Sexism in the circuitry

Abstract

In this paper, the authors discuss sexism and misogyny within video game culture through the lens of two high-profile examples of cyber-mob harassment and vilification of 'girls in gaming'. We discuss the representation of women within games as a set up for a discussion of Anita Sarkeesian and her Women versus Tropes in Games Youtube series. We then discuss indie game developer Zoe Quinn and what has become known online as 'gamergate. We use logs from the participants in Quinn's harassment to deconstruct the anatomy, techniques and methodology of misogynist online harassment, and how it is permitted and normalized by wider gaming culture. We stress that while this is not universal, it is wide-spread, insidious, and a major problem for video gaming culture. We conclude with a short discussion on the ways in which the issue can be addressed.