First off, I am an avid (everyday) watcher of this show, but
this topic is something that hits close to home with me thus made me feel a
responsibility to speak my mind for the first time on the message boards.
With that said, I am a married 28 year old mother, a corporate restaurant
manager, and a female gamer. I have been gaming for over 20 years now, I
am also a member of a focus group for gamers developed by Sony in which I am a
non paid moderator to the website. I also host online gaming matches for
members of this website......the issue here is not that this man wanted
attention, it is a valid concern that many gamers face. Being a female
gamer, the amount of garbage that is spewed at me when I am playing in a non-closed
room (i.e. a room not ran by myself or another member of the invite only Sony
run focus group) is unbearable. Due to the constant harassment I endure
when gaming I have completely quit playing with users I am not acquainted
with. Name calling is the lowest end of the problem in this quandary,
being called a whore, the b word, slut, stupid, worthless, no good, and any
other degrading insult that can be thought up at the time just because I am a
woman (and more then likely beating them :) is the least of my worries. When
they ask "do you get raped daily" or "I should come and beat you
like every woman should be beat by a man" are just two of the myriad of random
rude comments that come thru my microphone constantly. Now I’m not saying
that all men gamers have this ridiculous and barbaric bad habit but it is a
concern that does need to be addressed.
With technology the way it is, people who are savvy in this field are more
capable to do searches, hack information and track you down just by your user
name (I own a ps3 and the system is the same as xbox live, you have a specific
username you log in with and play under for EVERY game you play online). Now
to be afraid that his family is in danger is what any respectable parent should
be feeling and to say that he is attention seeking is a slap in the face to his
responsibilities as a parent.
Honestly, I think this topic is one that people who know the least about it
speak out against it the most, and always have negative things to say. Why
is it that the person with the least amount of knowledge on a topic will be the
first to stand up and pretend to be an expert? Most people’s idea of
gaming is that it is for children....this is not the case. Statistically, 49%
of gamers are 18 to 49 and only 28% are under the age of 18 with 62% of those being
male and 38% of them being female. On top of that, females age 18 or over
represent 31% of the gaming community while males under the age of 17 represent
only 20%. The industry is being run by my generation (remember I said I
was 28) and as an adult I have the right to enjoy my hobby free from ignorant
demoralizing comments. I just wish that just because that man was a gamer
people didn’t trivialize the severity of his situation, like it didn’t matter
that he felt that his family was threatened.
