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from the perhaps-men-don't-like-losing-to-a-woman dept.
On Monday the e-sports industry awards take place in London to applaud the top players in the business but not one female player has been nominated.
Competitive gaming, also known as Electronic Sports or e-sports, is growing at an incredible pace. In 2016, revenues from e-sports are predicted by professional services firm Deloitte to rise by 25% to $500m (£406m). Its regular global audience will likely top 150 million people.
Unlike in traditional sport, physical advantages in e-sports are non-existent yet the most popular games are still overwhelmingly played by men.
Recent research by the Pew Center shows men and women are equally likely to say they play video games but men are twice as likely to consider themselves "gamers". It is when gaming becomes competitive that the number of women playing drops dramatically.
Steph Harvey is one of the most successful gamers in the world. She says that the number of women in e-sports is as low as 5% and the main reason is the stereotype attached to gamers. "It's still a 'boy's club' so as a woman you're automatically judged for being different," she says.
Online abuse has been prevalent in the gaming community for years and even led to a misogynistic hate campaign.
Steph has even received online rape threats in the past: "The way I get harassed is about what they would do to my body, about why I don't deserve to be there because I use my sexuality - it's all extremely graphic."
[...] Julia Kiran is the leader of Team Secret, which in October became the top female team in the world. She thinks this reflects a common attitude: "It's always felt that female teams are not a real scene. Male players see us as a side game that doesn't count."
One of the solutions has been the creation of female teams and female-only tournaments.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 23 2016, @06:57AM
I also wonder how many of these women players have brothers?
There's a degree of trash talk that goes with men and competition. Guess what? That's part of the game. It's meant to throw you off your stride and make errors. Gentlemen and competition goes out the window once money is involved.
Similarly, I've seen women play up their sexual aspects (missharvey) to do the same to men. Where's the outrage? I mean if we are going to sanitize competition, why is it only in one direction?
If we are going to have sexually (err, gender. Err, orientation. Err, identity. Err, fuckit- I don't even know anymore) defined competitions, fine, but let's not have the whining like with women's soccer, who pull in less revenue overall yet demand to be paid the same. And it will be a tacit admission that women can't compete at the same level as men.
And with segregated leagues, I will tell you exactly where it will lead- the eye candy aspect will be played up to attract more viewers, women will cry misogyny, and not a damn thing will be accomplished.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 23 2016, @10:36AM
> And it will be a tacit admission that women can't compete at the same level as men.
This is why I don't have any interest in joining women-only groups or competitions. If I am going to win something, I want it to be because I am good, not because I am good in an artificially small group based on some irrelevant factor that I have no control over (gender, race, orientation, etc.).
I'd rather lose to people better than me, than win by gerrymandering.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 23 2016, @11:13AM
Which is why I've always supported women in my favorite sport (autoracing), but will absolutely brook no quarter for being women (you will give as good as you get).
Yes, it is probably going to harder just because you are the new kid and it is overly machismo, but once you win [youtube.com], no one can take it away from you.
And everyone else will have to deal with "you were beat by gurl" :)
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by kurenai.tsubasa on Wednesday November 23 2016, @02:29PM
Parent poster is obviously not a woman so it doesn't really matter what you think. Women are constantly demanding special treatment, and they're surprised when, as per their demands, they get treated differently.
It's almost as though they want it to happen so they can show teary-eyed articles like this in our faces.
Women: go to hell. Get your genitals mutilated. I'm just trying to enjoy playing a video game, and I especially don't need your horseshit if you PK me because I wasn't fucking playing competitively IN THE FIRST FUCKING PLACE!
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Wednesday November 23 2016, @05:10PM
Kurenai, with every one of these unhinged posts you make me less and less likely to support you, you know that? I'm one of the "good ones," okay? An egalitarian feminist, not one of the nutty androphobic TERFs you've been abused by. Quit tarring us all with that brush. Given what just happened in this country, you are in dire peril and you need all the allies you can get. Don't alienate one of the few people who's still on your side. Didn't your parents teach you not to shit where you eat?
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 25 2016, @11:37AM
> Parent poster is obviously not a woman
Because I don't fit into what you think women do? That's like thinking all vampires are evil, thus dismissing anything claimed to be a good vampire as not a vampire because it is good.. even though being evil is not a required trait for being a vampire.
> Women are constantly demanding special treatment
Those who go around demanding things will naturally be more vocal, and therefore noticed, than those who don't. Pretty easy to end up with a biased opinion in that situation, especially if you start dismissing anyone not fitting into the mould being formed by such uneven exposure. Feedback Loop 101!