Free Essay

Sexism in Online Gaming

In: Social Issues

Submitted By davvivi
Words 468
Pages 2
Online gaming has been increase so quick and much that almost all people have some experience with it. The freedom of playing and the gamers can do whatever they want within the game to not only entertain but release some pressure from the real life as well. However, the majority of the gamers is still male-based and they used to express their feelings by saying women-offended words even with the fast increasing female gamer nowadays. No matter it's by foul-mouthed, or purpose, being called "cunt,"
"bitch," "slut" and other common misogynist epithets does not make people feel comfortable even for male. Some game developers want to, from their perspective, make things right which is to ban the user whoever make sexual-offended comments either in verbally or literally in order to make the online gaming community clean. Or in gamers' point of view, it's only a game.

Game developers such as Bonnie Ross and Kiki Wolfkill are trying to find a way to eliminate online gaming sexual harassment. They offer permanent banning for the user that violates the regulation. Nevertheless, they sometimes do not realize the fact that people tend to do things that regulators do not allow; moreover, they can create more accounts if their accounts had been banned. The method of banning accounts while users made harassed comments is not a proper way to eliminate this type of action since people would still find ways such as symbolized words, icons, images etc.to express what they intended to say.

Although it seems all the responsibility would belong to gamers on this one, that is still the minority of the gamers that apply to deliberate harassment. Most of the gamers are in the games because they just want to have fun and release some pressures from their real life and, by doing that, some emotions will sometimes be exaggerated and magnified. It sure does affect female gamers and some male gamers too because they tend more shy and self-enclosed while playing games and even their social interactions between people in real life.

That’s not to say it is to find an excuse for gamers that could not control their behaviours; in fact, gamers have to behave themselves. Game developers, on the other hand, have to generate a tool to clear those harassed comments online; for example, they can create a keyword filter that filters all the sensitive keywords and ban the posting instead of the whole account. Even though it is violating the freedom of speech, it is for my point of view necessary if we really want to deal this thing, and to make both sides beneficial. Online games should be the place for all the people that can have fun, enjoyment and relax, not to create more conflicts and enemies.

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