A turning point in the gamer community
How brands can contribute to a more equitable future for gaming
Hello,
During the past couple of weeks, there has been a reckoning in the gaming world. People are coming forward with their personal stories of sexual misconduct they’ve experienced at game industry events, online, in-game, and at game studios.
If you want to look at what is being shared over of these incidents have been compiled in a spreadsheet run by an account called Survivors Streaming Industry. Trigger Warning: There are a lot of upsetting stories that deal with rape, assault, and harassment.
These people’s bravery needs to result in meaningful change. I plan on exploring this topic more in-depth in the coming weeks, but here are a couple of thoughts about how brands can help create a better future.
Look for game streamers who are trying to be part of the solution
An influencer being nonproblematic is usually enough for a brand to choose to partner with them. Especially in a space like gaming where the brand’s decision makers may not understand much about it in the first place. That shouldn’t be the case. More needs to be done.
Brands need to reward and seek out people who are using their platforms to educate and advocate for a safer gaming community. Just being noncontroversial can’t cut it anymore.
Make streamers’ pockets hurt if they can’t figure out a way for themselves and their communities to be an ally as opposed to a bystander.
Recognize the opportunity esports holds for gender equality
Esports are a level playing field for men and women, but by looking at the gender makeup of most teams one would never guess that. Almost half of all gamers are women, but a fraction of them are pros. That talent pipeline needs to be fixed.
Female gamers have to battle through harassment, a gaming media landscape run mostly by men, constantly having to prove their “gamerness,” and a litany of other issues in order to get to the top.
Brands need to find more ways to celebrate the women already in the pros and make the path to the top for younger female gamers more equitable.
Gaming characters need their Dove Real Beauty moment
Games themselves can be just as problematic as the communities built around them. The easiest way to see the disparity is to look at games that have the same armor for female and male characters. A lot of times the male version of armor will look badass with spikes and what not while the female version will be a glorified bikini. It has gotten a bit less egregious in recent years, but it should’ve never been that way in the first place.
I’d love to see a brand hold video game developers accountable for this ridiculousness much like Dove did to the beauty industry with their historic campaign.
What to take away:
One day, the biggest gamer in the world is going to be a woman. It’s our job to make the path to the top easier and more fair than it is today.
*I know there is much more to dive into with this issue, but I wanted to let you all know that it’s going on sooner rather than later.*
Gaming news that caught my eye:
Kotaku: An EVE online player was diagnosed with terminal cancer and his last wish was to have a massive space war in the game. The community delivered.
Gameindustry.biz: Video games for the PS5 and XBOX Series X are going to cost 10 dollars more than the previous generation of games. This is the first video game price hike in almost 15 years. My wallet is not happy.
Wired: Pokemon Go and the creators of the immersive play, Sleep No More, are teaming up to create a game that turns people into “the hero of their own living game.”
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Email: zacharystubblefield@yahoo.com
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