community do not share the same opinion, spewing hateful ideologies and discouraging women to partake in the video game sphere. The purpose of this conference paper is to highlight the degrading stigmas and persistent problems faced by feminine presenting individuals in gaming, from casual gamers to industry professionals. However, before delving into the research, it is important for me to point out that this essay is being written from my own perspective of a cisgender male. My experience with gaming has not been the same as other people and my claims will be based on research rather than my own experience.

 

The first part of this conference paper will focus on the negativity experienced by the average female gamer, that is, those who consider video games as a hobby and passion or someone who has a casual interest in gaming. Research shows that the gaming community’s predominance of the stereotype of a male gamer causes female gamers to frequently battle with their self-image. Several female gamers adopt male avatars to get around issues with gender perception in games. Yet, encounters with prejudice or stigma from male gamers deter female players from identifying as gamers or from disclosing their gender in-game. (Kuss et al, 2022) Women gamers did report psychological discomfort and gaming-related mental health issues, such as “Gaming Disorder”. Female gamers’ usage of gaming as a coping strategy or form of escapism has been associated with excessive technology use and psychopathology. Pathological gaming is defined by excessive and obsessive gaming activity, which has detrimental effects on a person’s life in many other areas. (Kuss et al, 2022) It is clear that female presenting individuals would struggle to make connections and experience everything that gaming has to offer when most of the player base consists of male gamers, the lack of diversity in the industry as a whole prevents the average female gamer from thriving in a respectful and inclusive environment. Moreover, it has been shown that male players are represented more frequently than female players by 87%. (Cote, 2018) Since image and reality are mutually constitutive, this distorted representation can have a substantial influence on a person’s ability to view themselves as a gamer. Since gamers are exclusively or mostly portrayed as men, gamer identity must likewise be male. This might make it challenging for women to identify with this group; even those who regularly play video games may not consider themselves gamers or may feel alienated from the community. The general perception of what a gaming community ought to look like and who belongs in it can also be impacted by the overrepresentation of men in comparison to women. (Cote, 2018) For instance, important portions of Nintendo Power, a significant video game magazine released by Nintendo in the 1990s, were set aside for male-oriented games and visuals, limiting the contribution of girls to mostly fan areas. Another indication that Nintendo Power was mostly indifferent with female readers is the magazine’s high proportion of sexualized female characters. Female players may find it challenging to relate with female characters when they are sexualized, and this may have an impact on how they view themselves. (Cote, 2018) Just a tiny number of female characters appear in the magazine, and they are frequently depicted as sidekicks or as members of a group. The magazine also prominently displays male characters or celebrities on its cover. Furthermore, male authors outnumber female authors, and female authors seldom ever go outside of the Counselor’s Corner of the magazine. A lack of representation has an impact on identity and may make it challenging for girls to picture themselves as gamers or members of the gaming community. (Cote, 2018)

 

Due to video games’ status as a form of entertainment, the exclusion of women from the gaming community may appear unimportant; however, games are an essential part of popular culture, and their historical masculinization has social effects beyond simple audience makeup, contributing to the emergence of a misogynistic gaming culture. Another problem faced by casual female gamers is the “gamer girl” identity, especially those from Generation Z. A study argues that young women strive to redefine the boundaries of their identities as girl gamers while struggling to explain their proficiency and enjoyment in games that are frequently linked with violence and masculinity. (Catherine & Claire, 2007) Gen Z gamer girls were constrained and empowered by the binary idea of femininity and masculinity that defines the understandability of the “female” gamer. Young women contest essentialist depictions of gendered identities and create fresh avenues for gendered identity negotiation within the gaming community. (Catherine & Claire, 2007) These are only some of the many issues faced by female presenting individuals in the gaming sphere.

 

The second part of this conference paper will highlight the daily struggles of professional gamer girls who are currently pursuing a career through video games, whether be it through streaming content and entertaining an audience or participating in major tournaments to win cash prizes and obtain global renown. Streaming has been an essential part of the gaming industry, allowing people to enjoy a common hobby and interact with each other. Unfortunately, female streamers have experienced a lot of unjustified troubles on the internet. One piece of academic research focuses on how women streamers whose self-presentation is thought to be overly sexual are referred to with disparaging labels like “titty streamer” and “cam girl,” with the emphasis on breasts and attire being a distinguishing aspect. (Bonnie et al, 2019) According to the report, whether a woman is deemed a “titty streamer” depends on technical factors of live broadcasting, such as camera angles and layout. Throughout the piece, it is made clear how the gaming business supports gender inequality and the notion that only some kinds of gamers are deserving of success. (Bonnie et al, 2019) This information exposes one of the many misogynistic concepts currently prevalent in the gaming domain which wrongfully states that female presenting streamers can only achieve success through the use of looks rather than their own skillfulness at video games and entertaining personalities. In order to distinguish between live streamers who belong on Twitch and those who do not, terms like “cam girl” and “titty streamer” are used to disparage female streamers by linking them to the sex industry. (Bonnie et al, 2019) With users arguing that these streamers are not “genuine” and that their broadcasts are not “real” streams since they emphasize too much on their physique instead of playing video games, the vocabulary of “titty streamers” is used to define and enforce criteria of cultural validity. Some critics equate “good” women broadcasters with conservative attire and “bad” ones use their bodies to garner views, making breasts into indicators of illegitimacy.           (Bonnie et al, 2019) One would argue that these disheartening comments and wrongful assumptions discourage the young girls of Gen Z from striving to become streamers or to even be associated with video games to begin with. Additionally, the discourse around these women’s bodies is utilized to argue against their legitimacy, as women streamers are condemned for allegedly putting in less effort than men streamers yet earning more money. This expresses unhelpful attitudes around gender, sex, value, and employment. Unquestionably sexist, the phrase “titty streamer” reflects wider discriminatory views that prevent women from participating fully in gaming culture. (Bonnie et al, 2019) Even in a professional setting, female presenting individuals are not free from the distasteful labels imposed by sexist and hateful gamers. Although the depiction of female beauty in online games has long been a subject of debate, gender-based bias in the broadcasting of games is currently a significant and urgent issue. It can have serious repercussions for women, gay players, and players of color who want to engage in this cultural phenomenon since the default player is frequently presumed to be heterosexual, white, and male. For people who do not match the stereotypical “gamer” model, online harassment, which may turn into deadly and life-threatening attacks, is a serious issue. The feminist, antiracist, and LGBT rights groups are all targets of greater cultural hostility that have their roots in the gender politics of video game culture.

 

Another consequent issue affecting female presenting individuals in the professional gaming domain is the lack of representation in eSports. Women gamers are put in an extremely vulnerable situation as a result of the construction of masculinity in eSports, which has genuine and significant effects on women’s access to professional and recreational gaming venues. (Egil, 2022) Compared to male gamers, female gamers deal with different expectations, reactions, and comments from rivals. In eSports, women are typically viewed as a minority and regularly experience both general and sexual harassment from other competitors. Women players’ lower self-confidence relative to male players was one probable effect of a hostile societal environment against women. Women gamers may not be able to build their self-confidence due to issues like online abuse and harassment, which keeps them stuck in a harmful loop where they feel alienated from the gaming community and are dissuaded from participating in competitive play. (Egil, 2022) Moreover, female players in particular face significant obstacles and difficulties in building and retaining their brand and impact. To negotiate the male-dominated environment, they may use compensating signals to reaffirm their gender or hyperfeminine and masculine behaviors. There aren’t as many female players in eSports as there are male players, which has led to misconceptions that female presenting individuals are less skillful and can’t compete on a comparable level as male gamers owing to intrinsic gender differences. Because of the lack of gender diversification in the industry, people who do not match the mold of a standard eSports gamer sometimes find themselves in unfriendly circumstances. (Egil, 2022) Women gamers frequently lack networks of people to play with and have restricted access to communities where they may grow as players. Furthermore, the root reasons of sexual harassment in settings for competitive gaming are still unknown, it’s possible that males are using this behavior as a type of gatekeeping to protect their masculine territory. (Egil, 2022)

 

In conclusion, this conference paper has exposed the various struggles experienced by female presenting members of Generation Z in the gaming sphere. In a male-dominated environment, women who play video games casually were struggling with their identity as gamer girls since most of the community did not cater to them. Female presenting streamers and gaming professionals were subjected to sexist labels and imposed barriers regardless of their level of success. It is clear that there is a need to acknowledge these problems and work on solutions to turn the gaming community into a peaceful place where people can do what they love most: playing games with each other. As a cisgender male, I have rarely experienced these issues throughout my gaming journey, which is why I challenged myself to provide an accurate depiction and relevant information regarding this current situation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reference List:

 

Bonnie, R., Amanda, L. L. Cullen., & Kathryn, B. (2019). Nothing but a “titty streamer”: legitimacy, labor, and the debate over women’s breasts in video game live streaming. Critical Studies in Media Communication, 36(5), 466-481. DOI: 10.1080/15295036.2019.1658886

 

Catherine, B & Claire, C. (2007). Would the ‘real’ girl gamer please stand up? Gender, LAN cafés and the reformulation of the ‘girl’ gamer. Gender and Education, 19(6), 691-705. DOI: 10.1080/09540250701650615

 

Cote, A. C. (2018). Writing “Gamers”: The Gendered Construction of Gamer Identity in Nintendo Power (1994–1999). Games and Culture, 13(5), 479–503. https://doi.org/10.1177/1555412015624742

 

Egil, T. R. (2022). Gender in eSports research: a literature review. European Journal for Sport and Society, 19(3), 195-213. DOI: 10.1080/16138171.2021.1930941

 

Kuss, D. J., Kristensen, A. M., Williams, A. J., & Lopez-Fernandez, O. (2022). To Be or Not to Be a Female Gamer: A Qualitative Exploration of Female Gamer Identity. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031169

Downloadable Link: Appadoo_20807647_Conference Paper