Back at it again
looks like a cinnamon roll but could actually kill you:
looks like they could kill you but is actually a cinnamon roll:
looks like a cinnamon roll and is actually a cinnamon roll:
looks like they could kill you and would actually kill you:
Yaassss
I’ve been playing video games my whole life. It wasn’t until the advent of online voice chat that I realized gaming communities were incredibly sexist. What disturbed me most is even though I had been a girl playing Ever Quest and Warcraft II my male counterparts didn’t think I existed until they could hear me.
The first game I got really into with voice chat was Left 4 Dead. I’d experienced sexism before from gamers, for example guys at parties not letting me hop into a fighting game turn cycle. This was something else. The verbal abuse was terrible. But worse guys would THROW THE GAME in protest of having to play with a woman. They’d throw the game if I didn’t accept their friend request. They’d vote to have me kicked from the server. It is possible to shrug and say “It’s just a game” and move on, but the fourth or fifth game in a day this happens it feels like a waste of time. Why play at all?
Well I kept playing. I found a group of steady players that kept the sexism to a minimum. It was all very fun until my steady group of friends wanted to switch to this new game, Heroes of Newerth. They wanted me to join. They’d teach me. It’d be fun.
That was my intro to MOBAs, and the end of life as I knew it. I love this genre of game.
Since I have switched to DOTA 2 as my main MOBA. It is a fantastically made game. Its only flaws are lack of diversity in character design and its community. The sexism I’ve witnessed in DOTA is nothing like I’ve ever seen before.
To help myself deal with the bigotry in DOTA I started this Twitter account recording the sexist nonsense people say while we play together. It is important to remember in DOTA only your own team can hear voice chat, so unless otherwise stated these comments are made from people ON MY TEAM.
Recently, I’ve begun illustrating these comments. It is important that the sexism women who game experience is visible to the rest of the community. I respect Valve, but I do not feel enough is being done to combat misogyny in gaming. The first step is acknowledging it is a problem. I hope my Twitter account, and my illustrations add to the volume of voices proclaiming enough is enough.
The illustrations are of the hero the sexist person was playing when the comment was made. I like to think that emphasizes the absurdity of the situation.
signify-nothing
nevertheowner
jenthetracy
quotelounge
