We've known for quite a while that female online gamers undergo a lot of negative experiences when playing. A new study has revealed that the problem may be worse than what was previously thought. According to the Female Gamers Study 2022 by Bryter, the gaming industry is set to lose as much as 21% of female online gamers because of toxic, negative, and threatening experiences.
The study revealed that females in gaming are experiencing what could be the highest levels of toxicity ever recorded. It's been found out that 72% of female gamers had actually experienced toxicity in gaming, a figure higher than the 65% from the 2021 study.
There's no question that toxicity remains to be a big problem in the gaming community. However, female players face toxicity at a much darker and more threatening level, with the abuse not only limited to online gaming. There have been cases where female players got stalked on other platforms, with some encountered in real life.
In the US and UK, the study by Bryter revealed that among female online gamers:
- 14% had received threats of rape.
- 35% had been sexually harassed.
- 35% had experienced negative actions of gameplay.
- 41% had been sent inappropriate content.
- 44% had been aggressively quizzed about their gaming experience.
- 50% experienced verbal abuse while playing online.
To be fair, many gaming studios are making an effort to lower the toxicity. But that’s not seem enough and they may continue to be unaware of the true extent of toxicity in their games.
The study revealed that around 62% of female gamers rarely report negative behavior directed toward them. The main reason cited is the unclear or ineffective reporting processes, with 34% felt that there was no reason in reporting toxicity because perpetrators rarely face any sanctions against them. Other results showed that:
- 22% didn't know how or where to report with 21% feeling the reporting process was too complicated or time-consuming.
- 20% worried the perpetrator would find out.
- 17% had tried to report, but it didn't work.
What about you? What do you think about the results of the Bryter Female Gamers Study 2022? You can read more about the study here.
