Why do gaming conventions matter in society’s attitudes towards women?

It’s difficult to forget your gender as a woman in gaming communities: condescension, suspicion, and disbelief reminding you every minute that you’re seen as separate from that catch-all “gamers”. Regardless, I’ve never been able to get away from games or my passion for them as a player, a writer, and most recently a designer.

It was this passion that led to attending my first ever trade show: the T-Mobile Warsaw Games Week that took place between October and this year. Beyond playing premier titles, soaking in the atmosphere, accumulating freebies, and generally enjoying myself, I found myself confronting parts of industry culture that I’d rather not bear witness to at all.

Image Credit: Joanna Jakubowska

You’ve no doubt seen #metoo circulating across social media and many of you have probably contributed to that conversation, myself included. The current public revelation that sexual harassment is so frighteningly common, especially in the lives of women, is sure to be significant throughout media and the creative industries. It’s refreshing, however, that we are taking time to encourage survivors of assault and harassment, speaking out ourselves, and discussing ways in which we can tackle this kind of abuse. It’s my belief that gaming communities still take some misogynistic stances and, as a result of this, many women are being made to feel unwelcome in spaces that should not only be safe for them but constructed for them as players.

I was excited to try out upcoming titles like Monster Hunter, South Park: Fractured But Whole, the Evil Within, Nikkokuni, Shadow of War, and Detroit: Become Human – something I was especially thrilled to get my hands on. Booths boasting racing simulators, the latest VR tech, and other alternative gaming experiences were very popular too.

Sexist gatekeeping and physical harassment within gaming communities not only perpetuates toxic sex relations, but further enables these behaviours in the industry and wider society

Beyond the games themselves, the panels saw several experienced writers discussing working in the industry and how they had themselves developed as writers over the years as well as engage in more design-orientated discussions. But Games Week wasn’t all excitement over new titles and industry insights, it was also the two younger guys ogling me while I reloaded in Far Cry, seemingly both confused and entranced by my presence. It’s piling up on Shadow of War merch and finding everybody around you is surprised that you can name the prior game, let alone have played it half to death. It’s the open disgust of the visiting YouTuber after having been beaten by a woman onstage.

Visits to the numerous demo stations were dampened by the attitudes of the male employees who hovered over me at all times, looking for any excuse to strike up conversation, condescending to demonstrate exactly how to switch on a controller. And that’s without addressing the simple trauma of navigating a crowd or queue, feeling hands graze my body, gazes held way too long, breath far too hot on my neck.

Image Credit: Joanna Jakubowska

I wasn’t the lone woman at the show, but most of the women around me were hostesses, milling around in skimpy dresses offering uninteresting pamphlets to men far more interested in sneaking pictures of them while they looked the other way. It makes my blood boil – the constant pressure to legitimise my presence or wave off attention, to have a boyfriend or male friend there to intervene on my behalf.

#Metoo in no way exists in a vacuum. Sexist gatekeeping and physical harassment within gaming communities not only perpetuates toxic sex relations, but further enables these behaviours in the industry and wider society. Women should feel safe to celebrate games and to be involved in whatever creative or professional spheres they feel attracted to. And I for one won’t give anybody the satisfaction of seeing me give up on my passion.