Shannon Sun-Higginson is a young filmmaker based in New York. As primarily a casual player, Sun-Higginson, until a year ago, was unaware of the extent to which women face abuse on a daily basis as players and as industry professionals.
"I immediately began researching and filming this documentary," she explains. "Of course not all gamers are trolls or abusers - many are kind, supportive, and equally disgusted by this type of behavior. But the fact remains that this is a real problem, and it's time that the non-gaming public know about it."
The project comes on the heels of last year's #1ReasonWhy movement on Twitter, where women in the video games industry shared their experiences being harassed or dismissed by their male colleagues. It also recalls the #1ReasonToBe panel hosted just weeks ago at GDC, where industry veterans Brenda Romero and Robin Hunicke sat beside the likes of critic Mattie Brice and Gamasutra's own Leigh Alexander.
The success of that panel and many others which addressed sexism at this year's GDC prompted some journalists, such as Kotaku's Kirk Hamilton, to deem 2013 a turning point year for the industry at large.
Sun-Higginson's documentary, dubbed GTFO, is positioned as the next phase in that growing conversation. "The purpose of this documentary is to reveal the experiences of women in the gaming world, both good and bad, as well as to provide steps we can take to change the environment for the better," Sun-Higginson says. "Nobody should have to endure being called a derogatory term simply because of their gender (or race, religion, or sexual orientation, for that matter)."
The documentary is currently undergoing a funding effort on Kickstarter. Sun-Higginson says she has already shot quite a bit of material, but she is still looking for interview subjects to flesh out the project. You can learn more here.
Not sure about the gaming 'industry', but I'm certain the solution for players is simple - eliminate anonymity. Creepers will say anything as long as they can hide, but when players are registered in an organized system based on merit, experience, and reputation, it should be relatively easy to eliminate, or at the least, limit.
Eliminating anonymity isn't a solution at all. The fact is, plenty of non-anonymous good/bad persons game everyday. That's not to say that I disagree that anonymity seems to be linked to the volume of asshatery on the internet, but it isn't itself a problem. The problem is there are no consequences and we don't have to know who a person is to penalize them.
The single greatest solution is for all the so-called "good guys" to be vocal and active in cultivating fun and safe communities. It's the silence that's making bad behavior so prominent. I believe most members of the gaming community are mature and humane. Unfortunately, they are also deafeningly silent which just makes it SEEM that the problem is rampant.
The real problem is the so-called "good guys" aren't doing anything/enough when faced with criminal behavior in our community. And breaking the silence in order to solve the problem means actually confronting the issues head-on, without denials, apologies, or excuses as to why it's "normal" and "not a problem."
I know there are many vocal people on these issues, but the problem is not enough of us are.
I completely disagree with you. Not only are some people still creepers IRL, but removing anonymity for all parties removes protection for those being persecuted, leaving them open to be harassed IRL.
Harassing people in real life carries with it actual penalties, of both the legal and the being punched in the face kind. Even the people who would still act this way in real life, would probably think twice when threatened with a restraining order. Also for a female, the anonymity doesn't extend into the real world the way it does for a male. In most cases it is fairly obvious that a woman is a woman, and they will be harassed IRL even with the veil of online anonymity still intact. At least there can be penalties for this kind of behavior.
Also why (in the original article) does religion get lumped in with a bunch of things that aren't choices (race, gender, sexual orientation)? You might as well extend that sentence to favorite sports teams or political affiliation.
@Elisabeth
You're assuming that anonymity = problem and it isn't. The problem is twofold: sexual harassment is culturally acceptable and bad behavior. It's the little boy who plays too rough: the parents will tell him not to do it, but they will continue to expect that boys will do so. This is the problem.
Again, I am NOT saying anonymity doesn't sometimes remove accountability by making it impossible to catch real criminals. But blaming anonymity fails to account for the fact that this happens publicly at gaming events/everywhere, face to face, and the perp will still not be condemned (except by the victim their associates) and the community which created him will continue to uphold the status quo, ensuring this happens again. I think silence is a far bigger problem.
Lack of anonymity just means we get to shame people in gaming communities for the most part. I agree that in the event of threats to a person's life, we must know who to prosecute. But for the daily ignorance that leads to harassment, griefing, and bullying, knowing a person's name will only shame them and nothing else; it will not transform the community into a village of do-gooders. If you're arguing that shame is the tool we ought to arm ourselves with in order to stop the bad behavior, then yes it can make a difference to know the names of the perpetrators.
Otherwise, we don't need to know the names of people in order to punish them, police the community, and foster good behavior that de-incentivizes the bad. Those are 3 things that knowing a person's name simply will not affect. We have to cultivate healthy communities with strong values that reject gendered harassment thoroughly. Whether my name is Diddlydo or Maya Angelou will not have any bearing on that.
We have to stop advocating for getting rid of anonymity as though it's the panacea to sexual harassment. Right now, it's the only defense most victims have. Instead, we should focus on mobilizing for action to make sexual harassment unacceptable and unprofitable. Currently, it is both of those things.
@Randall
"Also why (in the original article) does religion get lumped in with a bunch of things that aren't choices (race, gender, sexual orientation)? You might as well extend that sentence to favorite sports teams or political affiliation. "
Because the statement in the original article was about being insulted for being/behaving in a certain way by people not accepting you the way you are:
"Nobody should have to endure being called a derogatory term simply because of their gender (or race, religion, or sexual orientation, for that matter)."
It's not important if you are insulted because of something you chose to be or something you are born as, as long as the insult comes from somebody basing his behavior on intolerance.
Besides, gender isn't always something you are born with, it can be up to you to choose your biological/social gender and if sexual orientation is something you are born with is a question, that can't be answered and is open to interpretation.
This leaves the attribute "race", but this term is in fact very problematic, because in a biological way all humans living on earth today belong to the same race. How people are put into different "race" categories depends greatly on how society defines these different categories.
Last but not least the term "race" often blurs with the term "religion". For example the various fascist movements of the 20th century insisted that members of the jewish religion belong to a certain "race" not a religion and at least here in europe the various anti-islamic groups often use arguments based on the idea of biological determined behavior, when talking about muslims.
I've went to Uni twice now and both times there were two girls in the course. A female colleague of mine says the same, that women simply aren't interested in a career in the industry. Until that changes then everything else is just 'trolls vs radical feminists'.
I also don't like the games industry consistently being singled out, I've seen far worse things happen in other jobs where there is not this sort emotionally charged debate.
And surely there couldn't be a reason they don't want to be a part of the games industry? Like it presenting itself as a boys club and more and more evidence that it's a hostile environment toward women in the first place?
@Erin Every predominantly male environment has this issue though. Lots of men are sexist (admit it guys, how many times has a friend or co-worker of yours said something heavily misogynistic when no women where around?) and that side of them comes out when they feel like they can get away with it, that will be an issue until either:
A) Society as a whole changes, and the Games Industry by extension does.
or
B) Somehow someone finds a way to get a good ratio of women into the industry, despite it being unappealing to them. Without resorting to positive discrimination, which would make things worse.
I'm not saying it isn't an issue just because sexism happens elsewhere, but I don't think there is anything specific about video games that causes misogyny. Beyond the highly unbalanced sex ratio.
Maybe the reason we're hearing about this is because Gamasutra doesn't cover the mining or construction industries? It's about the game industry, so we hear news regarding sexism in the game industry? And the presence of sexism elsewhere in society, even if it's worse elsewhere, doesn't absolve its presence in this industry?
"As primarily a casual player, Sun-Higginson, until a year ago, was unaware of the extent to which women face abuse on a daily basis as players and as industry professionals."
These are two very different problems. Lumping them together, (or even adding in sexist content in games into the mix), into one monolithic 'gaming culture is anti-women' argument is one of the primary problems I have with much of the reporting I see on this topic.
Agreed. Within the context of the industry, the different segments of the market and each respective audience... both problems may not exist in all cases. And each problem may exist for very different reasons.
However, there is one segment of the industry where some studios consistently encourage, enable and reward the most toxic players in their audience. Not so much in terms of misogyny, but in terms of encouraging, enabling and rewarding one group of players for sadistic and antisocial behavior directed at other groups of players. And in theory, the studio's internal culture should influence and shape their design practices. So if her documentary focused on this specific segment of the industry and its audience, she could establish a cause and effect between the seemingly different problems.
Thank you Matthew, you've summed up my feelings entirely. I don't think of the games industry as an all-encompassing term that merges games consumers, journalists, and game developers under one roof, and it frustrates me when this is used as a blanket term to cover all three, because all three are entirely different. From what I've read a good portion of the negative reaction to this Kickstarter was brought on by failing to make this distinction.
I can only speak from my own experience, but the abuse faced as a consumer is incomparable to behaviour in a professional workplace, be it games development or anything else. I'm concerned that the way this is being reported: "New documentary aims to expose sexual harassment in game industry" / "Filmmaker launches Kickstarter to shine a light on sexism in the games industry" is misleading. If I was treated by my colleagues the same way random players treated me in Halo, then this is not a place that I would work in.
Out of curiosity, why has the image for the article changed 3 times? I keep glancing across the images on the main page and thinking there's something new. xD
[edit] I meant to say 'changed twice'. It has been 3 different things. I'm slow today. :P
Regarding competitive gaming, has anyone ever considered that there's a lot of foul language, cursing and general harassment in almost any competitive sport? The reason why this topic doesn't come up over there may be simply because men and women compete in different groups and not against each other. I'm pretty sure the average athletes/players in any sport are not more mature than gamers and would behave in the same stupid way if they had a chance.
This is more of a general education problem rooted in our society than a specific gaming problem I think...
Good point. I recall in high school the boys played the girls at field hockey and the girls had similar complaints about the behaviour of the boys team.
Hello Kaitlyn, I'm afraid you are missing the point.
First, in all those sports, with the exception of chess and pair skating, women compete separate from men. Even in chess female only tournaments are still common and women in men tournaments are still relatively rare, even though the situation is steadily improving.
This means there are not many opportunities to mix the genders and see what could happen if a man is defeated by a woman, maybe after a very close and stressful match.
Second: golf, ice skating and gymnastics have no direct contact between players. Even when contact is only "virtual", like in chess, I can assure you there can be serious issues: I'm a chess player and I do remember a game between two master level players ending in a knife fight. Also if you go to blitz events, swearing is not as uncommon as you may think, unfortunately. I also remember male players doing some dirty jokes on some pretty russian WIM...
I know nothing about polo. Probably it's better than hockey?
In any case, also note that I was talking about "average" players. When you get to the world's top professional elite, I'd expect them to be able to behave themselves.
The whole internet is morally dysfunctional. Trying to focus on just one aspect of it is pointless, because most of the time, it's just people picking the easiest target when trying to be an asshole, they're not necessarily sexist, racist, or what ever. When targeting guys, it's going to be "no life/sex/girlfriend", for girls it's going to be "get back to the kitchen". If the makers of the film would manage to find a human being in flesh that actually thinks that girls should not, for any reason, play video games, i'd be amazed.
I'll approach this with an open mind, as long as it doesn't seem to be making facts suit theories rather than the other way around. The last thing the gaming industry needs is people outside of it going into an uproar about problems that don't really exist. Again. (not saying gender issues don't exist, just that I hope the ones this documentary covers are backed up by the research)
So... from what I see, about 50% or more of the news that have a female on the thumbnail, have to do with "being a woman" or sexism..
Isn't it time to move on? Shouldn't that change on perception have started already? I believe ladies are focusing too much on the fact that they are ladies.
Don't get me wrong on this one. What I am saying is that I believe that all the ladies should have started focusing on other things, reaching their whole potential as collaborators to this industry, like many do with a lot of skill.
"Be the change you want to see in the world."
-Ghandi
whom, btw, had a very positive view towards women.
This is become an increasingly frustrating topic for countless members of the "industry". Every time there is an article on the subject it is completely accusatory. This is absolutely unfair for the majority of the industry! I can't speak to what it's like in San Fran or LA, but I've worked in numerous studios in Australia and Canada and have had the privilege of working with countless talented FEMALE developers - from Producers, to Animators, 2D & 3D artists, Designers, QA, Audio Designers, Admin and HR. I have NEVER seen or heard first hand any widespread sexual harrassment. Yes I have heard of some questionable situations, but nothing that speaks to an industry wide problem, but a problem with particular individuals.
Sure boys will be boys, but this is not something women need to be offended by (generally). Everyone needs an outlet, and to rob us of that is unwise. I'm not going to say there isn't a line that can be crossed, there absolutely is, and it shouldnt be crossed, but most guys I've worked with are mature enough to know when those times are.
I feel like all of us male game developers are being blamed for every infraction that some clueless asshole has commited. This doesn't mean it's OUR fault. Yes, education and discussion on the subject is great, but don't lose the message in all the hyperbole, please.
The single greatest solution is for all the so-called "good guys" to be vocal and active in cultivating fun and safe communities. It's the silence that's making bad behavior so prominent. I believe most members of the gaming community are mature and humane. Unfortunately, they are also deafeningly silent which just makes it SEEM that the problem is rampant.
The real problem is the so-called "good guys" aren't doing anything/enough when faced with criminal behavior in our community. And breaking the silence in order to solve the problem means actually confronting the issues head-on, without denials, apologies, or excuses as to why it's "normal" and "not a problem."
I know there are many vocal people on these issues, but the problem is not enough of us are.
Also why (in the original article) does religion get lumped in with a bunch of things that aren't choices (race, gender, sexual orientation)? You might as well extend that sentence to favorite sports teams or political affiliation.
You're assuming that anonymity = problem and it isn't. The problem is twofold: sexual harassment is culturally acceptable and bad behavior. It's the little boy who plays too rough: the parents will tell him not to do it, but they will continue to expect that boys will do so. This is the problem.
Again, I am NOT saying anonymity doesn't sometimes remove accountability by making it impossible to catch real criminals. But blaming anonymity fails to account for the fact that this happens publicly at gaming events/everywhere, face to face, and the perp will still not be condemned (except by the victim their associates) and the community which created him will continue to uphold the status quo, ensuring this happens again. I think silence is a far bigger problem.
Lack of anonymity just means we get to shame people in gaming communities for the most part. I agree that in the event of threats to a person's life, we must know who to prosecute. But for the daily ignorance that leads to harassment, griefing, and bullying, knowing a person's name will only shame them and nothing else; it will not transform the community into a village of do-gooders. If you're arguing that shame is the tool we ought to arm ourselves with in order to stop the bad behavior, then yes it can make a difference to know the names of the perpetrators.
Otherwise, we don't need to know the names of people in order to punish them, police the community, and foster good behavior that de-incentivizes the bad. Those are 3 things that knowing a person's name simply will not affect. We have to cultivate healthy communities with strong values that reject gendered harassment thoroughly. Whether my name is Diddlydo or Maya Angelou will not have any bearing on that.
We have to stop advocating for getting rid of anonymity as though it's the panacea to sexual harassment. Right now, it's the only defense most victims have. Instead, we should focus on mobilizing for action to make sexual harassment unacceptable and unprofitable. Currently, it is both of those things.
"Also why (in the original article) does religion get lumped in with a bunch of things that aren't choices (race, gender, sexual orientation)? You might as well extend that sentence to favorite sports teams or political affiliation. "
Because the statement in the original article was about being insulted for being/behaving in a certain way by people not accepting you the way you are:
"Nobody should have to endure being called a derogatory term simply because of their gender (or race, religion, or sexual orientation, for that matter)."
It's not important if you are insulted because of something you chose to be or something you are born as, as long as the insult comes from somebody basing his behavior on intolerance.
Besides, gender isn't always something you are born with, it can be up to you to choose your biological/social gender and if sexual orientation is something you are born with is a question, that can't be answered and is open to interpretation.
This leaves the attribute "race", but this term is in fact very problematic, because in a biological way all humans living on earth today belong to the same race. How people are put into different "race" categories depends greatly on how society defines these different categories.
Last but not least the term "race" often blurs with the term "religion". For example the various fascist movements of the 20th century insisted that members of the jewish religion belong to a certain "race" not a religion and at least here in europe the various anti-islamic groups often use arguments based on the idea of biological determined behavior, when talking about muslims.
I also don't like the games industry consistently being singled out, I've seen far worse things happen in other jobs where there is not this sort emotionally charged debate.
A) Society as a whole changes, and the Games Industry by extension does.
or
B) Somehow someone finds a way to get a good ratio of women into the industry, despite it being unappealing to them. Without resorting to positive discrimination, which would make things worse.
I'm not saying it isn't an issue just because sexism happens elsewhere, but I don't think there is anything specific about video games that causes misogyny. Beyond the highly unbalanced sex ratio.
Maybe the reason we're hearing about this is because Gamasutra doesn't cover the mining or construction industries? It's about the game industry, so we hear news regarding sexism in the game industry? And the presence of sexism elsewhere in society, even if it's worse elsewhere, doesn't absolve its presence in this industry?
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2004/03/19
These are two very different problems. Lumping them together, (or even adding in sexist content in games into the mix), into one monolithic 'gaming culture is anti-women' argument is one of the primary problems I have with much of the reporting I see on this topic.
Agreed. Within the context of the industry, the different segments of the market and each respective audience... both problems may not exist in all cases. And each problem may exist for very different reasons.
However, there is one segment of the industry where some studios consistently encourage, enable and reward the most toxic players in their audience. Not so much in terms of misogyny, but in terms of encouraging, enabling and rewarding one group of players for sadistic and antisocial behavior directed at other groups of players. And in theory, the studio's internal culture should influence and shape their design practices. So if her documentary focused on this specific segment of the industry and its audience, she could establish a cause and effect between the seemingly different problems.
I can only speak from my own experience, but the abuse faced as a consumer is incomparable to behaviour in a professional workplace, be it games development or anything else. I'm concerned that the way this is being reported: "New documentary aims to expose sexual harassment in game industry" / "Filmmaker launches Kickstarter to shine a light on sexism in the games industry" is misleading. If I was treated by my colleagues the same way random players treated me in Halo, then this is not a place that I would work in.
[edit] I meant to say 'changed twice'. It has been 3 different things. I'm slow today. :P
This is more of a general education problem rooted in our society than a specific gaming problem I think...
First, in all those sports, with the exception of chess and pair skating, women compete separate from men. Even in chess female only tournaments are still common and women in men tournaments are still relatively rare, even though the situation is steadily improving.
This means there are not many opportunities to mix the genders and see what could happen if a man is defeated by a woman, maybe after a very close and stressful match.
Second: golf, ice skating and gymnastics have no direct contact between players. Even when contact is only "virtual", like in chess, I can assure you there can be serious issues: I'm a chess player and I do remember a game between two master level players ending in a knife fight. Also if you go to blitz events, swearing is not as uncommon as you may think, unfortunately. I also remember male players doing some dirty jokes on some pretty russian WIM...
I know nothing about polo. Probably it's better than hockey?
In any case, also note that I was talking about "average" players. When you get to the world's top professional elite, I'd expect them to be able to behave themselves.
Isn't it time to move on? Shouldn't that change on perception have started already? I believe ladies are focusing too much on the fact that they are ladies.
Don't get me wrong on this one. What I am saying is that I believe that all the ladies should have started focusing on other things, reaching their whole potential as collaborators to this industry, like many do with a lot of skill.
"Be the change you want to see in the world."
-Ghandi
whom, btw, had a very positive view towards women.
Sure boys will be boys, but this is not something women need to be offended by (generally). Everyone needs an outlet, and to rob us of that is unwise. I'm not going to say there isn't a line that can be crossed, there absolutely is, and it shouldnt be crossed, but most guys I've worked with are mature enough to know when those times are.
I feel like all of us male game developers are being blamed for every infraction that some clueless asshole has commited. This doesn't mean it's OUR fault. Yes, education and discussion on the subject is great, but don't lose the message in all the hyperbole, please.