Nguyen 1
Thomas Nguyen
Michael Andreasen
Writing 39C
10 April 2014
Online Interactions in Video Games: How Gender Stereotypes Make Them Hostile
In 2012, Anita Sarkeesian, a popular feminist blogger, attempted to expose the
mistreatment, stereotypes, and tropes of women in video games by starting a Kickstarter funding
campaign that would help her explore and publicize the female “tropes” in video games. The
funding goal of $6,000 was reached in less
than twenty-four hours, and soon became an
extremely popular campaign on Kickstarter,
with users pledging over $160,000 dollars to
the project. However, users on the internet
quickly began to harass her because of her
campaign. Harassers sent pictures to
Sarkeesian of her face on a female body
An example of the offensive derogatory images that were
sent to Sarkeensian's mailbox after the campaign was
started. These were shared to the public by Sarkeensian
herself through her Twitter account. (Lewis)
being raped by male video game characters,
vandalized her Wikipedia page, and attempted to hack her personal accounts. One man from
Ontario, Canada was so offended, in fact, that he created an interactive “Beat up Anita
Sarkeesian” game that takes Sarkeesian’s face and applies bruises and blood. In the description
of the game, he argues that Sarkeensian was using her gender as an excuse to “scam” money and
obtain “sympathy” (Lewis). This misogynic reaction to a female attempting to prove sexism
exists in video games provides some insight into the mindset and environment of video games on
Nguyen 2
the internet. When it comes to the online video game environment, female gamers are radically
mistreated and misrepresented.
Video gaming is often perceived as a “masculine” activity. Jo
Bryce and Jason Rutter, on their analysis of gaming gender tendencies,
show that many experts provide analysis and evidence that society
associates technology and gaming with “masculine culture” (280). When
it comes to women and their representation in video games, it is evident
that this masculine perception of video games alters the way society
treats and perceives women and their associating gender stereotypes.
Research has shown that gender stereotypes significantly influence
attitudes that the opposite gender has towards the other. Survey
research results directed towards college students by Jennifer Jewell
and Christia Spears Brown, from the University of Kentucky, show
that “social stereotypes” are factors in the behaviors of adolescents,
An example of an outfit that is
available to the protagonist of
Lollipop Chainsaw, a hack-andslash zombie game. Even though
the main protagonist is an
aggressive female, she is
sexualized and objectified
greatly. (Bennett)
with young men “directing more assertive sexualized behaviors toward young women” when
gendered stereotypes are involved (602). This is important because patriarchal and sexist
stereotypes regarding women are often reinforced in video games; for example, it has been
analyzed that many games contain “gendered, patriarchal, and stereotypical representations of
females,” and often lack female characters in general (Kuznekoff). By analyzing game content
and its effects on children, Tracy L. Dietz, a professor in anthropology, has shown that the
reinforcement of gender roles and stereotypes in video games warrants attention; exposure to
gendered, patriarchal stereotypes contribute to “negative” and “traditional” gender identities for
women, as well as shape the behavior and expectations directed towards them (426).
Nguyen 3
With games being the fastest growing industry of any entertainment media, these
stereotype-enforcing games engrain young gamers with skewed perceptions on genders. (Dill,
Brown, & Collins) If neglected, these reinforcements manifest themselves in the future as
influences for misbehavior and sexual harassment against women not only in social interactions
occurring in real life, but also in video games; specifically, in social interactions over games.
Popular online video games today include a social feature that did not exist until recently: online
social interactions. Millions of computer gamers participate in Massively Multiplayer Online
Role-playing Games (MMORPGs), which provide a graphical platform and environment for
users to socially interact across the world online (Kuznekoff). Due to these staggering numbers,
it is no surprise that online interactions became an appealing feature of this gaming genre; in
fact, research by Mark D. Griffiths, a psychology professor specializing in video game addiction,
shows that both males and females establish good relationships within the games that can last a
lifetime (Cole & Griffith 581). However, under the
seemingly positive data presented to support online
interactions, there still exist problems with online
social environments that directly correlate with
gender stereotypes and their reinforcement in games.
In a study conducted at Ohio
University, researchers found that online
An example of a message shown at a panel hosted in a gaming
convention (known as PAX East) that chronicled the harassment
females received in online interactions. (Patterson)
male gamers often sexually harassed or negatively interacted with female gamers, and that
female gamer cues in online interactions were often met with “derogatory gendered language”
(Kuznekoff 551). The two genders, male and female, are treated differently online, with women
expecting negative interactions more often (Kuznekoff 543). Kuznekoff and his research group
Nguyen 4
created three accounts on Xbox Live for Halo 3: one to represent each the male, female, and
neutral genders (546). They provided data on the gender treatment phenomenon through these
accounts, showing that player responses to female gender cues were met with three times as
many negative comments compared to the male voice or no voice (541). There were no
correlations to explain this harassment-like behavior other than the gender; factors such as skill
level in the game, wins or losses, had no correlation to negative comments. However, there was a
correlation between “female adjusted skill level” and the frequency of negative comments (541).
It becomes evident that a player’s gender plays a significant role on how a player is treated in
online social interactions.
In order to understand why females are treated inappropriately in online interactions, it is
important to understand the scope of the gender stereotypes reinforced in video games and how
they affect the treatment of women online. As stated before, female characters in video games
are often portrayed in overly sexualized ways that will bring attention to their bodies; this can
strongly influence the way young males conceptualize females (Dietz 439). Female characters
are rarely the game’s main protagonist or hero; as a regular character, females are consistently
portrayed as “beautiful, busty, scantily sex objects” (Dill, Brown & Collins). From a young age,
children look to define gender identities by correlating occurrences that happen in their lives to
gender roles and identities (Dietz 427). With video games rising in popularity, it is no surprise
that the stereotypes existing in these video games negatively influence the way children associate
these gender identities, specifically young males and adolescences (Dietz). A study conducted by
researchers attempted to examine how exposure to these stereotypes and sexualized female
content can influence and change the way men perceived sexual harassment. They exposed
participants in one group to images of sexualized female video game characters, and another
Nguyen 5
group of participants to respected professional women. They found that both participant groups
responded differently to sexual harassment
judgments, with the males exposed to the sexualized
images being more tolerant of sexual harassment than
the males exposed to the “professional” images (Dill,
Brown, & Collins 1406).
It is evident that the reinforcement of these
stereotypes regarding women in games negatively
affects the way men perceive women, and the way
The image utilized by Dill, Thill, and Collins in
their exposure research. The left image
represents the "sexualized" female while the
right one represents the professional female.
(1405)
they interact with them. Many researchers state that this sexualized portrayal of women
correlates strongly with the way gamers behave towards women (Fox, Tang, Dill, Collins, Thill,
Morawitz & Mastro). These stereotypes can be reinforced to the extent where gamer males will
think radically differently about women and treat them negatively. A two-part study concerning
video game characters that was conducted by researchers found that gamers thought of women as
“extreme physical specimens.” They believed women to be “objects of men’s … fantasies” and
that women were “less important than men” (Kuznekoff 543). These negative and sexual
perceptions of women then influence the way female gamers are conceptualized. The resulting
sexual conceptualization shape the way users behave towards women in these online gaming
interactions.
Although Kuznekoff states that there is no clear “exact” reason for this discrepancy, he
does state that gender stereotypes in games lead researchers to “predict that women will be
treated differently than men” and that “…women will experience more negative communication
or punishment than men” (554). According to Jesse Fox and Wai Yen Tang, professors of
Nguyen 6
communication from Ohio University, there
has been research that supports the fact that
online games can be a “hostile environment
for certain players,” and that players
perceived as outsiders typically fall into this
category (314). Fox argues that this may be
what females are categorized as: outsiders,
due to their lack of representation and
reinforcement of stereotypes in games.
Females are also be categorized as outsiders
due to the fact that games are usually
The graph above shows the results of the sexual harassment
polls after exposure to the set of images by Dill, Thill, and
Collins. (1406) Notice how the results for men greatly skew
between professional and stereotypical exposure. There is a
strong correlation between the perception and correlation of
female representation.
associated with males (315). With the
combination of the fact that games are often associated with masculinity and women are
perceived as sexual objects in game content, women are definitely the minority, and treated as
such in online interactions. These minorities, when attempting to participate in online video
games, are targets for harassment, and according to Fox and Tang, this is especially true if
“[these minorities] do not conform to expected behaviors” (315). This is much like social
interactions and cultural ideals that have been enforced in our society in real life, which have
shaped how the ideal man and women should behave, and what they should or should not do.
History has shown that men have been associated with being of a “higher status” than women
which then result to “expectations of dominance and leadership.” Women, on the other hand are
associated with being emotional, submissive, unassertive and subdominant. According to Fox,
Nguyen 7
when women “violate this [social] expectation” they are “penalized for being assertive or
[dominant]” because of their perceived low status (315).
The hostile and misogynic environments that stem from gender stereotyping have
negative consequences on people. Women experience negative psychological effects in
misogynistic environments, and men who are hostile towards women (due to games) are more
likely to quit their jobs (Fox and Tang 318). Audrey L. Brehm, a researcher of sociology based at
the University of Colorado, agree with Fox and Tang that players should be held responsible for
negative behaviors against females and acknowledge them, which in turn would allow females to
enjoy the game without fear of harassment (Brehm). However, Kuznekoff states that there is a
possibility that game moderation by the game companies may be ineffective, as it is possible that
gamers themselves, even if the game interactions and content are altered, reinforce these
negative stereotypes on their own (12). Adrienne Holz Ivory from Virginia Tech agrees with
Kuznekoff and argues that these stereotypes are “guided by the same stereotypes that also shape
the nature of our non-mediated, everyday interactions” and that because of this, gender
stereotyping and female harassment are difficult to combat (155).
Due to the complexity of the problem, not many solutions have been proposed by
researchers. Fox and Tang argue that game reporting systems, which are systems that flag
inappropriate behavior to the game moderators, should be less tolerant of harassment towards
“outsiders” (318). Fox and Tang also argue that the gamers themselves should also be cognizant
that they are creating a hostile environment, and by reinforcing “masculine norms” they are
causing harm to other players (318). They also state that females may engage in gender swapping
(pretending to be the opposite gender) in order to avoid sexual harassment (154). Carol
Pinchefsky, a game analyst contributor to Forbes and New York Times, argues that developers
Nguyen 8
and companies of games should discourage sexual harassment by encouraging their players to
speak up against harassment when observed; this, she argues, would alter the “social stigma” and
shape the gaming community to better welcome female players (Pinchefsky 2). Danielle Keats
Citron, the professor of law at the University of Maryland, states that online sexual harassment
can be combated by proposing a “civil rights agenda,” which would allow the court of law to
officially recognize the impact of online sexual harassment, not only within video games but
overall. She argues that the implementation of a civil rights agenda would alter the public’s
“understanding” of the problem and influence the way courts and law enforcement “perceive and
respond to” cyber harassment and legitimize court and governmental efforts to defeat online
gender harassment (411-412).
If no action is taken, then not only females, but all video game minorities will continue to
have to tolerate harassment and derogatory language. This becomes a concern since video games
are rapidly expanding and becoming more popular. Due to the fact that gender discrimination
cyber bulling in online interactions within video games is a relatively new topic, not many
solutions, analyses, and data have been proposed, although many studies agree that this gender
discrimination in online games warrant future research (Kuznekoff, Dill, Thill, Beasley,
Standley, Fox & Tang).
Nguyen 9
Works Cited
Beasley, Berrin, and Tracey C. Standley. "Shirts vs Skins: Clothing as an Indicator of Gender
Role Stereotyping in Video Games." University of Kentucky. Mass Communication &
Society, 2002. Web. 12 Apr. 2014.
Bennett, Matthew. Example of the one of the choices for the main protagonist's outfit in Lollipop
Chainsaw, a game released by Grasshopper Manufacture. Digital image. EGM Now.
EGM Now, 8 Mar. 2012. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.
Brehm, Audrey L. "Abstract." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National
Library of Medicine, 04 Dec. 2013. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.
Bryce, Jo, and Jason Rutter. "Gender Dynamics and the Social and Spatial Organization of
Computer Gaming." Taylor & Francis Online. Routledge, 1 Dec. 2010. Web. 12 Apr.
2014.
Citron, Danielle K. "Law's Expressive Value in Combating Cyber Gender Harassment." Social
Science Research Network. Yale Information Society Project, 14 Oct. 2009. Web. 26
Apr. 2014.
Cole, Helena, and Mark D. Griffiths. "Social Interactions in Massively Multiplayer Online RolePlaying Gamers." Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 2007. Web. 12
Apr. 2014.1
Dietz, Tracy L. "An Examination of Violence and Gender Role Portrayals in Video Games:
Implications for Gender Socialization and Aggressive Behavior." Springer. Sex Roles,
n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2014.
Dill, Karen E., and Kathryn P. Thill. "Video Game Characters and the Socialization of Gender
Roles: Young People's Perceptions Mirror Sexist Media Depictions." Springer. Sex
Roles, 01 Dec. 2007. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.
Dill, Karen E., and Kathryn P. Thill. Figure 1. Digital image. ScienceDirect. Journal of
Experimental Social Psychology, 1 Dec. 2007. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.
Nguyen 10
Dill, Karen E., and Kathryn P. Thill. Figure 2. Digital image. ScienceDirect. Journal of
Experimental Social Psychology, 1 Dec. 2007. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.
Dill, Karen E., Brian P. Brown, and Michael A. Collins. "Effects of Exposure to Sex-stereotyped
Video Game Characters on Tolerance of Sexual Harassment." Sage Journals. Journal of
Experimental Social Psychology, 18 June 2008. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.
Fox, Jesse, and Wai Yen Tang. "Sexism in Online Video Games: The Role of Conformity to
Masculine Norms and Social Dominance Orientation." ScienceDirect. Computers in
Human Behavior, 2 Aug. 2013. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.
Ivory, Adrienne H., Jesse Fox, Franklin T. Waddell, and James D. Ivory. "Sex Role Stereotyping
Is Hard to Kill: A Field Experiment Measuring Social Responses to User Characteristics
and Behavior in an Online Multiplayer First-person Shooter Game." ScienceDirect.
Computers in Human Behavior, Spring 204. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.
Lewis, Helen. “This Is What Online Harassment Looks Like.” Web blog post. New Statesman.
New Statesman, 6 July 2012. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.
Lewis, Helen. Example of Anita Sarkeesian's rape sexual threats from New Statesman blog
covering the harassment. Digital image. New Statesman. New Statesman, 6 July 2012.
Web. 24 Apr. 2014.
Kuznekoff, Jeffery H., and Lindsey M. Rose. "Communication in Multiplayer Gaming:
Examining Player Responses to Gender Cues." Sage Journals. New Media Societys, 13
Sept. 2012. Web. 12 Apr. 2014.
Mastro, Danna, and Elizabeth Behm-Morawitz. "The Effects of the Sexualization of Female
Video Game Characters on Gender Stereotyping and Female Self-Concept." Springer.
Sex Roles (2009), 1 Aug. 2009. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.
Patterson, Eric L. "[PAX East] Exposing The Harassment Female Gamers Receive Online."
EGM Now. EGM [Now], 9 Apr. 2012. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.
Pinchefsky, Carol. "Sexual Harassment in Online Videogames: How to Fix the Problem."
Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 03 Aug. 2012. Web. 26 Apr. 2014.