Kochanek 1

Ferra Kochanek

Professor Ditch

English 115

3 September 2017

Gender Roles in Video Games

Ever since video games have been invented, gaming has primarily been a

male-dominated sport. In the recent years, these games have been picked up by women, which

men have not been to pleased about. Growing up, people have undertaken a mentality that video

games are only for men and because of this, being a girl gamer has very negative

consequences including dismissal, rude behavior, and extra attention causing women to feel

discouraged and feel the need to change their tone. In fact, many girl gamers are too afraid to

admit their gender because of the way they are treated in and out of the game. They play more

aggressive and hide themselves in order to blend in with the male-dominated video game

community. Female gamers are therefore put into a position that isnt natural due to unjust

gender roles that are set during their childhood and females are expected to stray from gaming

when they have just as much of a right to play as a male audience does.

Being a girl gamer myself, I have had numerous occasions of the negative consequences

stated above. To shield myself from potential abuse and negativity, I have adopted a certain

mindset. This mindset changes according to the people I am currently gaming with. For example,

when I meet other girl gamers who I know have struggled through the same hardships, I adopt a

more feminine and genuine persona which is closer to how I am outside the game. Being

accepted as myself changes how I act around people. If I play with random people, whom I do
 Kochanek 2

not know very well, then I adopt a more masculine performance because, in my experience,

when people have guessed that I am a girl either two things happen: they think they deserve

special treatment, or they dismiss your skill level and degrade your performance. This form of

denial is a great example of how unjust and unreasonable gender roles are, since they are

dismissing females immediately before they begin to play.

Gendering from games start from early childhood. The toys differ for each gender: boys

are given video games while girls are given barbies. Its looked down upon for girls to be playing

said games because it is not ladylike or they are to violent for a sweet girl like you. The only

video games allowed are dress up games, cooking games, and baby care games which are seen as

girl things to do. In the article, Night to His Day, Judith Lorber explains that Once a childs

gender is evident, others treat those in one gender differently from those in the other, and the

children respond to the different treatment by feeling and behaving differently (20). In this case,

girls are treated negatively from an early age if they play video games and so they grow up

thinking gaming is bad. Likewise, boys grow up believing girls cant and shouldnt play video

games, so they treat them poorly if they do so. This mindset discourages many females from

starting or continuing gaming.

This submissive type of behavior doesn't occur only in casual video game players but

also in pro video game players. Professional video games, or E-Sports, is dominated purely by

men. Taking League of Legends as an example, every pro team consists of only men and no

women. Once a girl named Maria Remilia was invited to become the support of the pro team,

Renegades. However, she played for a season and got so many insults, and negative attitudes that

the team had to drop her and she quit. This is a prime example of the mindset that girls aren't
 Kochanek 3

good enough to play video games. Even though she was amazing at the game, every time she

made a mistake people would call her out. Furthermore, during the pro games, Commenters

were regularly chiming in to call her it and any number of sexist epithets (LeJacq). No other

male pro player would receive these harsh comments that Remilia received. Another example of

girls being abused in video games was a pro-team called team siren. This was a pro team in

League of Legends made up entirely out of women, but disbanded a mere two weeks of getting

together. This was because they became the laughing stock of the entire League of Legends

community. In an attempt to create the message of empowerment for every girl gamer, they

instead received harsh comments including, this is a joke and they just want attention. The

message of equality backfired on all the members and furthered the divide between man and

woman in the gaming world.

Because of sexism in the game, often I adopt an aggressive tone of play. I shout insults

and point out mistakes which is common behavior for men, but unorthodox coming from a

woman. In the article, Becoming a Member of Society, Aaron Devor describes attributes that

correlate with men and women. These two clusters of attributes are most commonly seen as a

mirror images of one another with masculinity usually characterized by dominance and

aggression, and the femininity by passivity and submission (39). According to Devor, my tone

and play style is inappropriate as a proper member of society. I do not conform to the normal

behaviors of societys definition of a woman. However, because of this masculine performance, I

am able to be an active member of the gaming community and be treated with respect that I

deserve. Some girls, however, have the total opposite mindset than a masculine one. In my

experience, many girl gamers that are comfortable with expressing their gender online adopt a
 Kochanek 4

mentality of submissiveness. They play girl characters, a supporting role, and are driven away

from dominating characters that are usually more assertive. This is because they are constantly

told thats what their correct role in the game is and it is the only possible thing a girl could be

decent in.

Video games are supposed to be fun for anyone who chooses to participate. However, due

to the gender norm of video games, even if girls are good at gaming, stereotyping has made it so

when a girl says they can game men think, oh youre a girl? You must not be good at the game.

The word girl can also be described as offensive or misleading since some gamer girls are not

young enough to be considered as such. This word has been used as an insult towards other guys

in the common phrase, you play like a girl, which translate to, you play really bad. This

phrase is also used outside of gaming in a negative connotation because men see women as

inferior to them in almost everything. According to Yannick LeJacq, author of the article The

League Of Legends Championship Series Has Its First Woman Player, Even when women are

actually recognized as Challenger and pro-level players, theyre still consigned to positions on a

team that are seen as the girls rolenamely, support. Thus, this mindset has translated into

video games and continues to be the normal way of thinking for the gaming community. In

addition, it has led to gendering in gaming communities, leading to a disadvantage for women in

the professional-scene of gaming.

Gendering has become a norm for people playing video games. Society has warped their

views of video games as a men only sport. Not only does being a girl gamer have negative

consequences inside the game, but also has a negative impacts outside the game as well. Known

girl gamers feel the urge to conform to society norms by either portraying themselves as more
 Kochanek 5

manly to fit in with the community, or more submissive to fit the role that gendering has given

them. Anyone should be able to play video games regardless of their gender and should not be

punished because they want to enjoy games that say anyone can play. Although there are many

males that are opposed to letting women play, there are some males that are starting to realize the

value of women playing video games. As more women take up video games, the mindset of

women being inferior to males will change and the world will see that women are able to match

up to males. Because of this, video games are slowly challenging the mentality of gender norms.

The changing of gender norms in video games will one day translate into the real world and

equality can be achieved.

 Kochanek 6

Works Cited

Devor, Aaron. Becoming a Member of Society:The Social Meanings of Gender. Composing

Gender: A Bedford Spotlight Reader, edited by Rachel Groner and John F. OHara,

Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2014, pp.35-43.

Hess, Amanda. A History of Sexist Video Game Marketing. Slate Magazine, 4 Dec. 2013,

www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2013/12/04/female_gamers_and_masculine_marketers_p

olygon_s_history_of_the_sexist_selling.html.

LeJacq, Yannick. The League Of Legends Championship Series Has Its First Woman Player.

Kotaku, Kotaku.com, 14 Aug. 2015,

kotaku.com/the-league-of-legends-championship-series-has-its-first-1724136651.

Lorber, Judith. Night To His Day. Composing Gender: A Bedford Spotlight Reader, edited by

Rachel Groner and John F. OHara, Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2014, pp.19-30.