[babebridou]

I'm a guy and a gamer... I've opened my eyes on this issue for some time now.

Yes we trash talk a lot in games, and yeah we don't see it as a big deal for the most part, because there's a part of creativity in trash talking in some ways so we can ignore all but the more original (and often laughable) insults.

But when someone is revealed as a woman, some people really go nuts. It activates some really ugly beta part in their brain, they can't help it, they need to harass, tediously, methodically reduce the other player to her gender, whatever she is doing or however she performs, whether she's in his team or not is irrelevant. That wouldn't be an issue in itself, there are crazy and stupid people everywhere. The problem is, the proportion of obnoxious and sexually insecure male gamers is through the roof, maybe something as high as 5% of the gamers are like that, and they are very vocal, and they don't quit. Such people don't rage quit on girls like they would on guys, when they get beaten or when they're ignored, for some reason they need to keep harrassing forever, it's a matter of virile pride you know. It's either that or they fall in love, which sometimes is even worse.

Girls have to deal with them every single day.

People really need to wake up on these issues. They add up and pile on each other. They span a very large spectrum of the industry, from day to day community interactions to elements of storytelling and character design.

If you want to wake up to these issues in pictures and with a good laugh, check out these two blogs:

http://womenfighters.tumblr.com/ (a more constructive take on the issue of character design, specifically female armor)

http://thehawkeyeinitiative.com/ (a hilarious take on the issue of objectification of women, this time in comics)

[Lewisham]

> Yes we trash talk a lot in games, and yeah we don't see it as a big deal for the most part, because there's a part of creativity in trash talking in some ways so we can ignore all but the more original (and often laughable) insults.

No, we don't. You do. Please do not attempt to normalize the ridiculous toxic vitriol that Xbox Live and League of Legends et al. extends to the silent community at large. Trash talking is unnecessary and unhelpful. Many people actually don't enjoy that kind of conflict. There are reasons why LoL now doesn't have All chat enabled and why most people never enter public chat on Xbox Live anymore.

Trash talking is not a "gamer" trait. It's a subsection, and probably even a vocal minority, of those who play games. Just because it's not a girl on the receiving end doesn't make it any less toxic.

[antihero]

The way I see it, trash talking can happen but in a sort of ironic, sportsmanlike way, in which it's kinda known that it isn't real, sort of like prodding or banter. However, it's when you cross that line of respect that it becomes flat out abuse.

[babebridou]

Even then, my intention was to point out that whatever it is that we call trash talking, and whether it's a problem or not is of no importance at all when it comes to sexism in video games. These are two very separate issues IMHO.

[mhurron]

> they can't help it

Bullshit. They have a brain, it is capable of higher brain functions. They can learn manners and behave themselves.

All this is, this 'they can't help it' is a reason for justification. "I'm a mindless animal, I can't help it." It is nothing but bullshit.

[babebridou]

It was a sarcastic figure of speech. Sorry it was misunderstood. I actually agree with you.

[antihero]

Weirdly, I had a situation years ago when I called a Counterstrike clanmate an "awp whore" (a pretty common term, not specific to gender), and because she was female she took a huge objection to it. I now realise this was because she had to deal with shit like this time and time again.

[pubby]

A lot of female gamers go nuts online too, mostly of the attention-seeking nature. Of course it's not every every female, but that small portion has had an indirect part in creating all these stereotypes and behaviors.

Essentially, both sides really need to grow up.

[___alt]

How funny that one side going nuts is "Hey look at meeee !" and the other side is "I hope you get raped and killed and whatever, bitch".

Do you really think that those behaviors are equivalent ? Because they're not. Some female players may be behaving badly, but in terms of scale and gravity it doesn't match the abuse of male players towards female players.

Perhaps you didn't meant to, but your comment sounded like white people always bringing back anecdotal cases of anti-white racism to try to make up for the most common cases of racism. Or the male-rape vs female-rape issue.

[pubby]

> Do you really think that those behaviors are equivalent ?

It doesn't matter what I think; if someone get's offended then someone gets offended. They're the judge of how much something offended them.

Anyway, I don't really want to get into an argument about -isms.

[notsorryatall]

A more relevant picture would be this:

http://imgur.com/F8j0Ieq

[CJefferson]

I really hope this is a parody.. but I can't decide.

I know lots of women who played computer games all through the 80s and 90s.

[EliRivers]

This is a throwaway account created by someone who, as the name implies, thinks this sort of thing is acceptable but is afraid that people will disagree. Almost certainly male, he's an insecure coward, bizarrely valuing his approval by strangers here (his karma score) so much that he creates new accounts when he wants to say something he knows people will disagree with, so that he can continue to feel good about how much people like the false persona he routinely presents.

If I made this up, you wouldn't believe me.

[jiggy2011]

Either that or somebody who doesn't have a HN account and is going around reposting this anywhere that this article is discussed.

Every "gender issues" thread on HN seems to attract new accounts that are here only for gender issues.

[EliRivers]

Every "gender issues" thread on HN seems to attract new accounts that are here only for gender issues.

Or we have a great many people placing an enormous value on their HN karma score.

[jiggy2011]

Perhaps, although they are not always troll accounts. There are certainly groups who co-ordinate internet message board activity to enhance various agendas.