It’s Scary to be a Woman in Gaming by Sky News
“I didn't have time to speak a word before I was called a "dirty f***ing b****", while someone else asked to "see that p***y". Another player got involved, calling me a "slag" and a "n***e"...I hate you," a stranger said. "You're a filthy female. We don't like females, we like men in here.”
Warning: This story contains offensive and abusive language from the outset which some readers may find distressing.
It was my turn. After weeks of hanging out in a gaming chat room, I'd been spotted. My profile picture showed that I was clearly a woman but was otherwise unremarkable. I didn't have time to speak a word before I was called a "dirty f***ing b****", while someone else asked to "see that p***y". Another player got involved, calling me a "slag" and a "n***e". This was followed by people telling me I was ugly and someone asking me to be their mummy. "I hate you," a stranger said. "You're a filthy female. We don't like females, we like men in here."
It's been a decade since Gamergate, when indie game designer Zoe Quinn was accused of sleeping with journalists in return for good reviews of her game. Zoe, who has always strongly denied the accusation, faced horrific abuse including rape and death threats to her and her family.
This campaign of hatred gained momentum and other women were attacked. One of them was game developer Brianna Wu who spoke out in support of others. "I wasn't well known at the time," she said, speaking to me a decade after Gamergate left her fearing for her safety. Voicing her opinion that "women should be free to have careers like men do" without being intimidated, made her a target.
Like Zoe, Brianna received rape and death threats. "They made my life hell, hacked my bank account and tried to destroy my game studio. The stuff I got was so extreme the FBI got involved." After more than a year of frenzied attacks, the intensity fizzled out but the misogyny and hatred persisted. Brianna sees the normalisation of this type of abuse towards women in gaming, and on the internet, as the "dark legacy" of Gamergate. "What I see with young women entering the game industry today is just exhaustion. Their skin is so thick that they're numb to this stuff."
To find out how women gamers are treated in 2024, I decided to start by playing Call of Duty - one of the most popular multiplayer games. When I logged on, the in-game chat was eerily silent - had gaming finally cleaned up its act? But my hopes were dashed when veteran gamers directed me to Discord - the social platform which prides itself on being the spiritual home of gaming.
