Whether it be Valorant, Overwatch, CS:GO, or literally any other video game that includes in-game voice chat, there have been countless instances in which I’ve been instantly treated differently once someone finds out I’m a woman. Comments about me getting carried or boosted (Playing with one or multiple people who are better than me in order to get my rank up), asking me to do the dishes, go to the kitchen and make them a sandwich, or other possible stereotypical comments you could think of, are extremely common for me to hear.
It’s also very common for men to start asking me for my Snapchat or if I have an OnlyFans during these instances as well, making me uncomfortable and regret talking in game. The discrimination of women in video games has become very common and unfortunately, many women have spoken about turning off their mic in game and avoid talking altogether due to the amount of threats they received.
I remember seeing clips on Twitter or Reddit of men yelling at women in game, making sexually explicit comments that include threats of literal sexual assault which made me horrified. The comments below the post filled with hundreds of women saying “Me too!” cause me to question how these men believe it’s acceptable to say these things behind a screen where they feel full of power. These types of people barely get repercussions for their horrid actions of making women scared and too uncomfortable to play a game they enjoy.
About two months ago, I was playing competitive Overwatch with a friend and I spoke in game to call-out information to my team, and then suddenly I was being harassed by two men on my team for the rest of the game. They started asking me if I had an OnlyFans, and other disgusting things. They started pointing out every little thing I did wrong in the game, and I could no longer focus on trying to win the game. I left voice chat while my friend stayed in case there was anything important information needed to win the game.
I would say about over half the games I join where I start talking in-game, someone always has to mention something and I’m no longer treated as an equal part of the team. It’s a common stereotype that women aren’t good at video games, and when I was playing with my best friend a few days ago, we queued into a game of Valorant and as soon as she spoke, someone said “I don’t play with girls.” and left the game.
It almost sounds comedic and unbelievable that this happens, but this is just commonplace to us. We constantly get comments criticizing our game-play, even if we are doing better than another man on the team. Overall, I wanted to shine light on a topic that not many people are familiar with, as sexism in the gaming community is still extremely real and common.