Female ESL 1st place interview and Afterthoughts - Page 10

On May 05 2011 09:21 RedJustice wrote:
Oh the irony of this thread... the sheer number of ignorant and sexist comments in here precisely highlight why there is a desire for this kind of tournament in the first place. If there was truly no need for it, the only comments we would see here would be "awesome, congrats flo" and constructive crit or discussion about any upcoming tournaments.

The men in here making arrogant and degrading comments about women and female tournaments clearly do not understand the issues (dare I say because they are men).

As a female gamer, like any other gamer, I seek to get involved with the community of a game I spend so much time on and really enjoy. As I talk to people in stream chats, or in Skype while helping friends out, the amount of problems I've had to deal with simply for being female are ridiculous. I've been sent all kinds of disgusting pictures, listened to the most filthy and demeaning language, been stalked and harassed-- by people who were perfectly willing to treat me as a decent human being until they found out I was female. In the mean time, my male friends simply don't know how to respond and they offer no support and encouragement. They have never been subjected to that kind of shit.

There are plenty of great guys who simply respond with-- "oh you're a girl; that's cool"-- and get right back to the game. But there is an enormous number who do not, and I am sure any woman who bothers trying to make friends and get involved in a gaming community in any way has stories of similar disgusting treatment.

Beyond that, there's this issue with not that many women play games in the first place. None of my female friends in real life have any interest in the games I play. It is frustrating because I wish they could watch tournaments with me and appreciate the game the way I do. It's the same kind of thing when we get the blogs every so often asking how to explain the game to a girlfriend or family member who just doesn't get it. It's discouraging when people just don't 'get' the things you care about.

A tournament like this is great, because it's an opportunity for women to meet other women. Hurrah, you can now have some female friends who play sc2! They understand and can sympathize with problems you may have! Maybe they are actually interested in other things you do (how depressing is it to try to talk to the majority of your male sc2 friends about your new dress, or your boyfriend?)! Now you don't feel so much like you are struggling against the odds, all alone.

A tournament like this doesn't hurt the males of this community. If any of you are having trouble making friends with other guys who play sc2, feel free to make a male only tournament to help guys meet other guys who game. I'm sure the women here would be glad to see you trying to foster a community of support for all the guys who feel alone as male gamers.

A tournament like this doesn't hurt the females of this community either. Participation doesn't bar women from playing in any other tournaments. In fact, it probably helps boost confidence for them. It allows for participation in a competitive event where you don't have to worry about being bashed for a loss because 'you're a girl', or where you get a plethora of unwanted attention for being the only woman. It's nerve-wracking and discouraging to be singled out that way. If you lose, you feel like you've not only failed yourself, but every other woman out there that then gets labeled as unable to play this game because of being female.

Well done flo. Well done every single woman who chose to participate in this event! I hope you are all encouraged to play more, to play better, to put up with the bullshit and not be discouraged by the disgusting treatment you are sometimes subjected to for your sex. I hope we see some of you competing as pros soon.