New Study Finds No Link Between Gaming and Sexist Attitudes

[Veknoid_Outcast]

mornelithe said:

Veknoid_Outcast said:

I believe there's a problem because I find sexual harassment on video game forums and in online gaming unacceptable. I find threats of violence, rape, and death against any person, man or woman, unacceptable. And I find the propagation of centuries old sexual stereotypes unacceptable. 

So, why aren't you targeting religion?  Here's the problem, you pretend that these issues are gaming issues.  But they're not.  They're people issues.  They're real world issues that have to be dealt with in the real world, where legislation, slavery, sexual violence, murder etc... actually happen.  Yes, that's a very very difficult proposition.  But, things worth fighting for, generally are.

Unfortunately, merely targeting gaming forums and online gaming changes nothing, and will only create frustration as your attempts fail over and over, because you're not actually tackling where it's coming from.  Merely trying to band-aid the result.

I'm not pretending that these issues are specific to the video game community. I'm painfully aware they exist in all industries, across all countries, and in the hearts and minds of a wide spectrum of individuals.

But, as I wrote earlier, we're active members of this community. We can lead by example. We can have those difficult conversations. Yes, the problem is institutional and systemic, but there's no reason not to try to make things better in this specific community.