Fair game

MANILA, Philippines - It is said that women comprise around half of today’s gaming community but it still comes as a surprise when people find out about female gamers. Be it in cooperative games like Dota 2 and Overwatch or mobile games like Bejeweled, and even offline games like Solitaire and Minesweeper, women aren’t thought of much in gaming beyond casual gaming or the overly sexualized characters in games.

We wanted to find out more so, over email, Young STAR dialogued with female gamers Pathra Cadness, Mich Cervantes and BP Valenzuela as well as gaming journalist Ren Vitug about female representation in video games, about whether sexism is still prevalent in gaming, and why they think there isn’t much female participation in pro-gaming.

YOUNG STAR: Can you tell us very briefly about your involvement in gaming? How did you get into it?

MICH CERVANTES: I grew up with a tech-savvy dad and a younger brother. Like any upper-middle-class child who grew up alongside the mind-blowing technological advancements of the ‘90s-early 2000s, we played a lot of video games. Gaming was one of my biggest sources of creative inspiration as a kid, second only to television (which it has since dethroned). I got really into it, and it played a pretty big role in shaping my vision and direction as a visual artist and my choice to study animation in college.

REN VITUG: I am an e-sports journalist, and I have also been handling social media and community relations to several gaming organizations. The majority of my work, however, involves the game Dota 2 (and when it was still a thing, WC3 Dota). I started playing computer games at a young age, and I enjoyed games such as Mario and Contra. As for Dota, I started playing it with friends back during high school. Not much reason for getting into playing other than that I really enjoy the games I do end up playing a lot, as well as the challenge and the competitiveness they bring.

BP VALENZUELA: I got into gaming fairly early. We got a PlayStation when I was very young and I remember my sister and I having a Gameboy Color when I was around five. My sister and I were very into video games, and I remember playing Grand Theft Auto III with her on the PS2 while way too young to be enjoying it (but we did) — we spent most of our time playing video games while growing up, although we eventually played different kinds — she was a first-person-shooter person and I was into RPGs and turn-based strategy.

PATHRA CADNESS: I started playing games when I was very young. My first console was a family computer playing Mario. I’ve been hooked on gaming ever since.???

What do you think of the term “gamer girl”? ?

Mich: I’ve always hated it! It’s grown into this weird stereotype on the Internet that’s supposed to shame girls who pretend to be into games for attention or whatever. It’s an awful label and it propagates the idea that girls can’t be more than that. The fact that most video games are marketed towards men compels us to segregate men and women when referring to people in gaming. The latter are almost always ostracized. It’s different from when you’re a kid, because back then, it didn’t have to matter all the time what gender you were. It was just a thing that kids did.

Ren: Well, it is a gamer who happens to be a girl. Nothing much to that term aside from the literal meaning. It is kind of unnecessary, though, if you ask me, as the term “gamer” by itself doesn’t really address a specific gender.

?Pathra: I’m not so into the term “gamer girl.” I feel like that term has been tarnished. This is because many girl gamers tend to be casuals, or are “too sexy” in order to sell themselves, or just use that term for attention. I’ve been trying to bring back the classy girl gamers. By classy, I mean dressing appropriately and being taken seriously in gaming. I support all girls who do the same. Also there isn’t a term “guy gamer” so I don’t think there should be “gamer girl” especially since the gender ratio has become closer to equal since 2010.?

How would you describe a typical multiplayer session online? Does being female play a big part? ??

Mich: I usually hide my gender when I play games online out of habit. There’s no prejudice that way, no assumptions. Women get harassed in video games on the daily, and even if I’ve never had to deal with that, it’s just a thing girls do a lot as both a preventive measure and a nod to the fact that gender shouldn’t matter when it comes to player interaction. Most online games don’t immediately display a player’s gender next to their ID during gameplay. If your avatar is a girl, though, there’s a chance you’ll encounter many strange conversations and/or offers. It’s gross, and is a reflection of male dominance in real life — only amplified tenfold because in games it’s over a screen where harassers are faceless beings with ambiguous identities, capable of getting away with things they only fantasize about acting out in real life.

Ren: Yes, it does. But sexism exists in the world, and it is not a gaming-centric thing. One of the reasons for this is the cultural difference in the variety and choice of games. The same way you’ll see sexism in a lady playing a MOBA/ARTS/FPS game, you’ll also see that in a male whose favorite game is — let’s say Sims, Bejeweled or Neopets (does this game still exist?). This cultural difference applies not only in gaming, but in sports as well (for example, basketball vs. volleyball). One might also make a case that most video game characters are male, but I don’t think this is much of an issue for avid gamers. It probably has an effect on the casual/newcomer market, though.?

BP: Well, with friends and Yahoo! Messenger then, it was cool meeting up at a certain place on the Internet — it felt like a safe space, but much later on with the right friends. But yes, I do, in a sadder way. Women are more prone to harassment. My first Ragnarok Online account used a boy sprite — I was tired of using a girl account and encountering annoying people who wouldn’t leave me alone. When I got an Xbox much later on, I started to make friends with 12-year-old boys around the world, and honestly, they are the worst.

Pathra:  I would say a typical multiplayer session online is normal. In Hearthstone people still want to win. They won’t throw a game ‘cause you are a girl, otherwise it’s a waste of their time and they lose their rank. I think being a female plays a little part — definitely, sometimes, with attention, because there just aren’t a lot of girls who are in the scene compared to men. Especially ones who are decent at certain games.?

How do you think girls should be represented in gaming?

Mich: The same way men are — as visible, actual people who want to engage in a form of entertainment, free of any prejudice or expectations. Content-wise, it still stands that there is a bigger need for diversity — character and game designers need to be more inclusive of women of color, women of varying body types and women in general. Many of us have a difficult time identifying with the masculine protagonists found in most games to the point that it sometimes creates a thicker barrier between consumer and content, which is disadvantageous to both players and developers.

BP: Strong and passionate female leads are cool, but just building an in-game world that’s friendlier to women and girls would already be a no-brainer step. Especially in fighting games — girls don’t fight in tight suits or with everything bouncing around. Toxic masculinity in video games is so off-putting for girls who just want to enjoy, and constant exposure to it honestly makes a lot of us jaded.

?Have you ever observed any instances of (cyber)bullying against women on gaming platforms? How do you see players usually deal with them???

Mich: I distinctly remember the first time I used voice chat on Team Fortress 2, way back when I was maybe about 15. One of my teammates scoffed upon hearing my voice for the first time and asked if I was a 12-year-old boy. I told him I was a girl. I’ve never heard a more condescending “Oh.” in my life. I’ve refrained from using voice chat when playing with strangers since. Even back in the day, when I was a grade-schooler playing RO for the first time, my female avatar would always be tailed by a male one, offering items and in-game money if I agreed to be his “girlfriend.” Some players treat avatars as if they have no regard for the fact that there are actual people controlling them from behind a screen.

Ren: Of course, but I don’t think cyberbullying is unique to women. A lot of players, male or female, fall victim to this. Both are also guilty of doing it. This is a problem in real life, much more so in gaming platforms where most people are hiding behind anonymity. However, I do agree that women have a special set of problems that they encounter. Similar to catcalling, which some people don’t really need much motivation for, except for the fact that the person is a female, they get harassed when they use voice communication. This may ruin the experience for new players (older players would have been already familiar with the situation, and they may attribute it to the culture itself rather than being a girl), but being a female also has its own set of advantages.

What’s the reality of the gaming atmosphere for girls nowadays in comparison to that ideal representation? Is that true on a local scale as well?

Ren: The genres of gaming are very, very vague. Among the top games in the world are Solitaire and Bejeweled — these, as well as many other games, have no other human interaction. Atmosphere should be the same for them as it is for anyone else. A lot of games have no gender-specific characters, and those who do have it have no way of verifying a gender. Considering all the games, only a very small fraction demands voice communication. Basically, there is very little real way to determine if the person you are playing with is a female or not. Again, this question, because of the word “reality,” is rather provocative considering “around half of all the gamers in the world are women.”

BP: A lot of games or a majority of games are still targeted towards men. The sexy tropes are still out there. The lack of intelligent and headstrong female leads in mainstream gaming is countered in indie games where developers are making games more in tune with the world today, and I’m very glad! I think the world is catching up a bit too, with more options for people to make female main characters, especially in open-world RPGs.

?Would you say sexism still exists in the gaming world? Would you attribute it to the games themselves, the players, or a combination of both?

??Mich: Everyone has probably heard of Gamergate by now. It’s this 2014 movement that supposedly condemns the faulty ethics involved in game journalism but in reality is a blatant attack on women in games. It came into being when a female game developer was revealed by her ex-boyfriend to have allegedly slept around with a few game journalists, and was accused of doing so to elicit favorable game reviews. It’s been two years, but a quick Google search should tell you more.

Because white male gamers have had the pleasure of being game developers’ main target audience their entire lives, they feel contested when minorities in gaming question why games can’t be more inclusive. They’re so possessive of the “gamer identity” that they go so far as to insist that the entire Gamergate war is solely a matter of journalism, which, upon closer investigation, is another matter entirely. At the core of everything is this underlying misogyny thanks to years of sexism that lies not only within gaming culture but within the greater scheme of things as well. As long as we exist in a sexist society, there will be sexist games and gamers.

BP: It’s the culture, definitely. It’s changing, but slowly — largely because girls aren’t put down by it and continue to play games. I got to meet a lot more people in college who played the same games and had the same problems.

Pathra: I know female protagonists are still underrepresented in video games and most game developers are men too, but women and men don’t have to be 50/50 in every area. As long as people are being treated equally and are not biased with a certain gender, then all should be good.

In your opinion, how would you recommend inclusivity when it comes to gaming? Or what changes would you like to see when it comes to more equal representation in e-sports?

Ren: I don’t think the representation will ever be equal. You can look into our traditional sports in general for that. Long-established sports such as basketball, golf, football, etc. are male-dominated in terms of player population. It is the other way around for volleyball, gymnastics and dancing — three disciplines that also require physical prowess. Likewise, even non-physical games like chess and billiard have a stronger male population.

If we are to push females into e-sports, I guess an initial step will be female-only tournaments to encourage them to compete. This might be totally counterintuitive as this offers exclusivity rather than inclusivity, and that point should be taken into consideration with the highest importance. Too much of this may hinder the growth of players, and it may end up hurting them more than helping them, but it might be worth looking into.

Based on a top-down point of view when it comes to the bigger e-sports tournaments (ESL, Manila Major, League of Legends championships), what could be a reason for a lack of female video game players?   

Ren: The biggest reason why there is a lack of female video game players in professional tournaments is because of the sheer volume of male players in e-sports titles. Yes, as far as video gamers are concerned, the ratio of male to female is probably near equal. But put aside those playing games outside the e-sports title, and the number will not be even close.

Pathra: Hypothetically, one in 10,000 people becomes a professional gamer, regardless of gender. In a competitive community there is going to be about one woman to every 10 men. Even in video game companies at least 1/10 are female. This is solely because of interests and passion levels. Not many women are willing to subject themselves to a life of continuous OC training/study, lots of emotional-draining failure from losses to get better, trash talking, and losing friends for a video game. Going back to the one in 10 hypothesis, for every gaming community that has 100,000 members, 10 of those members will be professional gamers and only one of those professionals will be a woman. It’s not real statistics but a very close example. I’m not saying woman can’t do these things, it’s whether or not they are interested in doing it.