At Kotaku, Luke Plunkett compiles some of the tweets from women working in gaming—and male allies and/or colleagues—sharing stories about misogynist disincentives against female participation in the industry via the hashtag #1reasonwhy.
Even knowing this reality, even having personally experienced, on multiple occasions (*cough* Fat Princess *cough*), the wrath of the Gamer Dudes Whose Entire Identities Are Wrapped Up in a Particular Rapey Misogynist Brand of Gaming Culture, it is moving and powerful to see women documenting what it's like to try to navigate careers in gaming.
These are brave and amazing women, to blaze those trails and to publicly share their experiences knowing what the response will be.
The first comment at Kotaku, care of commenter Marco Cattorini:
So what?I believe I have bingo.
It's not like there aren't situations where the opposite isn't true.
There are firms where women have the upper hand.
It's kinda normal.
Videogames have always been "male territory" like the fashion industry is generally populated by women (or "feminine men" if you know what I mean).
Men are different from women (or "women are different from men" if that's less sexist), and thus like different things. With due exceptions, of course, but we're not talking about exceptions here.
Call me politically incorrect if you must, but these are the facts.
The common theme in the #1reasonwhy hashtag is not listening to and not respecting women. Women document this dynamic. Some notable percentage of male commenters refuse to listen to and insistently disrespect those women.
The point. You are proving it.
[H/T to Iain. Related Reading: My Point, Here It Is.]
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