Graphic: A night with the editor blog series. Graphic created by The Signal Managing Editor Dave Silverio. — A night with the editor blog series. Graphic created by The Signal Managing Editor Dave Silverio.

The unsolved mystery of ‘The XX-Files’

By Liz Davis Last updated Nov 18, 2015 161 0

The other night I was perusing the Internet and every webpage I went to, Gamergate was mentioned somewhere on the site. There is an entire subreddit dedicated to the topic, #GamerGate was trending on social media and I heard there is even a Gamergate movie rumored to star Scarlett Johansson as Zoe Quinn.

With Gamergate in mind, I want to bring light to the topic of women in the video game community. I know this topic has been beaten to death and, trust me, I’m not trying to preach to you about the objectification of women in video games. What I really want to focus on is the animosity toward women in the world of gaming.

PHOTO: Photograph of Zoe Quinn, video game developer, in a car, taken in 2014. hoto courtesy of creativecommons.org. — Zoe Quinn, video game developer, known for @TheQuinnspiracy and the initial target of the Gamergate harassment. Photo courtesy of creativecommons.org.

It seems that anytime a woman tries to contribute to a conversation about the new “Halo” game or talk about playing “Mortal Kombat,” she immediately gets shut down. I’ve had a personal experience where I had to answer a series of questions to prove myself worthy of talking to a guy about a video game. I’ve also been in conversations when guys just completely ignore my comments. I’ve had this happen with football too, but that’s another topic for another day. It seems like these men have a preconception that women do not belong in a conversation about video games. Maybe they just feel threatened that a woman is crossing over into territory normally inhabited by men. Who knows, maybe they’re just sexist.

I grew up playing Nintendo 64 and PlayStation 2 games, but once things went to online multiplayer I became discouraged. Nowadays, if I ever get a break from school, work and reading, I enjoy video games, but I don’t like playing them any more. It’s not because I don’t enjoy the game, because I do. I enjoy playing the game when I am alone because no one is around to judge me. If I attempt to play a game while around a group of friends, they (usually being “the guys”) just think I’m going to mess up their score. It’s either that or they try to direct me by telling me what to do when I just want to do it on my own. At that point, it’s pointless to argue with them so I throw down the controller and say, “Screw it, I’ll just watch you play.”

IMAGE: The face of an Internet troll. Photo courtesy of creativecommons.org — *Photo courtesy of creativecommons.org.*

The role of the audience member has been my preferred role in video games for a while now because I enjoy the campaign. Have you ever paid attention to the storyline of any “Assassin’s Creed” or “Mass Effect” game? It is truly amazing how much time and research goes into creating these games. Coming from someone who loves literature and film, video games have improved drastically over the years. Cut scenes look like movies, not only because they have actors doing the screen capture and voices, but because the graphics are realistic. Hello Nathan Fillion.

I love video game culture. I have an XboxOne, I watch Twitch, I read and watch Nerdist and IGN’s news. I can hold my own in a conversation about video games. I know that not all women are this way and Gamergate has given a voice to the women in the video game culture, but I feel like it’s done more harm than good. Whether you play, watch, create or review video games, you should have respect for others, regardless of gender. Stop with the trolling and grow up.