Girls are gaming, but what is really going on behind the screen?

Physical differences are often used to separate men and women in traditional sports. But then why is there so little gender diversity in the realm of online gaming known as Esports?

 

Esports has been heavily male dominated for years. Despite all the advertisements and sponsorships that incorporate women, covers do not necessarily entitle them to inclusivity.

 

Anita Sarkeesian began making videos and commentary in 2009 examining pop culture from a feminist perspective and analyzing portrayals of women. Raising questions such as “why does Mario always save the princess?” Men in the gaming industry were furious with her. Rumor has it Sarkeesian even received several death threats for speaking her mind on feminist issues.

 

The Canadian-American media critic is now the executive director of Feminist Frequency: a not-for-profit educational organization. The concept is simple: “the belief that media has the power to change the world. Her work focuses on deconstructing the stereotypes and tropes associated with women in popular culture, as well as highlighting issues surrounding the targeted

harassment of marginalized people in online and gaming spaces.”

 

Born at the same time as the World Wide Webb in 1989, Nat Cooper, a product designer for Prodigy the game (an online educational math game for children in grades 1-8) shares her story teaching girls and boys.

 

While running a 12 week co-ed Minecraft video game workshop for kids, Cooper quickly noticed the divide between genders and the stereotypes that follow at an early age. “The girls ages 6-8 made a mansion and organized all pets according to colour then the boys came to class the next morning and blew it all up with dynamite,” Cooper said.

 

The way boys and girls approach gaming is very different. Boys assert their dominance with other boys in combat games while girls get creative playing with music, dance and designing.

 

Toronto Street Fighter Esports commentator Jacqueline Manor says, “there is a 70-30 percent split between men and women at every tournament. Advertisers are utilizing a diversity ploy to incorporate women. They definitely go out of their way to find

women to incorporate in their ads, this could be seen as a tactic to seek the approval of more women in the industry.” So even if it doesn’t fit the advertiser’s main message, girls are gaming.

 

The 30-year-old Esports commentator says, “It all depends on how women engage in Esports: some design costumes and others do cosplay, one thing they have in common is that they are constantly scrutinized. Bombarded with questions such as: Is it too sexy? Is it not sexy enough? Do I have to subscribe to wearing a dress or a blazer while commentating a tournament?”

 

Manor describes an incident at a tournament where a player put his hands on her neck and said he was going to “choke me out like another player did to his wife.”

 

When she reported the incident to the CEO he said, “Oh he’s young and drunk don’t worry about it he doesn’t know any better.”

 

Basically saying ‘boys will be boys.’ The player only apologized after Manor called her boyfriend (who owns a respected Esports team) to speak up to the perpetrator. She says the tolerance level is just pathetic and that is just one instance of many. When organizing tournaments, commentators have to be more careful with their tone because at times they are referred to as being “bitchy.” But if it’s a man he’s seen as “being in control.”

 

Live event and Hud television hostess Marissa Roberto says, “the women that I work with are incredibly strong and knowledgeable, and they have to be otherwise they will get attacked. The gender gap depends on the genre of games, when I host a TV show

sometimes there are more women playing League of Legends rather than Call of Duty.”

 

The gaming industry is welcoming but suspicious of women entering a realm that is heavily male dominated.

 

To combat, Roberto advises to “trust other women. You need female friends in a male industry, she said. You might run into some hiccups, even jealously at times but don’t look towards women as your competition. Just extend the olive branches.” Roberto says the best success she’s come across in life has come from other women.

 

“My success is her success.”