I'm a guy and a gamer... I've opened my eyes on this issue for some time now.<p>Yes we trash talk a lot in games, and yeah we don't see it as a big deal for the most part, because there's a part of creativity in trash talking in some ways so we can ignore all but the more original (and often laughable) insults.<p>But when someone is revealed as a woman, some people really go nuts. It activates some really ugly beta part in their brain, they can't help it, they need to harass, tediously, methodically reduce the other player to her gender, whatever she is doing or however she performs, whether she's in his team or not is irrelevant. That wouldn't be an issue in itself, there are crazy and stupid people everywhere. The problem is, the proportion of obnoxious and sexually insecure male gamers is through the roof, maybe something as high as 5% of the gamers are like that, and they are very vocal, and they don't quit.
Such people don't rage quit on girls like they would on guys, when they get beaten or when they're ignored, for some reason they need to keep harrassing forever, it's a matter of virile pride you know. It's either that or they fall in love, which sometimes is even worse.<p>Girls have to deal with them every single day.<p>People really need to wake up on these issues. They add up and pile on each other. They span a very large spectrum of the industry, from day to day community interactions to elements of storytelling and character design.<p>If you want to wake up to these issues in pictures and with a good laugh, check out these two blogs:<p><a href="http://womenfighters.tumblr.com/" rel="nofollow">http://womenfighters.tumblr.com/</a> (a more constructive take on the issue of character design, specifically female armor)<p><a href="http://thehawkeyeinitiative.com/" rel="nofollow">http://thehawkeyeinitiative.com/</a> (a hilarious take on the issue of objectification of women, this time in comics)