[muglug]

Nobody's asking you to take abuse of women in multiplayer games seriously - at least not you personally.

People don't ask people who've just had a heart attack to take food poisoning seriously. But food poisoning still deserves the attention of people who can afford to care.

[User23]

Everyone gets "abused" in games. Bantzing, shit talking, or whatever you want to call it is a component of every competitive endeavor, from basketball to chess. The anonymity of online interactions and lack of immediate concrete behavioral correction exacerbates this tendency in online games.

I, like all reasonable people, welcome women who want to play in these waters. The argument can be made that women deserve extra sensitivity, because they are more emotionally fragile and less able to handle shit talking, but that strikes me as incredibly sexist so I don't hold that belief.