Abstract

This paper discusses the effects of toxic behaviour and discrimination towards female gamers in the online gaming community. Despite the positive aspects of online networking, online gaming is contributing to the continuation of outdated social standards and discourages social change. There are many factors that make the problem worse, one including the failure of the gaming industry and its inability to take responsibility for the toxic behaviour. This is shown through the lack of female game developers. This consistent exposure to toxic behaviour also has an impact on the mental health of female gamers, with symptoms including anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. Creating a lack of desire for women to play, making it more of a male dominated community. Additionally female gamers are underrepresented in video games and are portrayed negatively, furthering this mass divide between men and women in the industry. This results in an increase of toxic behaviour and reinforcement of societal ideals when it comes to women. There needs to be action taken to promote inclusivity and diversity to make all players feel safe in the online environment that they are in.

 

 

The formation of online networks has been possible due to the rapid evolution of modern technology, it enables society to connect and create communities from anywhere in the world. As a result of this, individuals have scattered themselves across various communities, whether that be online or offline, showing the capacity to belong to many. Although, despite the benefits of online networking, there have been some that are detrimental to society, particularly online gaming. Online gaming has established a large global community, but in doing this it has discouraged social change, whilst persisting in holding outdated social standards. Females are among one of the most targeted groups that are discriminated against in the ecosphere of gaming. Despite the awareness of toxic behaviours such as sexism, harassment, and bullying it is still well-known, it continues to exist. The gaming industry has failed to take responsibility and does not promote inclusivity, this is a reflection when looking at the lack of female representation among game developers. The absence of this representation contributes to the insufficient knowledge and understanding that a man could never comprehend. Men are the primary audience, disregarding any signs of inclusivity. In addition, online gaming allows users to remain anonymous, making it easier to target and victimise others. Users can hide their identity and harass others without consequences, and even when caught, they receive minimal punishment. The lack of real action and responsibility in addressing these issues worsens the problem. Another contributing factor is the plotline for most games, they create a subconscious idea that women are inferior, and men are the superior hero. The coupling of toxic behaviour in online gaming creates a harmful and hostile environment for female participants, along with the lack of inclusivity this has furthered negative connotations towards women and has become damaging to the mental health and well-being of female players.

 

The constant exposure to toxic behaviour can have a significant impact on the mental health of female gamers. It is not unusual for women to feel anxious, depressed, or have low self-esteem because of the constant negativity directed towards them within online gaming (Fishman, 2022). There are a lot of attempts to expose it from female online gamers that have a big following, but it is still current and deeply ingrained in the roots of gaming (Tu, 2023). Having gaming as a hobby is often associated with men, even toys about gaming is targeted towards men (Blackburn & Scharrer, 2019). This stems from stereotypes and societal expectations of a man and woman. Due to this it has transcended onto an online platform as technology has evolved. Society offline and on this virtual platform intertwine when it comes to social attitudes towards women, therefore women face a large amount of resistance when entering this male dominated world (Bryter, 2022). When women present themselves on gaming platforms they are often bullied and harassed though teasing, name calling, threating to cause harm among some (Yildirim et al., 2022). There is the other end where women are sexualised or face sexual harassment from men which can be uncomfortable, triggering and traumatising (Yildirim et al., 2022). Not only this but women can be insulted when they are made to feel incapable or stupid due to the comments of male players. This is just a small sliver of what women face daily. For many, gaming is a way to escape from the pressures of life, yet for women it becomes a place of discomfort and fear (Bryter, 2022). What is assumed a place to destress really is a war zone of verbal abuse and hassling. In a world that puts women down, online gaming continues to reinforce this standard. 1 in 5 women stop playing because of the toxic behaviour that is exerted in these environments (Bryter, 2022). Women tend to not report any of this due to inadequate process and lack of consequences against perpetrators (Bryter, 2022). This increase of women leaving the industry will essentially result in an increase of toxic behaviour and lack of inclusivity, as there is minimal effort for change (Bryter, 2022). Understandably it is hard to enjoy something when faced with emotional destruction. Online gaming continues to produce an environment that is unsafe for women and not a place of inclusivity.

 

Female gamers are underrepresented in video games and the gaming industry. There is a major lack of female characters in online games, and if they are they are shown in a way that is unfavourable (Brisot et al., 2019). When these figures are present, they are often portrayed in negative or stereotypical ways, reinforcing gender norms, and making them more vulnerable to toxic behaviours from other gamers (Brisot et al., 2019). Women are regularly hypersexualised or are portrayed as the ‘damsel in distress,’ this is present in even the most popular games (Downs & Smith, 2009). Super Mario Bros. is among one of the games that promotes this stereotypical figure of a woman. In the game women are helpless princesses that are dependent and need rescuing by the male characters (Craig, n.a.). In the end the man is the hero, and the woman is forgotten. Males being the ‘hero,’ is the basis of most games as it reaches the audience and makes men within society feel superior (Craig, n.a.). Grand Theft Auto V is another game where the main characters within story mode revolve around three men (Cross et al., 2022). The women within the game are either non-player characters, prostitutes, strippers, girlfriends, or wives. Women in this game are not given a main role but instead are being put in a role that is degrading and perceived as inferior (Cross et al., 2022). Essentially, they are still a sub character of the game and don’t hold any real importance to the end goal. The sole purpose of women being within these games is to provide entertainment for consumers, reaching the target audience which is men/boys (Down & Smith, 2009). However, women still make up a larger portion of gaming consumers, yet generally are not included as being a part of the target audience. Any sort of action game is based around a male character and ‘fun,’ ‘cute’ games are targeted for women (Bryter, 2022). For males this could include Call of Duty, Assassin’s Creed, or God of War, generally first-person shooter games where the characters are male also – male soldiers, male protagonists, male warriors. Games generally marketed towards females include Animal Crossing, Harvest Moon, or Pokémon, these games often portray ‘real life’ scenarios and are filled with cute characters and homemaking activities. A good example is Sims, a unisex game, because it really ties into the trope of homemaking and providing for a family, it is less significant to a male audience but generally this would be more appealing to women and targeted towards them. Following the idea that women are more sensitive and perform better in social communications and interactions. This categorises women and plays into the stereotype that women should not be involved in physical action which correlates to games with guns, war or even quests. Women are often the peripheral character within many games. This creates a subconscious ideal, that women are weak and need to be degraded as they are less ‘important,’ in the game and in real life (Warrell, 2016). This gives men the confidence to bully and harass women as that is how they are set up to be perceived.

 

Women make up a half of video game consumers yet there are very few that are involved in the gaming industry (Bryter, 2022). Beside the fact that video game developers aren’t on average paid as well compared to other careers, there are several reasons why it is a lot harder for women to be a part of this industry (Bailey et al., 2021). A big contributor is the lack of equal pay, in the US a survey was done in 2014 that showed men were getting $12,192 more on average per year (Bailey et al., 2021). Women have regularly been successful at creating popular, thriving games but are often not given the recognition and are discredited for it because it is not a “real game” (MacDonald, 2020).  There also seems to be a “bro culture” in the developing agencies, one in particular Riot Games, is one where female staff members reported the sexism at the company and outlined what “bro culture” is (Bailey et al., 2021). The reports showed sexist behaviour with women being talked over and were often kept out of leadership roles, this is evident with only 3 women out of 23 men in top management positions (Bailey et al., 2021). As this is where video games start, developers are ignorant to the issues and societal attitudes that they put out to be imprinted on young boys’ minds. This just further reinforces the idea that women are inferior online and offline. With women being disrespected within the industry it is understandable why this behaviour carries through to the games. Without the knowledge of a woman, video game creators have the inability to understand or how to represent women in games. This makes female users and developers feel unimportant in the gaming world and feel unseen (Bailey et al., 2021). Whilst this behaviour continues so does the major lack of inclusivity. There is a high need to address the toxic behaviour within these communities and take steps to promote positive interactions between players, but this is a slow process. It is hard to be inclusive when there is not only lack of representation within these games but also lack of representation among developers (Bailey et al., 2021). The foundation of this industry is built off cultural biases, stereotypes, and commercial considerations which prioritise mainstream audiences (Schrier, 2018). Within history gaming communities have been male dominated, which leads to a culture that reinforces sexism, making it difficult for women to feel represented and welcomed in these spaces.

 

The formation of online networks has allowed individuals the ability to connect and create communities worldwide. Online gaming has established a large network and community, despite this it has become a detriment to society and does not encourage social change. This is particularly towards female participants. There are significant flaws in the gaming industry that impact minorities severely. Although developers and companies in the world of gaming do not take responsibility to make change. This is reflective of the lack of female representation and inclusivity among game developers and the actual games themselves. With this lack of representation, it promotes bullying and mistreatment to female participants. The constant exposure to toxic behaviour in online gaming has an impact on the mental health of female participants, creating a divide and discomfort for all online gamers. The way women are portrayed also is always in a negative or stereotypical way, which can be triggering and lower self-esteem. Women are made to feel like sexual objects, which leads into the point of the subconscious ideal that video games create because of have they’re portrayed. Again, reinforcing the idea that women should be perceived a certain way, hence why there is lack of female games that are action based, which plays into stereotypes. For there to be change the gaming industry needs to take responsibility, otherwise this behaviour will continue, and women will be at the hands of injustice in real life and on a virtual level. Further perpetuating the fact that online gaming is toxic towards females.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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