Has gaming industry matured enough to put an end to gender-based harassment?

Women in the gaming industry speak out about the toxic environment and the current momentum for a real change. For years, the media has reported on stories of harassment, abuse, and bullying in the gaming industry. In the #MeToo movement for the video games industry, hundreds of women spoke about manipulative, predatory, discriminatory behaviour and harassment. Hundreds joined the walkout protest. In 2020, Twitter has been filled with stories about people in the gaming industry pushed into sex, belittled by male bosses, stalked, groomed, or harassed. Despite of the fact that many women, but also queer people, non-binary people, and men too opened up, there was no change.During the so-called Gamergate movement, male industry members harassed female games critics, female journalists and developers for months, both online and in person. Women in the video games industry are regularly abused and undermined in-situ and by online trolls. Working online due to the COVID-19 pandemic could make the industry to be more inclusive, accountable, and better. Emily Greer, CEO of Double Loop Games and the Independent Game Developers Association’s vice-chair, believes that the industry has matured. Women are being taken more seriously now than in the past, evidenced by companies’ willingness to dismiss or de-platform accused abusers’.