Do you frequently play games online in multiplayer mode? When you play online, do you use a mic to communicate to other players? According to a report entitled “Teens, Technology and Friendships” released by the Pew Research Center, if you’re a teenage girl, the answer to both of these questions is probably “no.” In this national survey of teens ages 13 to 17, almost 60% of the girls they surveyed said they actively play games on computers, consoles, or cellphones. But of that almost 60%, 47% said they never play video games online. This is starkly different from the only 8% of boys who said they never play online. Likewise, only 28% of the girls who do play video games online responded that they use voice chat to talk to other players. When considering that more than 70% of the boys reported that they use voice chat, it’s clear that there is some discrepancy in in-game experience between the teenage boys and girls that were surveyed that’s causing them to avoid using voice chat – and even online multiplayer altogether.
While I wouldn’t exactly fit into either of these two conditions due to the fact that I do occasionally play online multiplayer and will occasionally stream using a mic (an activity that for the sake of this argument I consider as falling under the umbrella category of voice chatting), its not hard for me to see why these girls answered the way they did. For most of my gaming experience, I have stayed completely away from voice chat. I did not even own a mic, in fact, until just a few months ago. Although I had, for obvious reasons, not had any negative experiences, I thought it best to avoid throwing myself in the line of fire by avoiding it altogether. In fact, when a game came out that had a multiplayer mode that was dependent on communicating with your teammates with a mic or even if I thought there would be pressure to use a mic, I either avoided the game entirely or stayed away from the multiplayer.
I bought my first mic when I wanted to try my hand at streaming. I had streamed without commentary before but it felt a little hollow and incomplete; after all, what good was a playthrough if the player did not add any original content or try to enhance the viewer’s experience? But as I described in my post discussing what female streamers generally have to put up with when they decide to stream, I received unwanted attention almost literally from the time I began from one viewer. While this guy’s comments initially seemed innocent enough, it wasn’t long before it became clear that he was interested in more than just conversation related to the game. It was painfully obvious that he was flirting, something that I’m sure that male streamers never or, at the most, very rarely encounter. He said he imagined I was cute because of the way my voice sounded and laid on the excessive flattery, amongst other things. I wouldn’t describe any of what he said or did as hostile, but I was certainly incredibly uncomfortable and it made me seriously consider whether I did ever want to stream again.
Based on what I see online and hear from other female gamers who use mics, my experience isn’t uncommon. Comments made to women or girls who “expose” themselves can range from hostile to overbearing to downright creepy. There’s the standard verbal harassment and offensive trash talk, something that, while it can be unfortunately universal in multiplayer gaming, is often intensified and mixed with misogyny when directed towards women. Then there’s also the threat of receiving unwanted “positive” attention in the form of creepy or overbearing comments that are more like the ones I received, random or excessive friend requests or even cyber-stalking. “Outting” yourself as a women through voice chat can generate instantaneous negative attention, especially for young girls who may be more vulnerable or more affected by these experiences.
At worst, this behavior and even just the fear of encountering this behavior can turn women and girls away from online multiplayer games. At “best” it can leave female players uncomfortable or feeling like they don’t quite belong. In its study, the Pew Research Center stressed the importance and value of teenagers creating and maintaining online relationships. They even went so far as to state that “video games play a critical role in the development and maintenance of boys’ friendships,” that many boys consider their gamer handles as crucial to their identity as to include it as one of the first three pieces of information they give out when meeting a new potential friend, and that they use voice chat as crucial parts of day-to-day interactions with their peers and ways to feel closer with friends. Considering the benefits from this sort of multiplayer interaction, female gamers – specifically young and teenage girls – are being blocked from enjoying the full multiplayer experience by negative, targeted hostility, something that must be eliminated to reduce that disparity between the percentage of boys and girls who play multiplayer and use voice chat.
