#NoWomanLagBehind
By: Tj Nichols
Tags: Esports, Gaming, Gender Equality

Introduction

Esports has seen rapid expansion in the last decade. Viewership increases by approximately 10% year-over-year due to growing awareness about esports in the public eye, an increase in platforms that broadcast esport events, and advancements in real-world infrastructures that give more people access to (faster) internet. Revenue from esports has been steadily increasing at an average rate of about 15% year-over-year, topping the $1 billion mark in brand deals, media rights, tournament money, and sponsorships this year (Takahashi, 2020). That being said, esports is getting big. Gaming is the fastest growing form of entertainment in the market, and many of those who grow up (and especially during the COVID-19 pandemic) spectating esports will continue to do so throughout adulthood.

On average, do elite male athletes perform better than elite female athletes? According to research the answer to that question is yes. And it makes sense right? Male androgenized bodies can grow larger and stronger than female bodies (Coleman, 2019). In the context of the sport being a physical competition, it makes sense that males can peak higher due to human physiology.

Do elite male esport athletes perform better than elite female esport athletes? The research here is scarce, but I think it’s safe to say that males don’t have a physiological advantage against women on reaction time, and further, moving a mouse and keyboard according to visual and audio input coming from a screen.

In the NBA, we see the male and female divisions split into two separate organizing bodies, the NBA and the WNBA. This makes sense given the physiological gap in male and female physical performance. So — how come male and female groups are similarly split in competition in the space of competitive esports? Are there fewer females who participate in competitive esports as a result of this division? Why would there be less females who participate in competitive esports? These are some critical questions that we seek to analyze and intervene on through our critical making project.

Justin Hilbert of the Sports Integrity Initiative finds that “Pro gaming is dominated by males”, where close to 95% of roster positions in pro esports teams are composed of males, regardless of the esport (Hilbert, 2019). This statistic is alarming, and there are many factors that create disparity.

First, esports have long been marketed to male audiences. As a result, more males know about said esports and more males play them. Since more men play said video games, they notice a lower proportion of females in this space and internalize the idea that women don’t play BECAUSE they are not innately skilled at given games. PEW Research Center finds that even though an estimated 60% of female respondents reported that they play video games, only a measly 5% label themselves as “gamers” (Brown, 2017) . The issue here is a cycle that perpetuates this “gamer” culture. The “gamer” label holds many masculine traits, which makes sense given that the “gamer community” is more than 95% male. Fewer female influencers within esports contribute to a positive feedback loop of harassment of females, and subsequently, turns females away from competing professionally. It’s a cycle, and the more we let it happen, the more it continues to work to drive women away from competitive esports.

Next, let’s acknowledge that the “gamer” community and culture of esports is built on the foundation of beliefs held by its first inhabitants, white males. Because of this, female voices haven’t had an equal share of representation both in media and industry positions in what was already a male-populated space (esports). The legacy of this materializes in online harassment of marginalized voices. The voices and legitimacy of women, especially those of the LGBTQ+ community, are minimized in toxic online environments today. A study done by the ADL’s Center on Technology and Society reveals that almost 40% of women surveyed said that they were harassed on the basis of their gender. Cyberharassment is a difficult issue to tackle by itself. The link between cyberbullying and internet anonymity has been confirmed as showing a positive relationship (Barlett, 2015). Video game studios that create highly competitive esports have tried to limit harassment by neutralizing means of communication. In Riot’s League of Legends (LoL), a public voice chat channel doesn’t exist for members playing on a game, different from their shooter title, Valorant, where I personally witness harassment not more than hours ago in a public matchmaking lobby through voice chat. In LoL, teammates communicate through text and through ping markers. This reduces the capacity for harassment, as I would argue that voice chat facilitates the harshest forms of cyber harassment. Likewise, Microsoft and Xbox offer their consumers a ticketing system in which players can report other uses for inappropriate and toxic behaviors.

This is an important issue to fight. At the micro level, esports is an exploding industry and with its continued rise in popularity. Addressing the issue of gender equality and widespread female harassment is a conversation that needs to be had in the status quo, not in ex post facto. At the macro level, the fight to improve female inclusion within the esports space is yet another battleground upon which gender equality wages its war against digital cis/white/male hegemony.