The game industry in the United States is becoming exclusive of and hostile toward women. For decades, the gaming industry has stereotypically esteemed men over women in their sports activities. Sexual Abuse and gender discrimination in the game industry are becoming extreme experience that negatively portrays women. Sexual and gender inequality in sports creates an imbalance between women and men athletes. In particular, women gamers experience harassment toxicity, including name-calling, insults, inappropriate sexual messages, patronizing comments, and judgment based on sex rather than abilities. The gaming industry in the United States should embrace change to promote equal treatment of gamers based on skills and competence rather than race and gender lines.
Today’s most conspicuous perception is that those in the game industry are airing out their grievances not to rid the industry of its unpalatable interpersonal experiences but to restructure the game culture. Different people have shared different stories and experiences in the game industry. We have received several sexual assault accusations and gender-discriminating graphic representations. In addition, women athletes have complained of sexually aggressive messages and tags. Besides, Todd (2020) indicates that there are continuing reports raising the experiences of game staffers who perpetuate abuses against women and black athletes. In addition, discrimination is experienced in terms of pay differences. Women and black athletes are disproportionately compensated compared to their male and white counterparts.
Nevertheless, the gaming industry has been undergoing tremendous cultural reassessment since 2020. This cultural reimaging is becoming emblematic and symbolic of the relative liberalism in the game industry that had failed to address the ongoing cultural discrimination for years. For instance, reflecting 2014, the lack of cultural diversity in game content and studios was rampant and started attracting national attention (Todd, 2020). In particular, female game developers and journalists encountered confrontations throughout the national campaign against sexual harassment in the game industry. Throughout this time, the gaming studios remained underground.
According to Todd (2020), several women’s advocacy and non-profit groups, such as Feminist Frequency, gained national prominence. These feminist groups analyzed media and games through online spaces. The mainstream media neglected the prevalence of gender inequality because of the traditionally male-dominated culture in the game industry. Today, the public focuses on understanding the intersectionality between gender and race in the industry and examining how it became a highly discriminating space. From the look of things, this male-dominated culture resulted from a lack of accountability since women were mainly vilified or neglected when reporting violence and discrimination incidents.
In conclusion, sexism and gender discrimination in the game industry are human problems, and only human solutions can effectively address such cultural intolerance. Cultural tolerance and diversity in the industry will be achieved through compulsory and frequent training on unconscious and conscious bias for a full staff and industry-wide funds. The top officials in the industry should focus on creating human-centric and trauma-informed decisions to restructure the status quo paradigms that impend cultural diversity. These agitations will become successful if male athletes support gender equality in the industry and focus on bridging the skills gap. The non-profit organization Women in Games’ success is just one piece of a much larger puzzle, including spreading the word via social media and providing support systems. Men in the business must tune in and support their female collaborators by getting down on any unseemly language or ways of behaving and challenging issues, including working environment culture, movement amazing open doors, and the notorious compensation hole.
References
Todd, M. (2020). The Game Industry Battles Its Own Culture. Los Angeles Times Communications LLC.
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