Study – 63% of women polled report being harassed while gaming online

In other news, people are idiots that gets offended by anything and nothing. Just look at the Hitman nun trailer

@2 Sorry, but if I was called a cunt by some moron online, I would take offense to it. Highly. I know in the UK and Ireland it is no big deal to call someone that – it’s in your everyday vernacular over there – but here, it’s not and is highly offensive.

@2 And are you saying a lad wouldn’t find it offensive? YOU’RE SEXIST XD

@3 Not from what I’d seen while living in Dublin. Then again, I didn’t interact with the entire populous and poll them on the matter either.

A friend of mine is the opposite, as soon as a lady is ‘discovered’ he turns into a smooth-talking devil and the ladies are very responsive. He is cyber cat-nip I swear.

Thankfully his wife is not a gamer.

@2 That word most certainly isn’t in our everyday vernacular, not sure where you got that idea.

Agree with your final point in the news post, we shouldn’t be tolerating this kind of behaviour. These kids only do it because they don’t know any better, so perhaps if more developers, publishers and service providers took a zero tolerance approach similar to what ArenaNet are doing in GW2 then perhaps some of them would learn.

Unfortunately most of them are probably beyond help, their parents already did the damage.

@1
You should read some of the posts at Not in the Kitchen Anymore.
It’s astonishing how much females have to put up with online, especially at a game like CoD. We really need to grow up.

@1 I totally agree with you mate. I myself trash a lot of people. And don’t really give a s**t if I’m trashed in return. To be honest, I kind of love it! Bring it!! That’s the difference between men and women. We love the fight, they don’t. They run away from it. Which is a bit funny because this is happening in a protected environment. So.. I don’t know what all the fuss is about!? Though sometimes I would love it if they would say it to my face in real life. There’s nothing like a good fight.

@7 Man women will always complain. You should just ignore them.

A guy told me I had little nipples for balls on Battlefield Bad Company 2 Vietnam via Xbox Live voice messages

“We love the fight, they don’t. They run away from it.”

LOOOOOOOOOL!!! Are you serious!??

@8 There’s a difference between trash talk, and harassment and most people can discern between the two.

“Yet we don’t chastise or alienate those who bully other gamers online”

The problem is, I know who Fox News is and I know who that uninformed over opinionated politician is; I don’t know who the 14 year old, totally anonymous, sexist is on the other end of the headset. I can publicly decry the behavior, but until one of these guys go on national television and says, “hey, I’m a sexist douche-bag on XBOX Live!”, its really hard to chastise and alienate them.

While playing online, telling these people to keep their mouth shut or go somewhere else usually just fuels the fire. They enjoy the attention. They are more than happy to keep trolling.

If it is something one has a too fragile little mind to take, why not use a filter to sort it from everything else? Most games have that built in, especially if we talk MMO’s, but even if they don’t it wouldn’t take long to either just search for a program that does it for you, or just write one yourself. Harrasment happens everywhere, both online and IRL, people just have to accept that and ignore it. If i took it personal every time someone called me shit eating cod player, when i win against them in SC2 my psych would be shattered. But the trick is to just say “meh” and move on. It is just words…

Right so we just accept the status quo and ignore it while it gets worse instead of dropping/dropping someone else from a game when they act like an ass. There is a difference between growing thicker skin and accepting bullying. But apparently we should just deal with it, let the obnoxious have their way, and turn a blind eye. I hear you loud and clear. Shit like this http://fatuglyorslutty.com/ should just be ignored. Right on. I should also just “appreciate it” when men tell me how I should feel/react to sexism directed at a female. Again, gotcha.

Yes you should just ignore it. Stop being offended all the time. I’m sorry to say (well actually i’m not) that the world is full of idiots, and there is nothing you can do about it. Why you want to reward the people bullying is beyond me, but at the end of the day that is your own choice. All i can say is what i’ve said multiple times in several threads, people get offended over nothing. Oh so someone called you a cunt? Big bloody deal, it is just letters in a digital world with a screenname attached. You don’t see a human being calling you that to your face. You just see pixels. You gotta learn the difference. If someone harrasses you IRL that is an entirely different matter, because there you have a person calling you that, which you can put a face on. And you can slap the idiot.

You can call me anything you want, I don’t care, won’t change how I live my life and I’ll still sleep well at night.

@10 What? What?

@11 Well.. this should be fun. Please explain to me how can you get harassed through a text window!

@15 Exactly!!

@17 I guess being asked for a picture of my tits isn’t harassment. Maybe next time I should be a good little woman and oblige such “text” and ask him what kind of condiments he wants on his sandwich while I am at it.

^You’re an idiot -.-’
Calm down a bit will ya?

@19 Did you just call Steph an idiot?

The utter fucking cluelessness of the “men” in these comments is disgusting.

I would find it funny if it wasn’t so utter deplorable.

@20 Seems quite proud of it too.

@21 Well said.

@19 She’s trying to make a point that you clearly are incapable of wrapping your head around.

^So by being asked a simple question, one should answer said question in the most aggressive way possible, while of course basically doing to one self what one has been complaining about others do to women the whole time? Yup seems legit -.-’

@24 There was nothing aggressive about my comment, facetious? Maybe. And yes I was trying to make a point. If I had called him an idiot, yeah maybe it could have been construed as aggressive.

The fact is “text” can be considered sexual harassment if it is sexual in nature. To claim otherwise is just silly. THAT was my point. And using something which has been said to me more than once online should have driven that home.

You are a boy, incapable of understanding adult maturity.

No decent man would ever talk to a woman that way.

What a non-story.

I’ve been called a cunt, bitch and slut in online games more times than I can count.

I think the fact that it’s only 63% is impressively low. If any of those people played CoD or FIFA over a weekend, harassment would be 100% assured.

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2004/03/19/

Honestly, the fact that those results are attained through a non-scientific, anonymous internet survey should kinda exclude it from ever being taken seriously, but I guess that’s why they call it a weekend

^ “I’ve been called a cunt, bitch and slut in online games more times than I can count.”

That’s it?

Pffff… Man, i guess you never played Dota 2 or LoL then…

xD

I’ve never been harassed – then again I don’t really socialise that much in games, and tend to only play with the people I’ve met over the years – starting way back when with quake 2.

I think back then people just flat out refused to believe I was a girl, which was fine by me. I only cared about killing them anyway.

I’m more disturbed by my greenlight submission to be honest – the instant assumption that I am a “boy” is a good example of the current state of the gaming community. It doesn’t even enter these people’s heads that it might be a woman on the video. It’s like it is an alien concept.

I think the reason I have escaped the majority of fucktardism is because #1 I game to game, and I typically zone out and possibly miss whatever it is the fucktards are saying in the first place and #2 I don’t touch things like Xbox live.

Also haven’t really ever used comms in public games – because I know it would lead to some twats being well.. twats. So I’m well aware the sexism is out there, I guess I just kind of hide from it, perhaps because I just can’t be bothered. I just want to play games.

@26 Its just “text” to him. And no man would talk to anyone that way. Man, woman, black, white, child, adult..its makes me sick how people treat others on the internet or otherwise. Have some cooth.

Calling it bullying is just so wide of the mark, though.

Any information you give out during an online match can and will be used against you. If my name is DenmarkGuy1985, I can be absolutely sure that people will be talking shit about the word Denmark, the word Guy and the year 1995 if they can actually think up anything to say about it.

For me that’s business as usual since Counter-Strike in the late 90′s.

Anonymous people playing eachother competitively online does not promote sportsmanship and good manners, and I don’t see how women are targeted in any specific way. It happens to everyone. Either you grow a thick skin, or you don’t play.

I know a lot of guys who don’t like playing competitive games online, for the same reason. That’s their choice to make.

It’s not that much different with any other kind of competitive activity. If there isn’t a ref present, then words are going to get said, and the fouls are gonna get rougher.

I just find it funny how lackadaisical many of you are being on the subject, yet found the whole controversy surround the sexism subject in gaming lately something to stand behind. Having grown up in the south which is not the most progressive area of the county, I am not immune to sexual predation, harassment, misogyny, homophobia or sexism. Matter of fact, I have first, second, and third hand knowledge of all four in some capacity – and just because it happens online instead of in person doesn’t make it “right”. And no amount of “grow a thicker skin” or “ignore it” can convince me otherwise. If they get away with it online, they will eventually try their hand at it in “life” or carry over this attitude in a personal setting. Hopefully when that happens, they will wake up a few days later on the floor wondering why the hell their head hurts.

If disassociate yourself from people such as this and not allow them into your “real life” social circles, there is no reason why the same shouldn’t be applied online. That is the only way to nip it in the bud. Excusing or brushing off bad behavior just promotes it.

@25
I don’t see anyone saying that text can’t be considered sexual harrassment. I only saw someone asked how it could be sexual harrassment. Did it occur to you maybe he actually didn’t know? Instead of just attacking him headon?

@26
And you are sexist, saying i have to treat women different than men. But i understand if you don’t believe in equality across genders, a lot of people don’t.

@30
Obviously you’ve never been out in the world.

@27
Get out of here DSB while you still can! You apparently aren’t allowed to say something that contradicts with others opinion here! (surprise?)

@32
And how do you exclude them from your social circles IRL? Oh that is right, by not talking to them, also known as SPOILER: ignoring them.

@33 “You apparently aren’t allowed to say something that contradicts with others opinion here!”

How can you say that the things said to people while gaming that you see on sites like Fat Ugly or Slutty are just people being idiots online and that it shouldn’t be construed as harassment? That it’s only mean and harassing someone if that is your opinion?

Definition of harassment: “to annoy persistently – to create an unpleasant or hostile situation for especially by uninvited and unwelcome verbal or physical conduct”

You mean to tell me, that if someone said some of that stuff to your wife/mother/sister/girlfriend it wouldn’t piss you off? The fact it was said online is inconsequential.

@34
No you are wrong. The fact it is said online does very much determine if it should be taken serious or not. When people call you shit online you don’t have any way of knowing if they mean it or not. So you have to actively choose if you think they mean it or not, that is a freedom you don’t have IRL. If you choose to take it serious that is your very own mistake and you pay the consequences for it. And again, i never said harassment doesn’t exist, i don’t deny that, i’m saying just don’t give in to it, just ignore it. It isn’t that hard…

And no, someone calling some female i know something doesn’t affect me.
A few days ago i completely demolished someone in StarCraft and after the match he wrote me, and i’m paraphrasing “I’m gonna find your house and tie you down, while i rape your mother and then leave you there just to burn down your house”. You know what i did? I blocked him, and reported him to blizz for harrassment. And i haven’t thought of it until now. I didn’t write him back, i didn’t care about him, for someone to write something like that just proves he is so extremely socially awkward that he apparently has to take it out online.
I also knew there is no way in hell any of the things he said were going to happen, so why worry about it and let it get to me?

@33 “Obviously you’ve never been out in the world.”

The “world”..no. My state in the U.S. of Louisiana? Yes. I work in retail and deal with the public everyday. My specialty is customer service. They call me Sweets. I even deal with people that are angry with me. I treat them the way I’d prefer to be treated (usually killing them with kindness), even if it’s not how they are treating me. And wouldn’t you know the funniest thing happens. They’ll begin to feel ridiculous and change their tune. This works on Xbox Live, sometimes, as well.

@32 The thing is, what you see as a deeply hurtful brand of harassment, most others see as trash talk.

You don’t have to like it, and you’re certainly free to despise it with your entire being, but it’s not ever going to change.

People are going to be hateful and unpleasant whenever they feel they can get away with it. It’s the above mentioned internet fuckwad theory in practice.

Unless there’s a consequence, they’re going to say any mean, spiteful thing that they can get away with.

I think you’re giving them waaaay too much power by seeing it as an assault on you as a woman. It has nothing to do with your personality, your body type or your sex. It’s an assault on you as a random human being, just because you’re there, and it happens to everybody else too.

Hate it or ignore it. It’s not going to change any time soon, and the more upset you get, the more they accomplish.

@36
You do realize you just contradicted what you said in your earlier post right? “And no man would talk to anyone that way.”
And you just said some customers aren’t treating you nice.

Edit:
And just to expand a bit more on it,
I’ve worked at retail too, and as you i never talked down to any customer, or talked bad to them. Once a customer was literally yelling at me in the middle of the store because we didn’t have a ware anymore (it was on sale, but sold out). I just smiled at him, talked nice to him, and walked away once he was done. Did i like it? No way, and it was way more hurtful than anything i’ve ever experience online, but why did i put up with it? Because i was paid to deliver a good customer service. Here i’m allowed to say what i mean, and i will do so.

Going to go grab some popcorn.. Not for the article but for the comments

@39 No need. I’m done with it. I’m an “idiot” and comments made to women online that are sexual in nature are just “trash talk”. Therefore, I am taking these lessons learned and going to enjoy what’s left of my weekend.

@38 I typed that wrong. I meant should* not would. My apologies.

And my behavior at work is not a result of whether or not I get paid. I was giving you an example of how my “treating of other human beings” can alter their perspective on things. I behave that way because that’s what I was taught to do. It just happens to be well suited for my line of work.

Just out of curiosity, how many guys here have been sexually harased online? As in persistently asked for sexual favours, naked pics etc?

I get the impression that some here believe that a random “Suck it queer!” is the same, when it really is not.

@43 I been told “Suck my ****” before. That was before my friends made the rule that I was not allowed to bring the M40 on to the battlefield in BFBC2:V I’m pretty sure the person was just upset with my skills.

@43 “I get the impression that some here believe that a random “Suck it queer!” is the same, when it really is not.”

Wow, how’s that for gender equality?

I wish women could make up their minds as to whether they want equality, or just handpicked advantages.

@45 As this article shows, women would like to be picked on just as much as men and in the same manor. They’re catching more flak then men and the flak they’re catching is mostly sexual in nature.

@46 Bullshit.

The crap being thrown at you may be sexual, racial, personal, physical, but really, what’s the difference? It’s all aimed at making you uncomfortable.

If you are sensitive about those things, then an online, competitive scene is probably going to be a bad experience for you.

Expecting anyone to respect you even a little bit more, just because you’re female is wishful thinking.

If you tell ‘em you’re female, they’re going to use that against you. If you tell them you’re a certain race, they’re going to use that against you. If you tell them you’re a certain body type, guess what, they’re going to use that against you.

You’re never going to change the fuckwad nature of Joe Internet, so what’s the use in giving him exactly what he wants? You can toughen up, you can give as good as you get, you can keep your personal details to yourself, or you can not play.

A stranger telling you to suck his cock, or show your tits, is really not a very powerful person by any reasonable standard, and it really shouldn’t be such a huge violation of your person. Whatever power he gets, you ultimately bestow upon him.

Until you do, he’s just another sad sheltered cunt talking shit online.

So anyone know the percentage of Humans that have been harassed while gaming online?

Im guessing its going to be around the same number. Only this report is specifically based around women. Oh no poor women. Sad face.

I adhere to the exact samething as silk, its not that I want to avoid being harassed though, its more that I just don’t enjoy talking to random people online.

@47 “The crap being thrown at you may be sexual, racial, personal, physical, but really, what’s the difference? It’s all aimed at making you uncomfortable.”

Yes I understand that. But according to this article, its a bigger problem for woman than it is to men.

@49 The “article” is based on an open survey filled out by completely random people from gaming forums, Twitter and Facebook.

In other words, it has no real significance.

If you put up a survey aimed at finding out how many people believe that the British royal family are in fact reptiles from space in disguise, I reckon you’d get an overwhelming turnout among the people who believe that that’s true as well.