They are protagonists. They are gamers. They are creators. Women have long been more than Lara Croft's legs in the video game sector, but that doesn't free them from suffering the harassment of a world traditionally associated with the male figure. The South By Southwest festival was scheduled to hold two talks on this subject with several prominent female figures in the industry who have been the subject of disrepute from some of their male peers. The threats led the organization to cancel the presentations, but the criticism was more and finally it has recovered them in its official programming.

The organizers of SXSW -which will take place in Austin (Texas, USA) next March- had planned two round tables ('One more level: overcoming harassment in video games' and 'Rescue point: a debate in the community gamer'), but they had to back down due to the impossibility of guaranteeing the safety of the attendees. The critics, then, turned against him.

Some talks about harassment cancelled, precisely, for harassment? The ghost of the Gamergate flies over this paradox that has resulted in a return to the starting point. The presentations will continue, although raised differently. "We made a mistake," SXSW said in a statement last Friday. Canceling sessions "was an inappropriate response."

The damage is already done. Katherine Cross, Caroline Sinders or Randi Lee Harper prayed among the participants, but their presence is now in the air as it is known that several Gamergate instigators have also been invited. "The movement they represent has forced many of us to hide. Giving them an opportunity to say 'we don't harass women' is absurd," said Lee Harper through the social network Twitter.

gamergate

Behind the Gamergate there is a whole movement of harassment against recognized women in the field of video games that began with the spite of an abandoned boyfriend, Eron Gjoni, towards his partner, Zoe Quinn.

When they put an end to their relationship, Gjoni published a series of entries on his personal blog in which he came to say that Quinn, a programmer and creator of the video game Depression Quest, had cheated on him with the editor of a specialized website to get positive reviews. towards his work.

Although it was shown that this never happened -a minor detail, in any case-, Gjoni's messages gave rise to a whole stream of opinions and attacks on forums such as Reddit, 4Chan and 8Chan against Quinn and his family, who were forced to move temporary residence.

But she was not the only one affected. The avalanche of messages, insults and threats spread against other prominent women in the sector who sided with Quinn, and since then the ball has not stopped growing.

Developer Brianna Wu and cultural critic Anita Sarkeesian also became targets of critics. Sarkeesian had to cancel a scheduled talk at the University of Utah in the face of warnings of a shooting if he went ahead with it. In addition to her, like Quinn, she also changed houses in the face of messages that threatened her with death and had the dubious honor of starring in a game in which users could slap her face with the mouse, as she told here The New YorkTimes.

Spain

Sexism has always flown over the world of video games. Considered by many to be a male domain, female developers and creators remain a minority. Also the players, although their percentage is higher. In Spain, for example, of the 14 million users that are counted, women represent 46%, somewhat above the 44% in the United Kingdom, according to data from the 2014 Video Game Industry Yearbook prepared by the Spanish Video Game Association (AEVI). More exceptional is the French case, where female gamers reach 51%, compared to 49% of men.

"Although it is true that in the past in the video game industry there was a majority of male professionals and players, this trend has been corrected over time and women have an increasing presence and importance," says José María Moreno. , CEO of the association.

Moreno reflects one side of the coin, but the other can be detected with a not too deep review of the roles of female characters in video games: passive women who in many cases are used as sexual objects and represented with little clothing or with exaggerated breasts. . Moreno believes that this too is changing. "There are more and more female protagonists playing the same roles as male characters and with similar appearances. The greater number of female gamers and the proliferation of new platforms are contributing to the change. The key lies in developing video games and content for everyone," he says.

He does not share his opinion Marina Amores, specialized journalist and responsible for the documentary Mujeres + Videojuegos. She believes that "there are almost no female protagonists" and links this reality with the economic factor. "It is proven that when the main character is a woman, the video game sells less."

It is not the only flank where the unequal treatment that each other receives in this field can be verified: the recorded games that are shared on YouTube suggest that there is still a long way to go.

Insults and disqualifications are repeated more than desired and it is curious to see how many players send their female rivals to the kitchen, "to wash up."

In response to these types of comments, gamer Jenny Hanniver created the website Notinthekitchenanymore.com, where she collects the pitches she endures every time she plays an online game.

Many fans prefer to dodge the controversy and use a neutral nickname or nickname along with a male avatar. "Men do not conceive that you might like to play and they believe that you do it just to get the attention of some boy. In addition, they assume that you are going to do worse than them, that is why they adopt a paternalistic or superior attitude," says Marina Amores.

It is more complicated for developers and professional players. The latter barely represent 10% of all tournament participants and that percentage is somewhat 'inflated' because it includes the quota of exclusively female leagues. "They take it for granted that women don't take it as seriously as men and that we're not as competitive. They also say that they educate us so that we have other priorities than playing 20 hours playing."

For one reason or another, the consequences are discouraging: "they don't take us seriously," says Amores, adding that they always have to prove more, justify that they have their own place based on merit and aptitude, not on physical or for a "plug".

Her analysis is blunt: "it is a macho industry, just like society." In Spain, the situation has not reached the level of the Gamergate threats, but there are alarming episodes every day. "Almost every day I have someone who mocks or insults me in a sexist way through social networks," says Amores when asked about the impact of her documentary. "It has nothing to do with when I make an intervention or appear in a video and when my colleagues do. They don't take you seriously. It doesn't matter what you say about a video game, because what interests them is what dress you wear, which It sparks an immediate debate about whether or not they'd fuck you."

The director of AEVI does not agree with the idea that the industry is sexist, although he acknowledges that "unfortunately, as in other areas, there have sometimes been isolated cases. Moreno believes that it is not a question of gender, but of talent and betting on it above any other characteristic. "Currently there are programmers, designers, investors, executives and directors specialized in different areas, commercials, professional players, specialized journalists, etc... Yes, there are already women at all levels and they will become more and more relevant in this video game universe". Until that time comes, Lara Croft will have to continue fighting against the Gamergate and its defenders.