This is quite the way to start the New Year. Fledgling Overwatch YouTuber SVB is normally known for tutorials and mechanics videos, but out of nowhere decided to drop a video concerning sexism in Overwatch and gaming as a whole. To anyone who is remotely aware of the issue these are not new developments, although you might be interested in the statistics he brings out to entertain the arguments of those who are either ignorant or malicious. Further points go his ability to connect the dots and make a basic intersectional argument, that the act of creating safer spaces for women will de facto create spaces that are safer for men who do not conform to traditionally masculine stereotypes, such as less competitive or more soft-spoken individuals, and LGBT men, who face harassment from a similar well of misogyny.
But the main reason I wanted to highlight this video and why I think it's important is that, by naturally consulting women on the issue, has come to the conclusion that the first and most basic step anyone can do to begin fostering a better community is to simply speak up. I have been a target of both racist and sexist bullshit, as well as intervened on similar occasions where it was another team mate in the hot set. Subsequently I have shouted this to the official Overwatch community proper until I was blue in the face: muting, blocking, and reporting- going through rote channels of contact- does nothing to stem the tide of an issue that is culturally systemic and thus tacitly approved of by the community and even the company at large. Instead, the solution must come from the community itself, and part of a community's toolkit is ostracization. Calling out these players and simultaneously allowing the victims to let them know you're on their side is vital in actually cleaning house and changing the perception that gaming is a space that is only for straight white men.
It is particularly ironic and thus more necessary in games like Overwatch and games like Apex Legends that have followed in the footsteps of its culturally diverse hero format, where the point is that the mix of backgrounds and hero kits is inherently inclusive to a player base of different people. These should be the last games these people are playing, and yet the majority of the reason they are here is because they receive direct or implicit approval of their behavior from the community at large, and it's ridiculous.
So, if you needed a New Year's resolution, here is one to try: If you play online video games with voice chat, and you happen to be put on a team with a sexist asshole, speak up. Denounce the behavior, and reassure the target of the harassment. Let's vow to have a gaming community where the problem element are the assholes and they're the ones who have to mute their mics, not women who simply wanted to have a good time after a long day.
