Is ganking girl gamers a bad thing?

[rbstewart7263]

Why can only females be attention whores? Why not assholes like that guy?

Sexism, when it comes down to it. Just like you very rarely hear a guy called a slut if he sleeps around, as apparently it's only wrong if a girl does it.

Then again, on the other hand if a guy does absolutely anything wrong to a girl (calls her names, picks on her in a game), the assumption tends to get made that it was because she was a girl, when the chances are the guy is just an asshole who'd do it to anybody.

When it comes to gender, people on the whole are very immature.

To be fair, it's not like the guy doing the ganking was sitting with his chest brandished for all to see so he could make money off his videos. At least his videos showed the game and not mostly just boobs and a bit of game to the side. People watching his video are likely watching it for the game and PvP. People watching hers are most likely for the tits.

Oh, and she's taking money on her channel. So she's basically just a camwhore that plays games in stead of getting naked. And I should note that while the first video was dull and stupid. "Getting into the mind of a girl gamer" my ass, the second one had some legitimate PvP content and her nerd rage was worth a chuckle. She drew attention to herself and this is what happens when someone puts a glowing beacon on their head in a PvP server.

I mean shit, she was broadcasting her location while alone in contested territory on a PvP server. Hardly surprising someone used that to gank her.

I couldnt read the small text what was she saying as she rage quit?lol

 

[Atmos Duality]

I don't care what Chromosome pair you ended up with; if Imma gankin you, Imma gankin you.
Why should gender matter if it's part of the game?

 

[SinisterGehe]

How do you know the person you are ganking is a girl? Unless you specifically do it and you know it is a girl, then you have issues.

But like I say it: Long as there is anonymity, there is no gender.

 

[Legion]

http://kotaku.com/5914348/three-words-i-said-to-the-man-i-defeated-in-gears-of-war-that-ill-never-say-again

"I raped you."

If words could lynch someone, then this was the moment for it. The post-game scoreboard said I had technically won, so I'd shown them all, right? No, no I hadn't. The avalanche of trash talk was one thing?you play online enough, you come to expect it?but the laughter, the laughter stripped meaning from my victory. The laughter made me feel like I was shrinking, like I was in danger of disappearing at any moment.

Again.

"I raped you."

The words weren't coming from them. No, they were coming from me. Me. The rape survivor. I was the one saying those words, which now hung tremulously in the air after they failed to find a target. Shaking, I got up from my seat and turned the Xbox off.

I really don't understand why this is sticking in people's throats. Hernandez made an introspective article in which she discusses the disconcerting tendency for gamers to diminish the subject of rape into a joke or a taunt. As a gamer and rape victim (or survivor, as she prefers) she has an interesting perspective on our use of language, and on how easy it is to fall in with the crowd and join in with the harmful banter. It only requires a modicum of compassion and perspicacity to get what she's saying. So just what am I missing?

The tone of her article (that quote is only a snippet) seems to suggest she is blaming "rape culture" for people using the term, including herself, rather than taking the blame for choosing to use it. Plenty of people, including many who have never suffered sexual abuse find the casual use of the word rape to be abhorrent and don't use it, but she chose to of her own free will.

If the article was merely pointing out the problems that such usage can cause, then it wouldn't be an issue, but she acts as if it's not entirely her fault for deciding to repeatedly use it. Peer pressure or trying to fit into the crowd are not valid excuses, especially not for a grown adult.

Hell, it's the kind of reason for why parents use the phrase "If your friend told you to walk in front of a bus, would you do it?".

She should know better, millions of other gamers do.

 

[VanQ]

I couldnt read the small text what was she saying as she rage quit?lol

A mixture of poorly pronounced profanity and "I fucking hate PvP servers."

 

[maninahat]

snip

The tone of her article (that quote is only a snippet) seems to suggest she is blaming "rape culture" for people using the term, including herself, rather than taking the blame for choosing to use it. Plenty of people, including many who have never suffered sexual abuse find the casual use of the word rape to be abhorrent and don't use it, but she chose to of her own free will.

If the article was merely pointing out the problems that such usage can cause, then it wouldn't be an issue, but she acts as if it's not entirely her fault for deciding to repeatedly use it. Peer pressure or trying to fit into the crowd are not valid excuses, especially not for a grown adult.

Hell, it's the kind of reason for why parents use the phrase "If your friend told you to walk in front of a bus, would you do it?".

She should know better, millions of other gamers do.

Peer pressure is perhaps one of the most common reasons (not justifications - reasons) for why people say and do anything. As gregarious animals, humans regularly look for assurance and validation from others, which often results in them being corralled into all kinds of actions and behaviours. That's what rape culture is all about: If all of your peers casually throw offensive words around, or treat an issue with far more levity than they should, you might feel more at ease in using those terms and thinking that way too.

I think the writer is aware that it is her responsibility to choose what comes out of her mouth and that's kind of acknowledged within the article itself, but there is also a sense that, had she not been surrounded by angry idiots in a competitive environment, and they weren't all making rape jokes and tea-bagging, she probably wouldn't have chosen to join in with the rape language in the heat of the moment. I can sympathise with that. I can think of dozens of examples in my own life where I modified my own behaviour to be more in-line with those around me, not wanting to be the odd one out or risk getting derided. I was choosing to do this, but only because of the positive and negative influences around me. That doesn't diminish my own responsibility, but nor does it make me entirely to blame for acting in a certain way.

That seems to be the entire crux of the article - Hernandez is disappointed in herself for joining in, but she wants to look at the reasons for why. Though she talks about the outside influences, she's self aware enough to realise she is responsible for her own language:

"Or, so I wanted to think. It's easier to not feel accountable for your actions and words when everyone is doing the same thing, isn't it?"

 

[Phasmal]

Oh, Escapist. I am dissapoint.

Is hunting people down on the basis of their gender alone sexist?
Coming up- Do bears shit in the woods?
And later- Is the Pope a Catholic?

I wish I lived in this world that guy gamers live in where girl gamers are not seen as a big deal and nobody freaks out except when they do.
It's conformation bias to the millionth degree. I've been in groups with people I know where someone is treating me markedly differently if someone `outs` me, but they still wouldn't think it was a problem if you asked them.

If we want this to no longer be a big deal, the answer is not for ladies to be silent, assumed men. The answer is, see a guy going weird cause there's a lady about and ask him what the fuck he's flipping out for.
Seriously, they must have seen a woman at least once in their life.

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

I would have more respect for this guy if he fought them one on one at an equal level.

As it is he's just a sexist coward.

I wonder how many people would be defending this guy if it was 'Guy ganks black people who use twitch tv'

 

[Eclectic Dreck]

Ganking is, in general, a dick move in any game regardless of context. By definition, a gank is the result of generating an unfair scenario in which victory for the target is all but impossible. That said, it is also a core game mechanic in plenty of games. Thus, just because it is ultimately an unfair act that erodes any joy the target might receive from the game for a time, it is largely an acceptable evil.

As such, I'd say ganking a girl is no different than ganking a guy and indeed refusing to gank because the target is female is just as much a sign of the boys club mentality as exclusively targeting them. If you simply gank whomever happens to be in a position to be ganked, I think morally you're in the clear. If you start targeting specific kinds of players, the moral protection offered by design intent begins to erode.

 

[Frostbite3789]

Oh, Escapist. I am dissapoint.

Is hunting people down on the basis of their gender alone sexist?
Coming up- Do bears shit in the woods?
And later- Is the Pope a Catholic?

I wish I lived in this world that guy gamers live in where girl gamers are not seen as a big deal and nobody freaks out except when they do.
It's conformation bias to the millionth degree. I've been in groups with people I know where someone is treating me markedly differently if someone `outs` me, but they still wouldn't think it was a problem if you asked them.

If we want this to no longer be a big deal, the answer is not for ladies to be silent, assumed men. The answer is, see a guy going weird cause there's a lady about and ask him what the fuck he's flipping out for.
Seriously, they must have seen a woman at least once in their life.

I'm going to start by saying I get where this guy is coming from. He's not doing it because they're women, he's doing it because they're obnoxious in their streams.

Every time I go to Twitch and go to the LoL page and see in the past broadcasts a screencap of the same old streams of some girl sitting there in cosplay, or just with her tits practically hanging out, it makes me want to vomit. I've given them their fair shake, I've tried to watch. But they suck at the game, they're outright bad, and they wouldn't be in the most viewed if they were men. Hell they'd struggle to get 10 views. But they know they have sex appeal and they sell it. They sell it hard.

I ended up in a custom game with one such streamer, and you know what? I got a few kills on her. And you know what? It felt good. A sort of "sit down and shut up". Did I say anything in chat? No. I took my own personal joy in it, because she was got on my nerves. Just like if it were an annoying dude streaming, I'd feel the same way. But most of the guys who stream are Diamond/Challenger/pro players, and stream because they can show off their quality play. Not their sex appeal.

Next time I see Dyrus playing without his shirt, I'll be sure to let you know.

 

[Quadocky]

Oh lord. I know this place is mostly made up of gamer dorks but come on. How many times do I have to lead in saying that.

Really? Sex Shaming? Hating someone because they are bad at a game?

Whats really going on here? Taking a special, personal, joy in 'killing' someone because they are a 'sexy streamer' is just really nasty sounding.

 

[Phasmal]

I'm going to start by saying I get where this guy is coming from. He's not doing it because they're women, he's doing it because they're obnoxious in their streams.

Every time I go to Twitch and go to the LoL page and see in the past broadcasts a screencap of the same old streams of some girl sitting there in cosplay, or just with her tits practically hanging out, it makes me want to vomit. I've given them their fair shake, I've tried to watch. But they suck at the game, they're outright bad, and they wouldn't be in the most viewed if they were men. Hell they'd struggle to get 10 views. But they know they have sex appeal and they sell it. They sell it hard.

I ended up in a custom game with one such streamer, and you know what? I got a few kills on her. And you know what? It felt good. A sort of "sit down and shut up". Did I say anything in chat? No. I took my own personal joy in it, because she was got on my nerves. Just like if it were an annoying dude streaming, I'd feel the same way. But most of the guys who stream are Diamond/Challenger/pro players, and stream because they can show off their quality play. Not their sex appeal.

Next time I see Dyrus playing without his shirt, I'll be sure to let you know.

I was kind of confused why you quoted me, seeing as your points and mine seem to have almost nothing to do with each other.
Still, if you feel sick when you see a girl daring to have tits and play a game, I feel we shan't be agreeing on this.

Funny, I've managed to go my entire gaming life without seeing such streams, simply by not going looking for them.
Gaming community is much nicer for dudes. I wouldn't stream just as myself, because of the comments I would get (funnily enough, many would be `SHOW UR TITS`- damned if you do, damned if you don't!).
Those ladies are not putting any dudes nuts in vices, they're not doing anything wrong. And if they want to stream in cosplay, more power to them.

And I'm tired of the stereotype that female gamers are all shit. It's blatantly untrue.

And maybe- just maybe, if guys stopped fetishizing and freaking out about female gamers, those ladies wouldn't be able to `exploit` people in such ways.

But there you go.
At the end of the day, hunting women down for being women is sexist.

Captcha: Mumbo jumbo. Indeed.

 

[Zeckt]

As long as boys are boys Phasmal, that is not going to happen. I get the feeling that this guy has a huge vendetta against girl gamers in particular as I bet either he or a friend or his guild were exploited by boobies multiple times. I play games online for the gameplay and not the sexualization and when I was in a warcraft guild when I used to play it 3 years ago there was a constant stream of females screaming out their gender. You know what? Not everyone actually cares about gender at ALL when they game and to have it constantly shoved in their faces like some of those girls did in my old guilds when all I wanted to do was play the bloody game and escape stuff like that I cannot blame people like this who just want to play the game.

If you go out of your way to shoot out your gender in a game, you can bet you are going to anger somebody. And that PrincessDaisy person specifically called him out and he responded in game by action. So what if he brought a friend? its a pvp server. Not everyone cares if you have a vagina, but they will sure be angry if you shove it down everybody's throats and try to flirt up all the guild officers. So I'm sorry, I'm going to go on the ganker's side on this one.

 

[Mikeyfell]

That's a weird distinction to make.

If you're "ganking" anyone, you're being a dipshit ****, why is it any different if you're doing it to a guy player or a girl player?


Most gamers can tell that the player doing the ganking has no life or sense of self respect so... I'd say the jokes more on them.

Similar to rape though? I never considered that, These people have weird power fantasies.
And I'm glad they're playing video games and not actually hurting people.

 

[Legion]

As long as boys are boys Phasmal, that is not going to happen. I get the feeling that this guy has a huge vendetta against girl gamers in particular as I bet either he or a friend or his guild were exploited by boobies multiple times. I play games online for the gameplay and not the sexualization and when I was in a warcraft guild when I used to play it 3 years ago there was a constant stream of females screaming out their gender. You know what? Not everyone actually cares about gender at ALL when they game and to have it constantly shoved in their faces like some of those girls did in my old guilds when all I wanted to do was play the bloody game and escape stuff like that I cannot blame people like this who just want to play the game.

If you go out of your way to shoot out your gender in a game, you can bet you are going to anger somebody. And that PrincessDaisy person specifically called him out and he responded in game by action. So what if he brought a friend? its a pvp server. Not everyone cares if you have a vagina, but they will sure be angry if you shove it down everybody's throats and try to flirt up all the guild officers. So I'm sorry, I'm going to go on the ganker's side on this one.

While it doesn't excuse a lot of peoples behaviour, you do bring up a valid point. Gender should not matter, girls and guys should be able to happily game without any of the crap that exists.

But for that to happen, that also requires both sides not making a big deal out of gender. Both sides, not just the guys. If a girl is constantly bringing up the fact she is a girl, then she is just making herself stand out. If gender is not important, then it shouldn't need to be constantly mentioned, as that is just creating a needless barrier that otherwise would not exist. It's basically saying "I am different from you, and I want you to notice that."

Is there anything wrong with a girl making a video, while wearing revealing clothing? No, not really. It's her body, her time and people are apparently happy to watch these kinds of videos. But it's not helping the idea that gaming is about gaming, and not about gender. Using sex to sell your videos is no different from game developers using it to sell their games. It's still making sexuality more important than personality, is it not?

I have probably worded this horrifically, but the overall point I am trying to make is that it's much harder to integrate with people who constantly feel the need to show how they stand out. If somebody doesn't want their gender (or any other aspect of themselves) to be made a big deal out of, it helps to lead by example.

 

[Zeckt]

Legion, I find you worded my point much better then I did and I thank you for that. When I used to play warcraft I only cared about downing raid bosses. Having to hear about the latest gossip on how some terrible bimbo player flirted up with a guild officer who now has her own goon squad of blind fanboys, splitting the guild into 2 sides who and suddenly has more seniority then the people who actually make an effort in the raids causing all the players who actually care about the gameplay and not impressing some drama queen to reform the guild is my absolute worst memory of that game.

It happens ALL the time. Seriously, if your a girl and you play mmo's I mean this in the nicest way possible. "Shut up and play the game please." This particular ganker? justified in my books. Happy head hunting!

Play the game, be friendly and care about progression and I like you and won't have any problem with you and look forward to having fun in game with you. Flirt with guild officers to get gear and play drama queen when there is no drama and I can't stand you.

 

[chadachada123]

Since many/most WoW female avatars aren't even female in real life, all I see here is people with issues.

It was the same thing in Runescape, where my friend made a female avatar and convinced others to give him free stuff because he was a girl. Except that this is reverse, attacking female avatars because they think it's funny to attack girls, not realizing that many/most of them are guys.

It's just..stupid more than anything else.

 

[Zeckt]

Since many/most WoW female avatars aren't even female in real life, all I see here is people with issues.

It was the same thing in Runescape, where my friend made a female avatar and convinced others to give him free stuff because he was a girl. Except that this is reverse, attacking female avatars because they think it's funny to attack girls, not realizing that many/most of them are guys.

It's just..stupid more than anything else.

It's still kind of ironic the ganker has a female avatar himself ... Anyways, my points were meant for the real drama queens. Not the ones that play for fun and content or even the guys who pretend to be girls I'll play along with it gladly and be their friend regardless if they make no drama in guild.

 

[Frostbite3789]

Snip

Yeah. I'm obviously just searching them out. Right there on LoL's main page for Twitch. I'm sure that 26 second video with the second highest views from this week totally has everything to do with her playing ability. Definitely. That's totally it.

It's not about daring to have tits. It's about streaming, making them the focal point and asking for money while doing it. Do they have every right to do it? Sure. But they have no right to get offended when it's irritating to people like me who don't go to a place like Twitch to get off.

Edit: Because it's kind of hard to read, the title of that video is "I did my make up pretty". Yep. Totally for her playing skill. Definitely belongs there.