By GG-SpartyT125 6 months, 3 weeks ago • 0 Comments
Within the past day, women in the gaming industry have made their presence and stories known regarding sexism via the hashtag #1reasonwhy.
The tag was originally started by a tweet by game developer Luke Crane, who asked why there weren’t more “lady game creators.”
These particular stories are not meant to be enlightening by any means. Female game developers, journalists, marketing reps and others affected by the unfair balance in the gaming world have shared their personal accounts of rampant sexism and discrimination.
Women make up about 47% of the gaming population today but that still doesn’t stop harassment and unfair treatment from spreading. Below are a few Tweets mentioning #1reasonwhy and personal encounters/opinions regarding sexism in the gaming arena.
The tweets that have been submitted cover everything from male-dominated studios to women’s treatment at conventions. Even though some individuals believe the issue has been beaten to death, the tag also discusses the portrayal of female characters in games, and how games are or are not marketed to female audiences.
The public outcry for support of women in the gaming industry has been strong. However, there has still been a backlash from various people, stating that men are still the superior gender in gaming. The tag’s name is supposed to mean that people are listing the #1 reason why there aren’t more women making games. The amount and diversity of random responses on Twitter obviously make a mockery of the whole “#1” part.
GameSpot editor Carolyn Petit added her opinion as well, discussing the importance of eliminating sexism in the games industry.
Petit stated, “The #1ReasonWhy is a rapidly growing collection of tweets from women who work in various facets of the game industry recounting negative experiences they have had in their respective fields….
On one hand, it was a painful reminder to me of the reality of just how rampant sexist attitudes and behavior are in this industry, an industry that should, I feel, reflect the fact that games can be enjoyed by all sorts of people, that they can bring people together, that they’re certainly not just for men.
On the other hand, it was inspiring to see so many voices speaking out, sharing their stories, standing up and calling for change. I’m kind of flabbergasted by the extent to which the hashtag has exploded. To me, that speaks to long-simmering feelings about a pretty severe imbalance that needs to be discussed and addressed.”
Bungie, the original masterminds of the Halo story, also made it known why women are crucial to creating “kick-ass games”; they interviewed Beta tester Jennifer Ash to pick her brain about her background as a woman in gaming. To check out the interview, head over to Bungie’s website .
If you’re interested in reading the stories and latest tweets for #1reasonwhy, click HERE
to check it out or add your voice to the discussion.
#1reasonwhy, Luke Crane, Sexism in Gaming, Twitter
