Recent research highlights a troubling trend in the gaming community: two-thirds of female gamers continue to experience online harassment.
A Sky News report titled, “Why Gaming Still Has a Women Problem,” sheds light on persistent misogyny in gaming spaces, particularly within platforms like Discord and multiplayer games.
Persistent Harassment In Gaming
The study, conducted by Bryter’s Jenny McBean, reveals that female gamers face harassment that ranges from sexist remarks to severe threats.
The research, which surveyed approximately a thousand women across the UK and U.S., found that 72% of female gamers reported encountering online toxicity in 2022. Although this figure decreased to 65% in 2023, indicating a slight improvement, the statistics remain concerning.
McBean commented on the findings, stating: “It’s the first positive shift that we saw [since research began in 2019]. It’s actually reduced to 65 percent, which is a significant decrease. It’s great, but we can’t just assume everything’s fine now. It’s still two in three women.”
Despite the reduction in reported harassment, 20% of the women surveyed opted out of online gaming entirely due to the fear of abuse. Additionally, one in 10 respondents reported having been threatened with rape.
Real Experiences Of Harassment
Tech journalist Mickey Carroll shared her personal experience of online harassment, which she encountered within seconds of joining a Discord server.
Carroll's profile picture, which identified her as a woman, provoked an aggressive response from another gamer. The abuser’s messages included a barrage of slurs and threats: “You’re female. You’re a filthy female. We don’t like females, we like men in here. You’re a slag. You know that, right? Because you’re a fucking female, all females are slags, and you’re expired.”
Impact On Women Gamers
In dialogue with Eurogamer, 19-year-old French esports professional Mathilde reflected on the challenges faced by women in the industry, stating, “Being a woman in gaming is scary. You need to have confidence in yourself… if someone jumps on me, I will jump back.”
Stephanie Ijoma, founder of the diversity and inclusion agency NNESAGA, highlighted the compounded challenges faced by Black women in gaming. “I’m a Black woman and Black women in this space are subject to more abuse than anyone else,” she told Eurogamer.
Discord’s Response
In response to the issue, Discord assured Sky News that it takes swift action when harassment is reported. “Safety is integrated into every aspect of our service,” a Discord representative stated.
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Cover image made with AI using Dall-E.
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