By: Maggie Vallone

Times have been particularly trying recently in the eSports scene for women, POC, and minorities. It came out on July 22nd that California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) filed a civil lawsuit against Activision-Blizzard, one of the largest video game developers in the United States (Good, Owen S. 2021.). The lawsuit alleges that women were subjected to constant sexual harassment which included groping, inappropriate comments and unwelcome advances. These women were passed over for promotions, despite taking on the responsibilities of their male counterparts who played games on the company’s dime. It also alleges that executives and human resources personnel not only knew about the harassment and failed to take action, but instead retaliated against those who chose to report the abuse. This lawsuit and the corporate culture it describes have people questioning the future of gaming. The practices of the developers they support. And the price of playing the games they love.

However, this shouldn’t be new news to anyone involved with video games. The gaming community has historically been less than welcoming towards women and minorities. During the 2014 Gamergate controversy, an online harassment campaign was centered around sexism and anti-progressivism in video game culture. Ubisoft, another gaming company, has been accused of similar conduct towards female harassment and job fairness. Riot, Electronic Arts, Naughty Dog, and other gaming companies all have been plagued by gender issues. This locker room culture isn’t unique to the corporate realm either; similar sentiments have become commonplace in the community. Racial slurs, rape jokes, misgendering, and death threats are part of the gaming experience for any player. Those who speak up are drowned out by anonymous mobs; harassment, cyberstalking, threats of doxxing, swatting, and bodily harm are only a few of the methods employed to silence them. 

As part of the eSports community we need to take steps to ensure that anyone is welcome; to let people know that they aren’t alone. One of the many ways we can promote an inclusive space is through Discord. Providing bots in DePaul servers that allow members to assign their own pronouns as visible roles is one step we can take towards normalizing different gender identities and presentations. A need that has become increasingly clear within the gaming sphere. By taking steps to create an inclusive community in DePaul’s eSports servers we can support our members and strengthen the movement towards equality in the industry and gaming as a whole.