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Professor Samantha Gonzalez

ENC 1102

30 April 2023

She’s a Girl?: An Analysis of Misogyny in the Gaming Community

Introduction

The gaming community has grown significantly over the past decade and the numbers

will continue to rise as years passed by. There are tons of different devices that allow people to

play games like computers, phones, and consoles, such as Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo

Switch. Also, there is an unlimited number of games available to play. Some examples are

sandbox games where the player can roam an open-ended world, shooter games where your

focus is on defeating your enemies, and puzzle games based off traditional board games. There is

a game out there for every type of person.

Literature Review

There have been many studies and research conducted about the gaming community and

more specifically, female gamers. Each article brings up different points about what it is like to

be a woman who plays video games. Some of these include being ridiculed by male teammates,

scared of communicating within a game, other players thinking you do not know how to play,

and feeling like they cannot play a violent video game. However, many of these articles do not

talk about the obsessive side of misogyny that occurs to these female gamers. I will be using
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these five scholarly sources to support my research question and to add onto the current

conversation of this community.

A point that is brought up a lot is the stereotypes that these gamers face. In “To Be or Not

to Be a Female Gamer: A Qualitative Exploration of Female Gamer Identity”, it identifies that

gaming is a stereotypical male activity (Kuss, et al. 5). If females are playing games, they are

expected to play ‘girly’ games and are criticized for playing first-person shooter games (Kuss, et

al. 6). In “Keeping Quiet: Investigating the Maintenance and policing of Male-dominated

Gaming Space”, it discusses how women are not seen as real gamers (Charles 8). The articles

both discuss how male players are constantly harassing, verbally abusing, and shaming female

gamers. Women often feel the need to hide their identity, keep voice chats off, or simply stop

playing multiplayer games because of this mistreatment.

Another key concept that they have in common is that they explain how female game

characters are represented. They tend to have lots of skin showing, are skinny, have clothing that

accentuates body parts, have large breasts, and have sexualized movements, or they are the

damsel in distress (Kuss, et al. 2; Charles 35-36). However, in Kuss’s article, they interviewed 20

different women while in Charles’s article, he participated in a four-day ethnography at a multi-

genre convention in central Florida. In “They see it as a guy’s game: The politics of gender in

digital games” by Fern Delamere and Susan Shaw, they conducted several interviews with men

and women who play violent video games (8). While doing so, they discovered that females

were targets to large amounts of verbal abuse through voice chats. Some examples are “shouldn’t

you be at home cooking for your husband”, “suck my dick bitch”, and “go back to the doghouse”

(Delamare and Shaw, 14). This type of language was also common in the article,
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“Communication in multiplayer gaming: Examining player responses to gender cues”, by Jeffrey

Kuznekoff and Lindsey Rose. Rather than using interviews as their approach to collect data, they

had prerecorded phrases said by a male and a female (Kuznekoff and Rose 5). These recordings

were played throughout a round of Halo 3 and the types of responses were recorded. Some of the

responses that Kuznekoff and Rose recorded were “fuck you, you stupid slut”, “are you a hooker

or a dude?”, and “I don’t want to hear your bullshit” (11). While the researchers recorded some

of the responses said by male teammates, they mainly conducted their research through

quantitative data. They categorized responses into directed negative, directed positive, and

queries and calculated the means between the male, female, and control conditions (Kuznekoff

and Rose 9-10). An interesting aspect that is not discussed about much but is brought up in

“Video Games and Gender Female Discrimination in the Gaming Community” by Clayre

Barkema is the obsessive behavior that men have when a female gamer is present. Barkema

mentions that when a girl asked about the mechanics of a game, a male player responded

immediately saying that he will answer if she would perform a sexual act on him (12).

These articles have given me a better insight of the female gaming world. The similarities

and differences between the sources helped me figure out the gap presented within the

community. Something that was not discussed much in these articles was the impacts that the

harassment and sexualized in-game and voice chats have on female gamers. I will be focusing

my research on how these misogynistic comments affect their mental health, the way they play

the game, and how they portray themselves online. Not only will I be focusing on the abusive

language, but I will also be researching how the obsessive and attention seeking behavior affects

them too.
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Methods

For my own research, I have conducted two semi-structured interviews with two females

who play video games. These interviews will provide personal experiences of misogynistic

comments and information about how this impacted themselves. Participants were asked

questions relating to their history of gaming, how their gender comes into effect, the comments

they have received from their teammates, and how this affects their mental health and gaming

ability. Based on answers I received, I asked follow up questions to allow for further explanation

on certain topics. All interviewees have consented to participating in this research study and their

names have been redacted for ethical purposes. I then analyzed their responses and compared it

with the findings in my secondary sources.

Results

The interviews were very successful. The participants were both very willing to

participate, believing it is important to share what they have gone through and how it has

affected them. They both find it crucial for people to know that this type of behavior is wrong

and unacceptable. For the sake of keeping their names anonymous, the interviewees name’s shall

be referred to as Participant 1 and Participant 2.

When asked what types of games they play, I received some diverse answers. Participant

1 answered, “I play first-person shooter games like Valorant and Overwatch. I also play

Minecraft, Grand Theft Auto, and a bunch of other stuff.” A first-person shooter game is a genre

of video games where the player sees from the point of view of their character. They would

typically see their arms at the bottom of the screen carrying a weapon that is used to kill their
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opponents. The goal the player is trying to complete depends on the type of game they

are playing. Participant 2 also mentioned playing Valorant, as well as Resident Evil, League of

Legends, and Fortnite.

The next question that I asked them was if their gender was brought up while playing

video games. They both responded with saying that it has. “Usually when I play multiplayer

games, like Valorant, where you have to work as a team to accomplish some sort of goal, I have

a mic on. It makes it easier to communicate with my other teammates. However, when I shout

out something like, ‘dinked him’, the other players will suddenly get close to their mics and

bring up how I am a girl. They would say ‘Is that a gamer girl?’ or ‘Nah, we got a girl?’”

(Participant 2). Participant 1 also mentioned how whenever she joins a lobby in a game and she

speaks out, the immediate response is questioning whether she is a female or not.

As the interviews continued, I asked if they have ever received misogynistic voice chats

or in game chats from other players. Their responses fall into two categories: verbal abuse and

attention seeking. Firstly, they both mentioned and provided examples of harmful comments they

have received. Some of these included, “I have been told ‘go back to the kitchen where you

belong’, ‘suck my dick and I will get you a win’, ‘you stupid slut’, and ‘there’s a girl? We are

going to lose’” (Participant 1). Participant 2 discussed how men tell her she is not good at the

game, constantly sexualize her, and tell her to ‘man up’. Secondly, they receive misogynistic

comments that are obsessive and used to gain attention. “And then there are guys that will buy

items in the game for me when I didn’t ask. I don’t need their handouts; I can get the items

myself. I am just as capable as any of them. Some guys will say things like, ‘I will do anything

for you my princess’, ‘I’ll protect you.’, or ‘Watch out darling’” (Participant 2). Participant 1 has
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had a similar experience; guys would insist on buying her in-game weapons and flirting with her.

Unfortunately, men would get mad at her if she doesn’t provide the attention they want and flirt

back. These types of comments can be just as harmful and degrading as the verbal abuse.

The last question made me wonder how male players treated them when they made a

mistake in the game. The participants gave very similar answers. “...they tend to say things like

“This is why I don’t play with girls.” Or “You had one job bitch! Women can’t do anything

right!” (Participant 1). These replies show that men tend to get upset when a girl makes a mistake

in the middle of the game. I then asked if the participants feel like they can’t play certain games

because of their gender. The two participants agree that games are for everyone, and your gender

does not determine the type of games you play. However, Participant 1 stated, “Definitely!

Gender stereotypes have made it seem like girls can’t play violent video games. Those are for

men. I should play some beauty or puzzle game.” On the other hand, Participant 2 brings up how

society has come a long way and how gaming is becoming more acceptable across all genders.

I ended the interviews with asking how these remarks have affected them. Participant 1

had a more negative impact than Participant 2. She said, “The verbal abuse has made me hate

talking in games. I rarely solo queue because of this and when I do, I avoid talking. I gravitate

towards only playing games with people I know and trust. The comments also put a lot of

pressure on me. Because of my gender, they automatically assume I am bad, so I must make sure

I don’t feed into their beliefs. It makes playing more stressful than fun. I try not to let their

comments get to me but sometimes it does. My self-esteem has lowered, their voices get stuck in

my head, I start questioning myself and my abilities to do something, I am now very self-

conscious of my appearance, and I am constantly comparing myself to other women. It is also

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hard to trust people, to know if they are friends with me for me or just because I am a woman”

(Participant 1). This was not always the case for Participant 2. “In the beginning, it had made me

scared to play games at times. I didn’t want to constantly be harassed for simply existing. It was

exhausting. I used to choose male characters over women just to hide my gender. Also, the

amount of pressure that I had put on myself just because I am a female was unnecessary. I felt

like I had to always do my best, couldn’t make mistakes, and had to prove myself to my

teammates that I am not a stereotypical girl. However, my mindset has changed since then. I

realized that I shouldn’t be hiding in fear and that being a female does not mean that I can’t play

video games. I found other women that also enjoy similar games as me and began playing with

them. We related to one another, and we always had each other’s backs. This community brought

back my love for playing games” (Participant 2). Even though both participants were faced with

similar misogynistic comments, their overall impacts varied.

Discussion

The findings presented in the results show that most women are negatively impacted by

misogynistic voice chats and in game chats. Games are an outlet for them. They come online

hoping to get away from their busy and hectic lives to sit down and relax while playing

something they enjoy. Unfortunately, this escape is cut short for most women. Male players start

making comments towards them once they discover that they are in fact playing with a female.

Now, rather than enjoying the game, the female gamers have to endure the harassment, bullying,

and obsessive comments thrown at them. These words have a greater and serious affect then the

men realize.
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Based on the interviews and information I have gathered; these types of comments make

women question their ability to play games. They are constantly worrying about making a

mistake or letting the team down. They feel an intense amount of pressure to prove to their

teammates that they are just as good at playing video games as male players. One wrong move

and they are seen as incompetent and useless. Women aren’t given a break when it comes to

games. They also internalize the words heard from their teammates, who are supposed to support

and back them up. Being sexualized, told how to play, and confined to gender stereotypes makes

them feel unimportant, self-conscious, not valuable, not good enough, and ashamed. They feel

like they don’t belong. It also makes them feel like an object rather than a person and that they

are only there to please the men. Being a female gamer does not mean that they don’t know how

to play a game as well. Male players are often trying to give girls tips or just completely tell them

what to do as if they never played before. This makes women feel suffocated and useless. Just

because a female is playing a game does not mean they have never played before.

Not only do the comments make women anxious and uncomfortable, but it also makes

them want to hide their identity. To avoid the misogynistic statements thrown at them, girls will

play as male characters or not participate in voice chats even if it makes the game easier. They

will also have profiles that appear “masculine” and not likely to be a woman. They are so scared

of men attacking them that they do not express who they are. They keep themselves hidden out

of fear. Sometimes, the comments even make women want to stop gaming all together. They are

so discouraged and tired of this treatment that they quit. They simply stop logging on and

participating in an activity they once loved. However, this mindset isn’t always true for every

female gamer. The hurtful comments, as seen in the interviews, push some women to keep
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playing and not let what other people say get in the way. Throughout their gaming journey, some

have even found a community where they are able to be themselves and enjoy gaming again

where they do not have to face misogynistic comments.

Although this study was successful, there were some limitations. Firstly, gathering data

from more female gamers would have helped with providing more diverse answers.

Unfortunately, due to time constraints, I was not able to find and interview other participants. I

was also limited because I did not have the actual chats of the interactions that the participants

had while playing games. For future studies, I think researchers should analyze the interactions

between other players and female gamers itself as well as interviewing the female player. This

would create an understanding of what happened with the affects it had on the gamer. I also think

that there should be future studies on how female gaming streamers and content creators deal

with thousands of misogynistic comments thrown at them and how it affects their mental health.

Conclusion

This study has allowed me to dive deep into the world of gaming and discover what it is

really like to be a female gamer. Society has created these expectations and roles that put certain

types of people into a box. When someone wants to do something that is ‘out of the norm’,

others tend to criticize and shame that person just for wanting to be different. Playing video

games is not just a male activity, but it is something anyone can do. Thankfully, the world is

starting to change, and more females are being accepted in the gaming community as the years

go on.
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Works Cited

Barkema, Clayre. “Video Games and Gender Female Discrimination in the Gaming

Community.” Sosland Journal of Student Writing, 2018,

https://info.umkc.edu/sosland_journal/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/sosland-2018-full-

issue.pdf#page=11

Charles, Christopher. “Keeping Quiet: Investigating the Maintenance and Policing of Male-

Dominated Gaming Space.” STARS, 2016,

https://stars.library.ucf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6115&context=etd

Delamere, Fern, and Susan Shaw. “‘They See It as a Guy's Game’: The Politics of Gender in

Digital Games.” Taylor & Francis, 2010,

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/14927713.2008.9651411?

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Kuss, Daria, et al. “To Be or Not to Be a Female Gamer: A Qualitative Exploration of Female

Gamer Identity.” ProQuest, 2022,

https://www.proquest.com/docview/2627528146/fulltextPDF/ECCA076116664511PQ/1?

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Kuznekoff, Jeffery, and Lindsey Rose. “Communication in Multiplayer Gaming: Examining

Player ... - Sage Journals.” SAGE Journals, 2012,

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1461444812458271?

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