Playing with the Boys, Women Professional Video gamers

Of the many advances technology has offered people, some of the most important where in the area of entertainment. Thirty years ago my father played a videogame called Asteroid; it was an 8 color monstrosity where abstract geometrical squares attempted to resemble recognizable shapes. Today I can play games like Call of Duty: Ghosts where the line between what the game renders and reality is slowly blurring. With the advances in technology, videogame players also got one important thing, accessibility. Buying videogame consoles is no longer extremely expensive, and the proliferation of PC games also makes it easy for anyone to have access to games. With people playing more video games than in ever came the next step, online gaming. By the year 2000, what had started as small tournaments with arcade machines became international leagues with hundred thousand or even million dollar prizes. Traditionally dominated by men, many women have slowly found their way to the top of this profession. But one particular case interested me, the case of Sasha Hostyn. Scarlett, her online persona, is an accomplished gamer who has won many different World of Warcraft and Starcraft 2 tournaments. But the Canadian teen is also openly transgendered. Disregarding any question about choice in the matter, what this essay aims to do is offer an insight into the difficulties not only women encounter in a male dominated landscape, but also Sasha’s own journey to the top of the pro charts.

According to Owen Good of Kotaku, the history of professional video gamers started with the game Spacewar at Stanford University on the 19th of October, 1972. That day students competed for the grand prize of a one year subscription to Rolling Stone magazine. The availability of the internet by the 1990’s gave the game Netrek the chance to be the first online PC game to offer users the chance to play with up to 15 other players. The 2000´s brought some of the biggest tournaments including the World Cyber Games, Intel Extreme Masters, and Major League Gaming. There have been some important clans or groups of video gamers exclusively open to women. One of the groups is team PMS, which is open to any woman regardless of her video game playing chops. An interesting aspect encountered during research was that some women admitted to being acquainted to video games by their husbands or boyfriends, and that the creation of the group was a response to the male aggression they encountered as they honed their skills. They have strict rules regarding sexuality, their aim being not to denigrate the image of women gamers, but to offer the chance to be a part of a community. This social aspect of gaming is not only important to women, as many men find it much easier to socialize in this virtual world.

Now an important sector of video game players comes not from North America, but from Asia. Specifically South Korea, this country has dominated the professional gamer leagues for years. It was also the first country to have a 24 hour a day channel dedicated exclusively to video games. Most male American gamers have been unable to unseat the Asian contingent, so it is incrediblely interesting that the latest and most notorious challenger to Asian dominance is a teenage girl from Canada. She also happens to be openly transgendered. The idea Sasha being the “foreign hope” of online gaming carries a dual connotation for some observers, who unduly put a strong emphasis on her gender. But getting to this point for her was not an easy road, she had to face many difficulties, including cries from other female gamers after Sasha won the Ironlady tournaments in 2011 and 2012. Many forums started to refer to her in derogatory terms, questioning the validity of her titles and of her person. The sad part of this controversy is that no only men questioned her, but she also found that some women were strongly against her. The wars of words generated by people’s insensitivity sparked outrage. In her words after the controversy arose, “It is true I am [male-to-female] transgender, and I kinda expected this reaction. I have never tried to bring attention to myself for anything other than my play, so I don't feel like this should be a big deal,” Scarlett wrote. “Most of the girls I know knew about this already and don’t judge or care. In terms of actual play, there is (as far as I know) no advantage to being born male or female. But even if there was, being transgender means you are born with the brain of the opposite gender; so I would not have that advantage or disadvantage. All I ask is for people to be respectful and refer to me as ‘she.’” With her statement Scarlett, that is her video game screen name, shows one of the most important things to consider when facing the new reality of gender politics. One example that shows the difficulty of people dealing with these new politics is reflected in the following quote, “I accept her choice,” writes Wowcookiez. “I think it’s great as well as the way she plays. You know what, to hell with it. I’ll let the fanboys find out when they hug her/him.” While the chatter has enough sensitivity, the closing statement still reeks of lack of acceptance.  While the debate about nature versus choice has no place in this essay, it does necessarily have to refer to the reality that acceptance starts by heeding this young lady’s words. And while Scarlett faces not only the difficulties women have to face, but also the reality that her gender nature is not readily accepted, that has not stopped her from accruing over $35,000 dollars in winnings in the year 2013.

While the situation of women on the other side of the track, particularly in video game development, continues to be difficult because the video game industry still being considered a male driven business, about only 40% of American women admit to playing video games. Many women who work in the industry speak of the difficulty of working in what is essentially a “boy’s locker room”. The statistics are clear, only about 11% of game designers and just 3% of programmers are women, and most make on average about $10,000 a year less than male counterparts. Video game characters continue to over sexualize and objectify women showing the regard most males in the industry show for the gender. One encouraging note about the industry can be found in the rallying of women for game jobs, with websites dedicated to encouraging women into the profession and also offering help by creating networks of support from important female figures in the industry.  

So in conclusion, one important aspect this essay attempts to impress upon readers is that while there will always be a discussion about transgender people, if it is about nature or nurture or just choice, people must come to accept the ever changing politics of gender. As women fought for and continue to fight for equality, transgendered also fight for not only tolerance but understanding and acceptance. While it is well known that Sasha is transgender in the video game world, it has not made her any less of a victim of personal attacks to her gender. But it has also shown a different side, with many people accepting and strongly supporting her through her professional gamer exploits and her life decisions. And it should be said decision, because it disregards the idea of nature versus nurture, it just recognizes freedom to pursue what is best for that person.

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