Female gamers confess that they frequently conceal their gender in order to stay away from being harassed on social media.
The video games are always open to everyone. This is how it should be at the very least.
Most of the time gaming on video is an enjoyable pastime for any avid gamer. No matter what the reason, it’s great relaxing in a short time between school or work or relax for lengthy sessions on the weekends or just escape our everyday problems with a few moments in a state of bliss. However, that’s not necessarily the case for all.
“Do some women conceal their gender while playing?” asked Redditor Mori Me-Joey. “Some gamers are particularly poor for harassment and sexism however, for female gamers who have been open about their gender, does the experience either positive or detrimental? Are you frequently harassed or do you do not bother?” they continued.
“I perform as male characters on every game in which I can choose, I always choose gender neutral names. This is the case for all the girls I know who enjoy games as well. I’ve experienced a lot of abuse prior to when I was exposed as my gender. Therefore, I make an effort to cover up the person I am today, when I can. I’d like to see the scenario not the way it is, but it’s much safer and more comfortable in this manner.”
“I will not make it a point to reprimand someone when they tell me “I’m here to help him beat this monster’ “Hey, man, can you assist to help him?’ or anything similar to that as we’re all engaged in trying to take on a s**ty gang If asked whether I’m female, I’m not going to try and hide the fact that I am. Most of the time, I run into people that aren’t creepy and just want to have a nice chat and enjoy the game,” replied TheSkeletalSorceress.
“If one turns out to be an obnoxious person then I simply block the person, then report them and continue taking my time. I’m not looking to protect myself from or be afraid of a little creep who is trying to flirt with me and request photos or instruct me to make sandwiches, so I’ll report it.” The Reddit user added. “But I can understand women who prefer to not declare themselves to be female and I accept and respect their choices.”
“This is my feeling. I’m not going around correcting anyone thinking I’m male, but will not necessarily conceal that I’m female,” JezraCF adds. “TBH the gender of a player has nothing in connection with the game, so I do not mind correcting players. But, I’m nervous about using a the voice chat feature unless with people I’ve played fairly very well.”
“It’s an activity, and you try to get things done. I’m a firm believer of eliminating IRL BS out of the game world. This is a pastime as well as an escape for a lot of us. It’s a way to reach some goal through the game,” said Nick_Lanky in his support. Unfortunately, many players expressed their frustrations However, fortunately there is a lot of positive support. Reddit discussion, there seems to be plenty of support for positive players.
In December 2022 male players posed as females online for an investigation and suffered abuse by a degree that was beyond comprehension. Also, in the month of May, 2023 one of 10 female gamers confessed to being suicidal due to the abuse they that they received while gaming on the internet. Take that into your mind for a few seconds.
If you’re in need of information and help, Safe in Our World is a fantastic organization that promotes the positive effect gaming can have in our mental wellbeing.
