Millions of women who do online gaming experience harassment and have received inappropriate messages, often of a sexual nature, a report has found.
A survey into online gaming reveals half (49%) of British female gamers have suffered abuse online, rising to 75% among those aged 18-24. Of those affected, 80% said the messages they got were sexual in nature. Over half (52%) of women said they felt worried about harassment.
One in 10 of respondents were left feeling suicidal, and 25% of women said such messages made them depressed. A quarter, however, said they would not tell anyone about the negative comments they received.
The findings have been released as part of a campaign to raise awareness of the issues female gamers face. The campaign is fronted by Stephanie Ijoma, founder of the gaming organisation NNESAGA, and content creator and 3D artist Danielle Udogaranya, and features a series of images showing abusive words women have been targeted with while playing video games.
The survey of 4,000 gamers, half of whom were women, was commissioned by Sky Broadband, and over a third (35%) of female respondents said they had received violent messages in the past. Of the women surveyed, half said they had felt uncomfortable while livestreaming due to hate received from other players. Just under a third (31%) of female players have also lied about their gender and remained anonymous as a result.
Over a third (40%) of women have felt personally threatened by the abuse they’ve experienced online, with 27% worried about being attacked in real life after threats made online.
Ijoma said the abuse women received was “simply unacceptable” and that the gaming world should be made “safer for women”. She added: “There is absolutely no room for abuse.”
YouTuber and presenter Elz the Witch said that she hoped the campaign would lead to change. She said: “I’m proud to be part of this campaign which is shining a light on the real challenges women that play or stream games online face – which is often worse for women from racially diverse backgrounds.”
Over half (51%) of the men surveyed said they had witnessed female streamers being harassed on live streams and 66% of men and women agree that women are more likely to experience negative comments.
Amber Pine, managing director, broadband and connectivity at Sky Broadband, said the results were “shocking” and “should alarm” the gaming community. She said: “It is completely unacceptable for this type of sexist abuse to be so prevalent.”
Women are being encouraged to share awareness on their pages with the tag #NoRoomForAbuse. Advice has also been issued for those experiencing difficulties.
