BC news story - women online gamers

[Treblehook]

Today's TV news has been reporting on the dangers or threats that women online gamers face. Why is that women gamers are subject to threat from others online who are able to hide behind anonymity. Why are the women gamers not also anonymous? If you are not identifiable online, how can you be threatened? I don't understand.

[kgcayenne]

Could it be that some seek attention they aren't receiving elsewhere, thereby divulging far too much?

[Treblehook]

I thought that might be the case, but were that so, why the media attention on them being victimized through threats, etc. The media attention ought to be more along the lines that adult women should know better than to broadcast personal information to people they don't know on the internet.. Period. On second thought, I have come to the conclusion that I don't know a darn thing about online gamers or how the participants know that player X or player Y is male or female. From some very quick reading about online harassment, it seems that communication between the players is perhaps verbal???? so the voice gives the player's gender away???

[kelownawriter]

I'm an online gamer and my communication is never verbal. In fact a lot of online gaming communication is not verbal. However, there are games where headphones and microphones can be worn and included in play. Certain PC games have similar features to games like those on the xbox where people will chat, scream and curse.

How to tell a person's gender? You can never REALLY, because so many people lie about everything from their dog to their hair, but generally people say it (a large portion of gaming communication is written chat), some sites require a gender to be chosen on sign up for different stuff like forums, or if you're playing a game where you go by avatar character, you can choose gender for that. Usernames can give it away, or make people assume. There are plenty of ways besides outright telling your gender or hearing your voice. Women do get a lot of bull online. It just comes with the territory. I'm sure we'd all like to believe that there is no gender bias in the gaming community, but you still get the nitwits who will walk into a GameStop and refuse to talk to a female employee. Why? Because according to a lot of folks video games are a man's world. You get those that will utterly disrespect you if they think you're female, there are the pigs that will send utterly disgusting messages, and the list goes on.

Why should a female game player have to pretend she is not a woman, so someone won't be cruel, prejudiced, or disgusting towards her?

[Treblehook]

I don't think a female gamer should have to deny her gender either, but if the gamer environment is so fraught with abuse, threats and disgusting behavior toward females???? Parents are encouraged these days to educate their children as to the dangers that lurk on the internet and warn them not to put any personal information out there on social networks or in those infamous chat rooms. Not so many generations ago, kids used to be free to roam unsupervised through their communities with no fear for their safety and people didn't lock their doors. In those days, the general sentiment of the population was that they "wouldn't want to live in a place where you have to lock your doors". This behavior [online] is but a symptom of the constantly deteriorating respect that people have for each other. I guess hiding one's gender while online gaming is like locking your door today.

[Nom_de_Plume]

Hmmm I play an online game and I've never had an issue with being harassed due to gender.
My character is female, My guild knows I'm female, heck two of my children are also in my guild. Even when doing group raids(with members from outside my immediate friend group) wearing a headset everyone can "hear" I'm female. Still never had a problem being bothered due to the fact I'm female.