And Here’s Why Women In The Games Business Put Up With So Much Crap

27 responses to “And Here’s Why Women In The Games Business Put Up With So Much Crap”

1. 

   dnr

   November 28, 2012 at 11:08 am

   The door swings both ways, I’m all for equality in every industry, and I’ve worked with some very skilled and intelligent women, but I have also worked with some of the biggest wastes of space on the planet. (In multiple industries)

   For every great/intelligent/successful person, there are 2 more stupid/useless/wastes of space.

   Its not just about women, its people in general.
   Everyone puts up with crap in every industry, its not just women, its not just the gaming industry… sensationalist crap is what this is.

   Reply
   1. 

      Tism

      November 28, 2012 at 12:01 pm

      This comment can be applied to almost anything and i think is void here. I don’t see why it fits this article at all. #1reasontobe is a hashtag created to state why a woman should be in the industry and you’re saying that there are a 2 to 1 ratio of dumb people out there.

      Tell me how this relates to any of the womens’ twitter posts in the aforementioned article?

      Reply
      1. 

         dnr

         November 28, 2012 at 12:31 pm

         Its more to fit both this article and the one prior (the crap women put up with, in the game industry)
         people are making a massive deal about how hard it is for women in the gaming industry atm, when all they need to do it take a step off the high horse and see that its not women, its not men, its people.

         there was a twitter comment about a chick getting gropped at a convention, which is bad and illegal… but who hasn’t been groped before at a mass gathering of people? i know i have… against my will… i’d get laughed at if i brought that up.
         scumbags are everywhere not just gaming conventions.

         life is hard, it gets harder when dealing with stupid people (which seems to be getting more common), or people with arcaich/outdated beliefs, taking offence to that stuff only makes it worse, dont ignore it if its illegal or against your companies policy, follow it up to the extent of the law/rules, but some stuff should be shrugged off, dont feed the trolls is an excellent analogy for this exact situation.
         honesty is a lost art these days, if your boss over steps teh line, Tell him/her… if some dude in the street calls you attractive instead of giving you props for your work, why care? there are hundreds/thousands out there that will give you props for a job well done.

         yes women have come a long way, and its great to see them getting recognition for their deeds but really do we need some lame twitter trending to show us this?

         Reply
         1. 

            mrtaco

            November 28, 2012 at 1:50 pm

            I wish someone saw fit to grope me at a gathering of any size 🙁

            Reply
         2. 

            rjbone

            November 28, 2012 at 2:42 pm

            Can you really dismiss this? When you’ve got god knows how many people sharing their stories on twitter, tweets still going to this very second, can you really put the blame on those writing the stories? You speak as if there is no problem, as if they should just get over it. Well actually I’m not sure if you think that, you alternate between indicating people shouldn’t talk about this stuff (“who hasn’t been groped…i’d get laughed at if i brought that up”), to saying how much they should talk (“honesty is a lost art these days, if your boss over steps teh line, Tell him/her”).

            It seems like you’re not sure how it should be handled. Maybe you should think more on it, read these two short posts http://ashelia.com/?p=151 and http://alivetinyworld.com/2012/11/27/too-many-reasons-why/ and think on how people should handle it when these incidents aren’t isolated, but common every day occurrences. Once you’ve got an answer in mind, come back and let me know, I’d love to read it. Because issues like this deserve more than being dismissed off-hand, and they deserve more than me berrating you to make myself feel better.

            Reply
            1. 

               dnr

               November 28, 2012 at 5:27 pm

               I’m not dismissing it, im not saying the problem doesnt exist, what im saying is if its a problem deal with it via the correct channels that have been established, anti-sexism/sexual harrasment laws are in place for a reason.
               If you get robbed but never report it to the police and then have a cry that nothing was done, who’s fault is that? (feel free to dismiss this but its the most accurate way i could describe my point)

               If your afraid you will get fired thats your own issue, i’ve told bosses to get stuffed, and told them to their faces that they were shit at their job both diplomatically and straight up.
               If you love what you do, but arent willing to take the steps to make your workplace a better workplace then you need to find another job.

               I read the 2 articles and as sad as they are, thats not a sexism problem, its a human problem, people are inherently dicks, all through history this has been the case.
               Did either of those authors raise the issue with the HR department? did they involve the proper authorities to have the issues addressed?

               The second article more sounds to me like its more to do with the stigma of being a basment dwelling gamer/nerd than sexism.

               humans belittle and insult each other regardless of gender due to their own insecurities, im not sexist, racist or a mysoginist and im fairly certain thats a direct coalation with the fact that i dont have any insecurities. (i probably should have more than most people given how messed up my childhood was, but i dont).

               I dont get insulted, if someone else has an issue with me its exactley that “their issue”.
               I dont insult others for beliefs or oppinions, you have the right to your oppinion as much as i do my own… but if your wrong or an idiot i will tell you, no questions asked.

               I’m not belittling anyone by having an oppinion or by posting this, i’m keen on logical and enlightning conversation, on a subject that fails to make sense to me.

            2. 

               cindel

               November 29, 2012 at 2:43 pm

               So you’re saying that if my co-workers do something out of line, I should take it to HR thus ruining my relationship with them and finding it hard to work together as friends.
               Why should women be the ones to do this instead of men being the ones to act appropriately in the first place?

            3. 

               dnr

               November 29, 2012 at 3:04 pm

               Yes, fix the issue or GTFO
               if your not willing to take the steps needed to get an issue resolved its you’re problem.

            4. 

               cindel

               November 29, 2012 at 3:06 pm

               My point is, why is it my job to fix the issue when I am not the one who caused it? Why is it not other peoples’ job not to be jerks about gender? The onus should not be on women alone to fix this issue.

            5. 

               dnr

               November 29, 2012 at 3:20 pm

               how is someone supposed to know they over stepped the line if they are never told?
               The onus isnt on women to fix the issue, its on the person who has the issue to fix it, weither they be male or female.

         3. 

            lorddarkness

            November 28, 2012 at 3:16 pm

            I feel dumber for having read your posts, and I hope your attitude is the exception, not the rule. Your couple of examples are nowhere near the type of crap that (lots of) women in the gaming industry, or any male dominated one for that matter, have to put up with. It’s not acceptable and it can’t and shouldn’t be laughed off.

            Reply
            1. 

               dnr

               November 28, 2012 at 5:27 pm

               Sorry bud i’ll use smaller words just for you next time.

            2. 

               Zombie Jesus

               November 29, 2012 at 7:30 am

               Maybe if you just didn’t write paragraphs about things you have no idea about and no experience with, that might be a better start.

            3. 

               cindel

               November 29, 2012 at 3:08 pm

               Oh, haha, you’re a troll. You undermined your entire argument by implying he’s too stupid to understand it (as if your point is some kind of high thought). Sorry I thought you were serious. Good luck with it 🙂

            4. 

               dnr

               November 29, 2012 at 3:16 pm

               not a troll and not undermining my whole point, as i specified if your an idiot i will say so… hence above me saying so nicely.

            5. 

               cindel

               November 29, 2012 at 3:18 pm

               Can you elaborate on that? You say it’s not undermining your argument, but claiming someone who disagrees with you needs you to use smaller words isn’t really expressing anything and doesn’t clarify or cement your point. It’s really just name-calling.

            6. 

               dnr

               November 29, 2012 at 3:22 pm

               yes, instead of a valid arguement he attacked me personally, so obviously he didnt understand my point, and can only rely on personal attacks, which is a sign of fear and lack of intelligent’s.

2. 

   jordaanm

   November 28, 2012 at 12:18 pm

   Shouldn’t the universal #1 reason to be in the games industry, be “because it’s what I’m passionate about”? I mean, that’s why I spend 10-20 hours per week programming a game and attend group meetings on weekends, on top of a regular 40h/week job as a software engineer.

   Reply
   1. 

      deek

      November 28, 2012 at 3:01 pm

      True, but I think the responses to the tweet are listing the reasons why they’re so passionate about the industry.

      In any case, it’s nice to see some positive messages, instead of the usual complaints. It can be necessary to complain, but done so too much, and it just appears to sound like a whine.

      Reply
3. 

   markserrels

   November 28, 2012 at 2:50 pm

   Honestly, I find it really difficult that so many people who post here simply refuse to accept that there is a problem. If you’re a man you don’t really get a say in it. You don’t get to say sexism doesn’t exist and you sure as hell don’t get to tell people they should get over it.

   The reaction to any discussion of sexism here is probably the only topic that causes me to look at Kot_au comments and feel ashamed. On every other topic everyone is completely reasonable and level headed, but on this issue? It’s out of control. People need to sincerely think before they type.

   Reply
   1. 

      freya

      November 28, 2012 at 3:42 pm

      These kinds of articles have become ones where I can’t read the comments anymore, because they make me sad.
      And the adult thing to do is try to avoid unnecessary sadness.

      Reply
   2. 

      shadow

      November 28, 2012 at 6:25 pm

      I agree. It’s like guys who want to dismiss the issue immediately take the angle that guys suffer from harassment or abuse. All you can do is shake your head. Perhaps they’re younger and they live in a world of what the media shows them, sitcoms and dramas depicting powerful capable women in situations of gender equality. As soon as they step into the real world they’ll see the truth.

      Reply
      1. 

         deek

         November 29, 2012 at 12:53 pm

         Well, if guys are responding with the same complaint of harassment or abuse, that begs the question, why aren’t they making an outcry as well? Someone has to speak up for everyone to be aware of the issue.

         Reply
4. 

   freya

   November 28, 2012 at 3:38 pm

   I’m glad that there’s an uplifting side.

   Reply
5. 

   bjg

   November 28, 2012 at 5:05 pm

   KITCHEN!!!

   Reply
   1. 

      cindel

      November 29, 2012 at 4:04 pm

      LOUNGEROOM! What are we doing?

      Reply
6. 

   germinalconsequence

   November 28, 2012 at 7:55 pm

   I think kate’s (@shegeekshow) is my favourite. It shows that it’s not a case of women fighting men over equality, it’s a unified stand against those particular individuals who bring the industry down for everyone else.

   Reply