Girl Gamers Harassed, Insulted On Xbox Live

J. Paradise confesses that being a "girl gamer" means being harassed and insulted. But isn't that the treatment everybody is getting these days on Xbox Live? Should the experience of being a "girl gamer" be any different? Is it important or meaningful to know the gender of your opponents while playing-- or to make sure they know yours? The latest Narc's Retort responds to Paradise's column and asks, Is XBL A Breeding Ground For Sexism?

Comments

Anonymous (not verified)

Absolutely right.

Wed, 06/22/2005 - 11:43

I feel as if I must add that around 65% of all Live users will harass anyone for any reason they can think of. I'm sorry girls or anybody has to put up with such harassment.

Anton P Nym

Hmm... interesting...

Wed, 06/22/2005 - 12:26

I gotta agree that the GIFWT is probably the key culprit. I don't know why it's SO prevalent in online play (and I think it's a truer reflection of what's going in in players' minds than when they're vulnerable to retribution... boy, is that Id monster ugly) but it's entirely blind to gender or creed or colour despite using all the derogatory terms normally associated with bigotry. The weird part is how all the bigot terms get used even though there's no way to tell if/when they apply. I'm pretty sure that I *did* once get accused of being a dyke... as a male who *is* actually interested in females, then it actually might sorta apply but as such was hardly an insult. (Maybe the object was to make me laugh so hard that I couldn't fire back? But that assumes brilliant planning by someone still in the early pangs of adolescence.) I'm guessing that there's no real belief in all the terms (or, indeed, that the utterers are even aware of what many of the terms mean... I get the "engrish" feeling from some of the verbiage) except that they're known to be naughty-bad. In sum, the brats aren't bigoted, they're trying to offend EVERYBODY. -- Steve doesn't think this is a great step forward for civil rights, however.

Wanted9867

I'll tell ya what..

In reply to: Hmm... interesting... Wed, 06/22/2005 - 17:09

Man, this brings up a good point proved to me just the night before last. I've been friends with one girl on XBL for 2 years now and we mess around a lot, but she's really nice and no one has much of any right to say shit to her. She's like my sister. Well we were playing some team something, me, her, and one of our other friends. There were 3 idiots on the other team, one that sucked, and two more that were ranked about a level 43.. somehow we got paired up against them. They immedietly laid into us because we weren't as good as them. She made a comment about it, and one of the idiots on the other team was suprised and remarked with "holy shit guys there's a bitch in the room". Unnecessary. Well I was slightly shocked.. I've heard everything there is to hear on live, I've had it since the day it came out.. and I've heard, and said my share of things, but not for no reason like this. Just because we're not wasting weeks on end playing until we're level 48's or whatever, and because there's a girl in the room, is no reason to call her a bitch and keep caling me a piece of shit. I swear those were the only two phrases in his vocabulary. "you're a bitch" and "wanted9867 you're a fucking piece of shit". Naturally, he was good, but making himself look stupider and stupider every time he called me a piece of shit, I had no choice, I laughed at him. This made him very very angry and he took it out on the girl in the room. Telling her to shut her "salmon flavored semen sucker".. can I ask, what is that? There are some unnecessarily stupid people on XBL, I'll admit. Especially that "piece of shit". ---Wanted9867---

Wanted9867

Also..

In reply to: I'll tell ya what.. Thu, 06/23/2005 - 10:22

As the main article suggested.. guys are also strangely attracted to a feminine voice. I don't understand it.. but when guys see a girl, or girls are in the room, they immedietly change their tone of voice, play differently, and start sending friend requests.. Girl players have an extremely large following. Also, as I can testify too, the one girl that I've known for years now, she is professed her love by many players. Strange isn't it. Some guy, who lives half way across the country, is telling her he has liked her for who knows how long. Probably never even seen her, but he's telling her how much he likes her. It's like girls are some strange creature that they don't have any of around them anywhere. ---Wanted9867---

Anonymous (not verified)

Not sexist...

Fri, 06/24/2005 - 18:36

I know a few girl gamers. They all kick my ass. I admit it, bah! Then again they are all incredibly cute. Proberly to busy checking out some female MJOLNIR butt to play. Either way, I'm not againest girl gamers. I JUST WISH THEY WEREN'T SO DARN GOOD!

Anonymous (not verified)

Not just an attack on girls

Thu, 07/07/2005 - 23:51

People who do bash will make fun of the person any way they can. If you have a high voice, you will be mad fun of. If your a girl youll be made fun of. If you seem different to them you WILL be made fun of. People are assholes, theres no way to combat this problem. The best thing to do is just laugh at them. Laughing generally gets them to mad to play there best, plus its funny to here an asshole get pissed. FatalEnding

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Comments

Absolutely right.

Hmm... interesting...

I'll tell ya what..

Also..

Not sexist...

Not just an attack on girls

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Mastodon

Comments

Absolutely right.

Hmm... interesting...

I'll tell ya what..

Also..

Not sexist...

Not just an attack on girls