Abstract

This paper explores video games as important platforms to explore and advocate identity through reflections of social systems which control women’s bodies and autonomy. It also examines gaming space gender dynamics through research on female gaming experiences in sexism and harassment while showing how computer game networks simultaneously advance gender equal rights and support discrimination against women. A full investigation of these social dynamics and their relationship with gaming advocacy movement reveals how digital activism works to prevent gender inequality in gaming communities and beyond.

This paper demonstrates how internet advocacy within virtual communities’ shapes social transformations by showing the building and presentation of identities alongside identity conflicts primarily on Twitch.

1. Introduction

Research conducted by ADL (2020) revealed that women gamers diagnosed with harassment at a rate of 59% during gameplay since they encounter various forms of sexist abuse and violent threats. This statistic also demonstrates how extensive toxic behavior remains for women in gaming communities while showing the wider gender inequality problems in society.

Video games exist beyond entertainment purposes, they function as areas where people construct their identities through performance and their identities face ongoing challenges. Gaming social networks provide women with the chance to advance their interests while their communities sometimes create spaces that reinforce gender discrimination.

This paper establishes that gaming environments function as smaller examples of universal social mechanisms that dictate female body regulation and individual freedom. The way women are presented in video games and gaming environments and the efforts of online activists to combat these issues reveal important relationships between digital identity management and social transformation.

The worldwide distribution of gaming services reaches 3.1 billion players according to Newzoo (2020) which makes it an essential subject for studying digital space gender identification processes. The expansion of gaming as an entertainment platform and cultural force demands advanced knowledge about its influence on gender relations so digital community researchers can understand online advocacy movements regarding gender.

2. Identity Construction in Gaming

2.1 Representation of Women in Games

Video games now feature advanced female characters instead of the previous practice of presenting women as helpless sexual objects. Several games today continue to propagate negative stereotypes by displaying objectifying depictions of Quiet in Metal Gear Solid V as well as restricting The Sims 4 characters to limited physical diversity (Lynch et al., 2016; Burnay, 2019).

Quiet is the perfect portrayal of gratuitous sexualization with the game’s creator attempted to justify her design of revealing outfit by claiming she breathes through her skin. The justification received widespread criticism because it appeared as a mere excuse for plain sexualization rather than authentic character design that carries weight to her character (Lynch et al., 2016).

Similarly, the female protagonists in Tomb Raider franchise, Lara Croft faces an ongoing struggle between feeling powerful and being treated as an object or eye candy for the male audiences (Gestos et al., 2018). Current rebooted versions of the character show reduced exaggeration from her launch design which reveals how the game industry evolved its handling of female character on screen representation.

These representations made in gaming software go beyond which reach past video games themselves. The research conducted by Near (2012) shows that female gamers experience body dissatisfaction after viewing sexualized female characters in video games while male players develop harmful gender stereotypes from these same depictions. The way video games represent characters leads players to develop their gender understanding both inside and outside gaming environments.

2.2 Customization and Identity

The ability to customize female characters in certain games usually focuses on exaggerated breast size and unrealistic body proportions which perpetuate damaging beauty standards according to Gestos et al. (2018). The restricted representation of various identities along with the false belief that women deserve value through appearance acts as a barrier.

The game Animal Crossing: New Horizons presents an inclusive character customization system that enables players to select any hairstyle or clothing or features without being restricted by their chosen gender. The success of games implementing inclusive character customization through examples shows that this approach is both feasible and commercially viable according to Shaw and Friesem (2016).

Games merge identity development strategies in a special way through their character customization process. During avatar creation players demonstrate their identity characteristics by either showing their authentic self or experimenting with new personality traits. Through becoming their avatars players perform acts of identity expression which turns gaming into an excellent setting to observe digital gender enactment practices. Sundén and Sveningsson (2012) maintain that gaming avatars function as performing entities which demonstrate identity but also reshape gender stereotypes either affirmatively or negatively.

3. Challenges Facing Women in Gaming Communities

3.1 Toxic Gaming Cultures

The online gaming community shows severe intolerance toward women because 59% of female players suffer from harassment (ADL, 2020). The #GamerGate movement dedicated its efforts toward harming female gaming professionals through threatening and abusive conduct that serves as evidence of harmful gaming environments against women. Female developers and critics Zoë Quinn and Anita Sarkeesian received continuous online abuse during #GamerGate that included doxxing and death threats and rape threats according to Chess & Shaw (2015).

The toxic environment exists throughout all gaming incidents regardless of their prominence. Women encounter harassment in their everyday gaming activities because they participate in voice chat and disclose their gender. Women often choose gender-neutral usernames while also staying away from voice chat and playing with friends only to escape harassment (ADL, 2020).

The long-lasting toxic gaming communities prompt multiple issues regarding the development and identity enforcement methods within Internet communities. Many gaming communities maintain what Salter and Blodgett (2017) identify as “toxic technoculture” through which they deliberately work to prevent women and minority groups from participating by using organized harassment tactics. Exclusionary practices serve as gates to define gaming as an activity accessible only to men.

3.2 Voices Overlooked and Skills Questioned

Women experience regular dismissal and interruption when they try to speak in competitive gaming environments. The strategic discussions in team-based games such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Valorant result in women players being ignored, insulted or interrupted despite providing useful information (Kou & Nardi, 2014).

The gaming abilities of women receives skepticism and rude remarks from others about their skills. The gender of female players leads males to accuse them of being inferior at games in addition to insulting them by saying they benefit from male teammates “carrying” them in the game. Women face substantial performance pressure because the stereotype “women are bad at video games” (Fox & Tang, 2017) needs to be disproven.

These stereotype threat operates in gaming environments as it does in other contexts. Women experience performance decline in video games after being exposed to negative gender stereotypes because the reminder creates anxiety and cognitive stress to disprove the stereotype. The performance-degrading impact of stereotypes leads to stereotype reinforcement according to Fox & Tang (2017).

The gaming environment reveals gender identity as a disadvantage which Gray (2020) describes as “dysconscious discrimination” that subconsciously devalues female contributions and doubts their gaming authenticity. Women must repeatedly validate their gamer identity through defensive actions because their skills and voices face constant dismissal from the gaming community.

4. Online Advocacy and Social Change

4.1 Feminist Advocacy in Gaming 

Women together with their allies employed online platforms to create change over these difficulties. Online feminism movements now target gaming through women who reveal their harassment experiences while pushing for responsible action (Tang & Fox, 2019).

In year 2020, numerous women expose prominent gaming industry males to harassment charges that forced major companies to investigate and promise systemic changes. Social consciousness rose through collective action which exposed the deep-rooted abuse and harassment systems (Stuart 2021).

AnyKey along with other organizations has built training resources to foster gaming diversity and inclusion. Organizations pledge gamers to adopt positive behavior through their “Good Luck Have Fun” commitment and conduct investigation on structural inequalities that impact marginalized gaming communities (Shaw & Friesem, 2016).

According to Kligler-Vilenchik et al. (2020) the activities qualify as “participatory politics” due to their grassroots approach using digital media to control systems and institutions. The use of hashtags along with feminist gaming communities on digital platforms enables advocates to develop collective networks which boost individual voices until they successfully organize actions together. The networks illustrate how interaction within online communities produces activism which confronts the social construction and regulatory approaches towards gender identity in gaming communities.

4.2 Impact of Advocacy

The work has produced concrete results including diverse female characters in The Last of Us Part II and Horizon Zero Dawn and enhanced Twitch moderation policies (King, 2020).

The Last of Us Part II introduces various complex female characters whose muscular protagonist breaks traditional beauty norms. The video game industry showcases great progress through its delivery of LGBTQ+ characters and multiple body types in character design. Public disagreement did not diminish the success of this game which proved that inclusive representation delivers both commercial profits and artistic excellence (King, 2020).

Platform developers have taken action to create more potent anti-harassment protection features to address the calls for change from advocates as well as gamers. The network provider Twitch added new regulations to combat hateful conduct and enhanced their reporting features and Discord established better moderation functionalities and improved community rules. The proven fact demonstrates the importance of continuous activism for developing sustained improvements in gaming environments (Tang & Fox, 2016).

Banet-Weiser and Miltner (201) describe this success as “networked feminism” which represents feminist goals achieved through collective action on digital networks. The installation of feminist gaming advocates has enabled personal grievances about harassment to link up with systemic patterns of sexism thus creating political demands with reach across communities beyond gaming.

5. Call to Action: Solutions for Change

5.1 In Gaming Communities

Game creators are urged to move beyond surface representation and aim towards a more profound sense of diversity. This involves hiring diverse development teams, involving marginalized groups in every aspect of game development, and building characters reflecting the full diversity of human experience (Kligler-Vilenchik et al., 2020).

It is crucial for gaming corporations to adopt effective moderation mechanisms that directly address the harassments faced by women. It requires implementing proactive moderation measures to absolve victims of all reporting responsibility, instituting sanctions truly deterring harmful behavior, and building mechanisms to detect patterns of harassment as opposed to treating each incident as an independent act (ADL, 2020).

Players are encouraged to confront situations themselves to promote a more inclusive set of community norms that include:

1. Confronting harmful behaviors, the moment it happens
2. Supporting creators from diverse backgrounds, no prejudices
3. Recognizing and reflecting on how one might inadvertently act in favor of exclusionary cultures

According to Cansalvo (2012), creating a better all-round gaming experience and culture requires a collective effort and responsibility instead of placing the burden only on the victims of harassment.

5.2 Role of Advocacy Networks

Digital advocacy has proven to effectively increase awareness by creating momentum towards change. Through voice magnification by women, documentation of incidents of harassment, and network building across multiple platforms, advocates can continue working towards more diverse gaming cultures (Shaw & Friesem, 2016).

Cross-movement solidarity increases the effectiveness of advocacy actions. The interlinkages among gender advocacy in the gaming industry and broader movements to obtain gender equality enable sharing of information, convergence of resources, and greater visibility. Through this recognition of commonalities shared among different expressions of gender oppression, advocates are well positioned to create more comprehensive and effective transformational strategies (Mclean & Griffiths, 2018).

The networks in question are archetypal examples of what Castells (2015) has termed “networked social movements,” leveraging digital connectivity to battle solidified power structures. The building of decentralized yet strategically coordinated activist action has successfully created powerful networks well-equipped with consistent pressure leverage towards reform, despite counterproductive responses and criticisms faced thereby.

6. Conclusion

This research has examined hypersexualization of female game characters as well as widespread harassment of female players in gaming groups, and how these incidents reflect and continue gender imbalances in place. These trends highlight the imperative need for change in the gaming industry, as well as cultural change more broadly.

Activists have been working to deconstructing the system that excludes women’s autonomy and self-expression in gaming spaces to make space for building more inclusive communities where anyone’s gender identity determines his, her or their legitimacy and value as a gamer. The intersections of gaming activism with broader feminist movements show how digital spaces can become true platform for impactful identity work and social change.

The cultural relevance of gaming continues to grow, confirming it as an important space where issues of gender disparity are tackled. Through promoting feminist discourse in gaming and aligning action with other initiatives working towards achieving gender parity, opportunities are opened to realize the transformative potential of gaming towards building more inclusive online spaces and societies.

The pursuit of equity in gaming stems from human interaction with the virtual world and how identity is represented, communicated, and evaluated in this space. Through more inclusive gaming cultures, we build a foundation for greater equitable engagement in all aspects of our increasingly digital world.

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