LEVEL UP ON AWARENESS

Exploring Harassment and

Promoting Confidence of Female Gamers

Stephanie EspinozaeLearning Librarian

College of Southern NevadaLas Vegas, NV

Stephanie.Espinoza@csn.edu

WHY STUDY FEMALE GAMERS?

“”

GAMES ALLOWED ME TO GO TO ANOTHER WORLD,

SO TO SPEAK, WHERE I MATTERED.

THE NUMBERSAccording to the 2015

Entertainment Software Association data, game players are:

56% men 44% women

4 4 %

5 6 %

Gender of Game Players

Women Men

THE NUMBERSLongitudinal performance analysis of men and women in EverQuest II and

Chevalters’ Romance III

Conclusion: Women perform at least as well

as men do.

The stereotype of female players as

inferior is false (Shen).

THE FEMALE GAMER MYTH• Yet most Americans, including WOMEN,

believe women DON’T play video games• 60% of American adults agree with the

statement: “most people who play video games are men” (Duggan) • Women have also been known to

underreport their MMO playing habits, even in anonymous surveys (Eklund)

DEFINITION:“The playing of games, especially video games”

(“Gaming”)

“GAMING”

DEFINITION:

“GAMER”

“GAMER”Men are twice as likely

to identify as “gamers” (Duggan)

15% of men compared to 6% of women

“GAMER” DEFINITION:“Contempt for women who call themselves ‘Gamer Girls’ has

existed for a while online. In fact, I’d been careful to avoid the label over

the years for that very reason” (Day)

DEFINITION:

“GAMERGATE”

“Online culture war, dealing with video game journalism ethics, the social values of video games, sexism, and feminism”(Mutert)

DEFINITION:

“GAMERGATE”

“Movement by a small but vocal minority of the online gaming population to bully and harass female gamers, game developers, and feminist media critics into silence”(Robbins)

GAMERGATE LED TO…•Online harassment of females•Sexist slurs•Doxxing (releasing personal info)•Threats of rape•Threats of death

“Are you reading this?

Of course you are. I will kill you.”

(Kaplan)

(Robbins) (Mutert) (“Gamergate”)

Over 3,500 members at the time of posting

Total Responses: 219

METHODS: THE FACEBOOK GROUP

(Espinoza)

DO YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF A “GAMER”?•Yes but it’s not something I usually tell people.

•Yes, because I have enjoyed playing video games since I was a child….

•Yes, isn’t anyone who plays games?

•Yes! It’s a huge part of my life. Not only do I spend quite a bit of time gaming, but I’ve made numerous good friends through gaming as a social medium.

•Yes, I love playing video games, it helps pass time…[I’m] a stay at home mom.

•Yes, because gaming is part of my identity.

DO YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF A “GAMER”?

•Not really. I like to play games, but I’m mostly a social gamer… a casual player.

•No, because I don’t think liking games requires a label.

•Not really, I only play Guild Wars 2 and a few social games. I am not hardcore….

• I only play one game.

•No. I am not as engaged in some of the games as my counterparts. I don't particularly care about my stats, regularly arrange 'play dates', etc.

•No, but maybe I should.

“GAMER” DEFINITION:

Most common rationale for being a gamer:

• How long they’ve played (since childhood)• How often they play (daily, for

hours)• Anyone who plays games is a

gamer

Clarifications:

• Many specified they were “casual” gamers rather than “hardcore”• Some ONLY considered “hardcore”

players to be “gamers”• Some were afraid to admit they

were gamers to others

Out of 185 responses to the question, only 8 women didn’t consider themselves gamers.

12 were in the middle

HOW OFTEN AND HOW LONG?Hours played in Guild Wars 2:

•2,649 hours over 1,214 days•3,240 hours over 1,216 days•4,570 hours over 1,215 days•6,959 hours over 1,200 days

•8,441 hoursHaven't played in a

while

Just when I have free time

Seasonally

Monthly

Weekly

Daily

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200

How often do you play video games? (216 responses)

181 (83.80

%)

AGE Women over 18 are a greater portion of the game playing population (33%)

than boys age 18 or younger (15%)

The average age of a female game player is 43 years old (compared to age 35 for men)

According to the ESA 2015 Report (Entertainment Software Association)

0.26

0.30.17

0.27

Under 18 18-35 Years 36-49 years 50+ years

AGE• Teens = 8• 20s = 109• 30s = 48• 40s = 35• 50s = 11• 60s = 7Youngest = 14 years Oldest = 69 years

Most Frequent Age = 23 years

Out of 218 responses (Espinoza)

HARASSMENT & SEXISM

“Mysogynism is very common. I've heard more rape jokes in the last year than I would ever believe.”

HARASSMENT & SEXISM•Preferential treatment•Doubting skill based on gender•Harassment in-game such as sexist

slurs•Obsession/stalking•Harassment outside of game

“Sexism in gaming is

a long-documented,

much-debated but

seemingly intractable

problem” (Kaplan)

“”

THE HIGHER LEVEL MY CHARACTER IS THE LESS LIKELY OTHER

PLAYERS EXPECT ME TO BE FEMALE—BUT

THAT'S THEIR PROBLEM, NOT

MINE.

HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED HARASSMENT?

5 2 %4 8 %

Experienced Harassment

YESNO

“Last month I had a guy tells me to go kill myself and no one in my family

loves me.”

“In college, some guys would be attracted to the

fact that I was a gamer girl. I experienced actual

physical sexual harassment…. My butt

groped. Being pulled by my waist. Trying to steal

kisses….”“I’ve stopped playing most MMOs due to the constant barrage of

hate language.”

“Oh yes, male gamers automatically assume you don’t know what you

are doing.”

“I’ve had people threaten to rape me.”“Go back in the kitchen”

“Some are sexist implying that I’m bad

at games because I’m a female.... Other

people can be sexually aggressive.”

GENDER ROLES

“The idea that games are gender based is ridiculous to me. That's like saying only women can eat chocolate. Anyone that enjoys playing

games can and should do so, and should be able to lay claim

to being a gamer.”

“Games have never been solely for males, though many men and boys have been led to

believe that they were. Now that the presence of women in the gaming world has become

impossible to ignore, many men are lashing out like young children unwilling to share

favorite toys. Luckily, though quite vocal, these men are a

minority.”

DESPITE HARASSMENT, WOMEN GAME

• Exploration, competition, mastery and status, possibilities for female gamers to express themselves. They describe it as a “free space”, free from limitations in real life, a place where they can be equals with men (Eklund)

WHY WOMEN GAME“I am a stay-home parent with a chronic illness…. I lack the ability to earn money on my own. In GW2, I am able to add value to my account by completing simple tasks each day, and….save up to purchase things I really want. It gives me a sense of self-sufficiency and financial independence that I lack in real life. GW2 also gives me an opportunity to socialize without having to find a baby sitter. As I've mentioned many times in this survey, I feel that I am part of a community (maybe even an important part). I love the feeling of working as part of a team to accomplish great results that I would not be able to do alone.”

WHY WOMEN GAME•Stress relief•Escape / distraction from real world pain•Spend time with family / children•Connect with significant other•Make friends / share with like-minded people•Talk to friends / social interaction•Love of stories•They are FUN!

ConfidenceIndependent Thinking

Problem Solving

Communication

Working in Teams

IN THE CLASSROOM

IN THE WORKPLACE• Only 26% of computing professionals are women (Belec)• Only 21% of game developers are women (Harwell)• “Researchers have argued that female gaming should be encouraged

because it provides important technological knowledge” (Eklund)• First step is to help women feel that video games are not a waste• You can also incorporate computers/gamification into your classroom

EMPOWER WOMEN TO PURSUE RELATED CAREERS• Take the implicit bias test https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/• Remember that engineers are made, not born• Let the girls in your classes tinker with things, break things, and fail• Know that Title IX applies to STEM education too, not just athletics• Spread the word on how computing fields have social impact (Belec)

HOW CAN WE SUPPORT CHANGE IN THE INDUSTRY?

SUPPORT CHANGE• “Gamergate taught us that companies can actually listen to

their customers and begin to take steps towards more inclusive games. It's not a coincidence that after GamerGate we begin to see an increase of games featuring female leads and people of color more prominently….in the end it showed us that when we raise our voices, we can be heard. We can ask for more creative out of the box thinking from game developers without being restricted to only one very small demographic (straight/white/male)”

STEPS TO SUPPORT CHANGE1. Raise Awareness

Recognize and share that women DO play video games and DO experience unwarranted harassment for it

2. Create a Safe SpaceAllow women to express their gaming identity without judgement

3. Encourage both genders to talk about the issuesConversations can lead to better understanding

THEN WE CAN LEVEL UP TOGETHER!

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Kubas-Meyer, Alec. “Gamergate Fail: The Rise of Ass-Kicking Women in Video Games.” The Daily Beast Jun 23 2015. ProQuest. Web. 2 March 2016.

M, Brandon Robbins. “Librarian's Guide to GamerGate.” Library Journal 139.19 (2014): 60. ProQuest. Web. 29 Dec. 2015.

Mutert, Emilie. “SXSW Cancels Two Panels With GamerGate Ties; BuzzFeed, Vox Threaten to Withdraw.” Kut.org. KUT: A service of the Moody College of Communication at the University of Texas at Austin, 26 Oct. 2015. Web. 2 March 2016.

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