JOIN USGirls fighting for a place in gaming
When it comes to online gaming, women are poorly represented not just in the videos but also among the players.
Metrolife spoke to female gamers and found them fighting for a legitimate place in the world of gaming.
Ria Kunti, art designer
Ria has faced sexism and cyberbullying while playing online. “The moment they (male gamers) hear my voice or figure out that I am a girl, they start sending flirty comments,” she says.
This hasn’t discouraged her from playing games but she has certainly become choosy. “I look for games with a good storyline. Having a female protagonist is always a plus, which games like Tomb Raiders and Plague Tale: Innocence offer,” she adds.
However, Ria, who is the art lead at Gamestacy, says the gaming scene is changing for good. “Gaming companies usually design the games keeping the male players in mind. But now since more women are getting into gaming, they may change their approach.”
Vandana Nampoothiri, media student
Gaming companies have started giving more thought to female characters but Vandana feels they have a long way to go.
“Games like GTA have female avatars but they are hypersexualised. They wear skimpy clothes and walk seductively — always,” she explains.
Much like Ria, Vandana is wary of the online game environment. “In PUBG, and Call of Duty, we need to upload our profile picture and share other personal details. I never do that and it has worked for me so far,” she says about precautions she takes while gaming.
Bobby Debnath, BPO employee
“Games like GTA, and PUBG are violent and some women don’t enjoy this genre. Also, there is no effective barrier to prevent minors from playing such games,” complains
Bobby.
She likes puzzles, quizzes, and games related to beauty and fashion instead. The games related to beauty and fashion have fewer male players and that could be one reason why they are popular among women, she feels.
Expert speaks
Hypersexualisation of characters can lead to an identity crisis among female players as they start living vicariously.
“This increases the chances of gaming addiction because role-playing a sexualised character satisfies their ego and makes them feel good about themselves. It’s not healthy,” says Sudarshan MC, a rehab psychologist.
Start-up doing its bit for women gamers
The representation of women is abysmally low in the world of gaming, and a startup is doing its bit to make it safer for them to play.
Gamestacy, a gaming startup from Bengaluru, estimates only five per cent of video games have female protagonists. An overwhelming majority play a love interest or damsel in distress. Even more problematic is the sexual objectification of these characters.
The start-up has partnered with an AI tech platform to moderate game chat rooms and block sexist comments and inappropriate pictures. This will create a safer and inclusive environment for women to play games online, hopes founder Danish Sinha.