Their comments are specific to video games, but you can replace “gaming” with pretty much any community and these statements will still make sense.
Here are five ways men get special treatment:
1. Men who play video games see themselves represented in the industry. Women do not.
Even though women make up about half of the gaming population.
2. Men don’t have to worry about being harassed because of their gender. Women do.
Keep your hands and your dick pics to yourself, guys.
3. Men never have to prove that they’re “real” gamers just because of their gender. Women are asked to do this constantly.
The “fake geek girl” myth is just that … a myth.
4. Men also don’t have to empathize with female characters. Women almost always have to empathize with — and root for — male characters, because that’s their only option.
Unsurprisingly, the same guys who insist women should just suck it up and deal with not having playable female characters are the same ones who hate the idea of too many games where they’d have no option but to play as a female character.
5. And at the end of the day, men don’t actually have to notice all of these small benefits they receive just for being men. But women can’t NOT notice them.
Basically, being a straight white dude who exists in the gaming community is like playing a video game on the easiest setting.
It’s great that men are finally noticing and speaking up. They don’t want to get special treatment anymore.
Despite the fact that these guys don’t have to acknowledge the harassment women in the gaming industry face, they know we need their help to fix it.
Yes, it’s great that all these dudes are speaking up on behalf of women who play video games, but the reason we need men to help solve this problem is because when women speak up, we’re dismissed and not taken seriously.
*mic drop* *real talk* *mic drop again*
And just to reiterate:
Oh, what the heck, *mic drop* again. It’s just that good.
