In an astonishing lack of awareness for what women in the videogames industry suffer, Wales Interactive released the problematic trailer of its new full-motion videogame: Gamer Girl.

The official PlayStation account deleted the trailer shortly after its release in July, as backlash instantly flooded in. But the trailer can still be watched.

The game, which was scheduled to be released in September but is not yet available, consists of playing as the moderator of a streamer, Abicake99, played by actor Alexandra Burton.

In the gaming world, moderators regulate a streamer’s channel, from which viewers can watch them play live and leave comments. The moderators enforce the streamer’s ethical rules and delete any comments that are not appropriate, following the channel’s guidelines. In Gamer Girl, however, the moderator controls Abicake99 personal life decisions, such as going out with friends or meeting her seemingly toxic boyfriend. The moderator can also lead her on dangerous paths.

Emilice Vener, cofounder of Athena Alliance, a US women-run gaming organisation, says this is the first of many problematic things about the trailer.

“The moderator is meant to be someone the streamer can have a trusting relationship with. So to have that person dictating decisions that the streamer should do that may lead her into harm or danger is irresponsible. The trailer framed it like some sort of power fantasy,” she explains.

Indigo Levy, game designer at Mediatonic Games, says that what bothered her the most was that the trailer “made light of all the women who actually have had to and, unfortunately, will eventually go through an experience similar to this.” She adds: “Streaming isn’t a safe space for women in general, and making a game that fetishises that, rather than making something that is a healthier commentary on the larger issue, is so problematic. This is not the time or century that this stuff belongs to.”

The title itself was resented by the community as well, as the term “gamer girl” both infantilises and sexualises women gamers.

“Gamer girl definitely has become a terminology that comes with a certain stereotype. I know a lot of women will not use that hashtag or refer to themselves as gamer girls because it has become almost synonymous with cam girl, which is a completely different thing,” explains Eve Habfast-Madison, streamer and cofounder of Athena Alliance.

“Perhaps for the game it wasn’t supposed to come across that way, but at the very least they didn’t pick up some of the vibes of the community.”

Wales Interactive attempted to defend itself in the Twitter thread below, saying the game was designed to raise awareness on “the impact user comments and actions have on a streamer’s mental health and wellbeing” and “the toxic environment which can often appear online behind the anonymity of a username”.

It continues: “Online abuse is real and is still happening every day — Gamer Girl seeks to raise awareness of this issue.”

But if that was the intention of the game, the trailer does not offer even a glimpse of it, and the gaming community has been reluctant to believe this justification.

The fact that the team of developers is entirely male and that the only woman who has been part of the game is the actor has not helped Wales Interactive’s case.

Habfast-Madison says the game is damaging in reinforcing the idea that women streamers have to appease to their audiences.

“When I was coming up as a streamer and researching how female streamers gained their audience, I found that women have to do more outward pleasing of their audience. They have to do more fan service, whether that means doing OnlyFan-type of things, letting people be their moderator or choose what games they play or what outfits they wear while streaming. Male streamers don’t do the same kind of fan service, they just have to be good at a game.”

She adds: “I don’t like anything that might give away the message to female streamers that if you want to be worthy and if you want to be represented in this community you have to almost willingly make yourself lesser by agreeing to whatever the audience might request. Women have always had to put up with the message that if you want to make it, prepare to be uncomfortable.” The fact that Abicake99 willingly puts herself in a submissive position to the moderator, not only in the gaming context but in her life generally, further enforces this stance.

Habfast-Madison also notes there is a significant difference on how much of the body female streamers put on camera compared to their male counterparts. In fact, she recalls the ongoing arguments about how women streamers who show ‘too much skin’ (meaning tank tops and some cleavage) are damaging women’s plight for equality and respect.

The Gamer Girl trailer brought this debate to the surface, when the mainly male commenters suggested that the fact Abicake99 was sexualised character was the fault of women who present themselves in this way. As usual, the onus is placed on women’s behaviour, rather than on the viewer’s sexualisation of the female gamer and their inability to acknowledge skilful players for what they are.

The reality is that women will receive constant abuse on multiplayer online games as soon as others hear their voice. This is particularly prevalent on first-person shooter games. Comments go from simple “this game is not for girls” to elaborate descriptions of how they will “tie you up and rape you”. This is not uncommon on games such as Call of Duty, World of Warcraft and Halo. Having your microphone on during an online multiplayer game will be a jarring experience for most women.

This is supported by a 2016 study by Allison MacDaniel titled ‘Women in Gaming: A Study of Female Players’ Experiences in Online FPS Games’, which found that 76% of women experienced verbal harassment or discrimination due to their gender. This begs the question of whether more can be done to protect women form harassment both on streaming channels and online gaming platforms.

These are only some of the issues women face in gaming, both from an amateur level to industry professionals. Keep in mind that 41% of US computer and video gamers are women, according Statista.

Safe spaces

Athena Alliance is one of the women organisations that provides support to women in gaming. It provides a platform for all sorts of gamers, from PC and console gamers to mobile and tabletop, both at professional and amateur levels. It hosts events, games nights, chats, and has its own mentorship program and a beta-tester channel.

“You see a lot of women organisations that have virtual coffee meets, workshops and esports discussions. But you never see the gameplay or the community interacting and playing. We get together on a weekly basis and do fun things. We have events at least four days a week,” says Emilice Verner.

“We work with [esports recruiting agency] Hitmarker so they add into the knowledge channel of our discord. They post jobs that women and allies can use to break into the esports industry.”

Vener highlights that what really makes their organisation stand out is gaming itself. There are many women organisations that dedicate time to setting conferences, organizing events, promoting women in the industry or promoting political campaigns. But not many dedicate time to simply playing and enjoying the hobby that unites them. There are very few social safe spaces where you can enjoy the game and disconnect.

On top of running Athena Alliance, Vener is also an ambassador for Women in Games WIGJ, a not-for-profit international organisation that promotes equality of opportunity for women in the gaming industry.

When asked what the most important work to be done is, Women in Videogames WIGJ CEO Marie-Claire Isaaman says: “The education pipeline is a crucial part of how we change the gender balance in the games industry and encourage more young women to consider the wide range of potential careers that there are in the sector.”

Organisations such as Athena Alliance and Women in Videogames have been at the forefront of movements such as Gamergate, a campaign centred around the sexism and harassment in videogame culture. An incredible amount of work has been done in the past few years on this, and organisations are continuing to push back from regressive problems such as Gamer Girl.

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