#But I keep thinking about the Minecraft tournament lol

[dodgebolts]

What exactly would you say were the problems with mcc as opposed to this event? Like how could noxcrew fix mcc?

First off, the events are just completely different in structure—MCC is a team-based game with a rotating slate of minigames that's for the most part a monthly event, whereas Squidcraft is a free-for-all that takes place once a year and has a new slate of events from year to year. I don't think Noxcrew can do much in that regard to 'fix things' other than introduce more games? However, I'm fully aware of how much time and effort that takes to do, and since because they're not actually paid anything to run the event I have no expectations for them to do so. So on the Noxcrew side of things? Not much LOL

My criticisms are levied more towards the community—I've been a Dream in MCC enjoyer for a long time, and there's always been quite a bit of animosity and hostility towards him. At the beginning (say MCC6-MCC13) I think that there was at least some basis for it, he was much more loose-lipped and brash with his criticisms and I'll be the first to admit that he was a little annoying sometimes. But that came with unwarranted things like people literally inventing tiers just to keep him away from the community's golden boy S-tiers, and it often just felt like he was othered from the community because he brought a competitiveness people weren't ready to face despite. yk. it being a competitive tournament.

Also, during mcc's return, 2021 dttwt had a lot of ppl who were nasty and annoying and incited mcc drama just to fight about it (I'd been on the receiving end of it a few times trust me LOL). So those two things combined soured the general mcc community towards Dream and everything only snowballed from there. For instance, MCC14 was a DISASTER for the green guardians and right after, people on the reddit didn't even stop to go "hey, maybe he had an off event, he's just some guy after all" and instead went Okay Well he underperformed he should be demoted a tier immediately, and it was incredibly frustrating as someone who knew that his performance was a one-off. Thankfully he went on to back-to-back win the next two events but demotion never left the realm of discussion—not to mention that mcc days just became a cesspool on twitter, people across the board talking shit about how the dteam made mcc too sweaty or how the hermits were being boring and should get better at pvp etc and it was just. not fun to be part of the community.

That all spilled over into Dream needing to be incredibly careful with his words, setting boundaries about not harassing Scott/Noxcrew, softening every criticism with praise so that dttwt wouldn't get up in arms about a non-issue all while ALSO having to retain his reputation with the redditors so that he wouldn't be tossed to the side the second he underperformed. That is to say, it felt stressful to be a fan, and in some mcc's he ended stream bowing under the pressure, apologizing for underperforming or not winning when it wasn't something that I think most of his viewers cared about, and it just made some mcc days feel like a downer because he couldn't just let himself have fun, he had to be the diplomat towards everyone.

This event, on the other hand, just felt a lot more welcoming. Partially, I think that's because of the fact that it's a FFA instead of a team tournament, but it's also just that it didn't feel like anyone was coming into the day with malicious intent nor odds stacked against him, and there were very few expectations of him other than "woah that's Dream the best minecrafter in the world he seems like a cool dude" where ppl acknowledged he was just some guy who's good at the game. He didn't need to be diplomatic per se, he could just be his corny, teasing self towards people like Spreen and Rubius and no one would have started a hate campaign towards him because they'd take it in jest, and he didn't have any statisticians to perform incredibly well for either. It was p obvious he wasn't nearly as wired as he normally is during mcc and it made it so much more fun that he could perform without the pressure we normally see him under. He was just hanging with his friends, being a goofball towards strangers, and having fun fucking around! Which, with the multifaceted pressure during MCC, just isn't possible.

disclaimer this is completely from the perspective of someone who has primarily watched Dream (and his close friends) for mcc since 2020 so these criticisms center around him !! so it's not really a general thing

[portrait-of-a-dying-planet]

Yo!

I follow from @a-girl-and-her-robo-dog!!

This is long, you have been warned.

Hi. I'm Pluto (but you can call me anything as long as it's space themed lol), I use any pronouns as I'm not putting my actual ones on the internet. Use anything, be creative. I'm Ace, probably Aro as well, but I do make some suggestive jokes. Some of the stuff I reblog on here includes gore so just a warning for that.

I am an adult so if that makes you uncomfortable feel free to not interact, I won't take offense.

My interests: I tend to have a main hyperfixation, a couple mini hyperfixations, and a bunch of things I'll always be interested in talking about.

I am a multi-shipper and don't really have any opinions on any ships unless it's, like, gross. I do tend to like the found family dynamic more than shipping tho, so anything I write is usually more platonic.

Current Hyperfixation: Uhhhh it's a tie between silly train guys and silly time traveling alien

Mini Hyperfixations: Invader Zim, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Minecraft, I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream

Other Stuff: Gravity Falls, FNAF, Cryptids and anything supernatural, Undertale, re-watching Rainbow Brite, Horror Movies, HTTYD, Studio Gibli movies, Marvel (up til Endgame), MLP

I have never read Homestuck.

Favorite colors: Maroon, Pinks and Reds, Blue-Violet

Favorite movie: Better off Dead and Castle in the Sky

Favorite food: Mac & Cheese

Favorite Pokemon: Chandelure, Diancie, Gengar, Jirachi, Wishiwashi

Favorite Pokemon Characters: EMMET, Ingo, Cyrus,

I have way too many Rotomblr accounts, here's proof (the stars are for ones I'm most active on):

@i-am-emmet-real - Emmet blog⭐

@iam-emmet - shitpost Emmet blog⭐

@team-apostasy-official - definitely not Emmet blog⭐

@tplasma-shadow - absolutely just an average plasma grunt I swear

@a-girl-and-her-robo-dog - Juliana blog (main)

@i-dont-have-the-spoons - Kadabra Sleebie⭐

@the-ghost-of-futures-past - Ghastly Sleebie⭐

@briar-bbacadamy-official - Briar blog

@i-am-better-than-you - Melli blog

@porygon-conspiricy-corner - Rotomblr conspiracy blog

@goindownswingin - BBA OC blog

@heyitswarmrun - it's Warmrun

Other blogs I run:

@pokegirl-tournament - what it says on the cover

@rp-asks-and-stuff - Rotomblr resource blog

I do in fact have a problem.

So my DNI list... Listen I don't give a fuck about your political views. I'll block you if you're a bitch. Just be nice to people, okay? (AND I DON'T REALLY CARE ABOUT PROSHIP BUT JUST KEEP IT OFF MY BLOG PLEASE)

One other thing: I have, like, the worst social anxiety known to man. Please please please if I say something wrong tell me. Nothing I say is ever meant to come out mean or rude. I tend to be shitty when it comes to social cues and over text is even harder so if I annoy you, I beg of you, tell me.

I think that's it :3

[dawrene]

and for now i just want to say i miss block wars origins and mcc so much 😓

and if you don't know about block wars, i'd love to introduce

block wars is a minecraft tournament made by (mostly) mcc testers, so their concept is somehow the same.

block wars contains 40 players, which were divided into 8 teams of 5, they will play 8 games base on minecraft skills to win the event, yeah i know they sound similar, bit what made block wars a potential event is that it is so much harder than mcc.

mcc is hard, and they also have different range of players, they have bedwars players, uhc players, speedrunners, builders, pvpers, or even non-minecrafters, but block wars was made by (kinda) mcc testers and their friends, so the event was a "little" bit more than that. after 15 seasons, block wars getting more and more recognized by bigger players such as captainsparklez or purpled, they split block wars into 2 events, one for the ccs, and one for the origins, or the friend that want to enjoy with friends.

block wars have pvp games such as extraction, skybolt (new game and i think it is fun), and battle with movement games like move, race, and other fun games: party, spleef (i hate this game), construction

and of course they have several dead (maybe) games or it was rotated/changed, i don't know like hunt (i love you no matter what they said), dropper, parkour (never come back please), crypt (you too)

every games is fun, and you can sense their friendship in the event and it was fun to see friends working together in a minecraft event having fun! that's the main reason why i spent a lot of time in december rewatching vods...

for someone who is really want to try out watching the event:

for better understanding about the game and you don't mind who you will be watching, you really should check out the first 15 seasons, they have unbelievably cracked players: firebreathman, dong_fortnite, itsfinnishdaniel, solawr, witheredflux, epicfh, gummywroms, ect. seapeekay also joined this event rather early!

if you just want to watch the mcc players or somewhat bigger cc, you can start the block wars 1 that was for ccs, but keep in mind most of them are new to the event so it may be a little bit confusing. but if you want to watch someone who is more familiar to the game in that event, you can check out firebreathman, wolfeei, mysticat, seapeekay, jojosolos, oli the orionsound, antfrost, 5up, princezam.

small note: BW1 was a very scuffed event, people keep crashing and they have to redo a lot. they don't usually have technical problems, it was unlucky that they have so much issues in their first ccs event lol

also check out this hilarious tom hellicar play please

[bold-yet-wholesome]

Haikyuu Streamer Bf x GN!reader

Kenma, Tendou, and Suna are your streamer boyfriends lol

Genre: Soft, Slightly Suggestive

A/N: i was watching someone’s stream and this was what came out of it lol. Also its unedited so im sorry for grammatical or spelling mistakes.

Kenma

Kenma is a very popular streamer amongst the twitch community

His life revolves around his gaming/streaming career and he is very serious and loyal to his job

Kenma streams many different types of games but usually likes games that he can play on his own

He is a very laid-back streamer but when he rages during his streams his fans make fun of him because he looks like a mad cat

Kenma likes to separate his private life and his work life.

One day during his stream you accidentally showed your face and fans freaked out

“OMG is that kozuken’s partner?!”

“Partner reveal!“

Kenma saw these rumours surface and decided to confront them in his next stream

“I thank you guys for your support and yes I have an amazing beautiful partner but I would like it if you guys gave us the privacy that we want. I hope we can move on from this“

Sometimes you would still show up on his stream and would make cameos like giving him water or food because he forgets to eat or drink

His fans would always compliment your looks

“Wow your partner is so pretty”

Kenma is Lowkey posessive which was why he asked you to show up less on his streams because he gets jealous LOL

When Kenma is done his streams he goes to your shared bedroom and flops on top of you and just cuddles

“Mmm im tired”

Says poggers ironically

Tendou

Tendou streams for fun

He has a medium size platform and usually only streams when he has the time to

He has very loyal fans and is very laid-back during his streams

He likes playing horror games

Tendou never really gets scared in fact whenever a jump scare comes on he just kind of laughs LOL

It’s either horror games or he is playing animal Crossing because he thinks it’s really cute

Tendou love showing you off

Whenever you pass by while he is streaming he always yells at you to come over he would drag you onto his lap and just keep the keep you on there until the stream is over

“This right here is my amazing beautiful partner”

Whenever people would compliment you he always make sure that you are his

“This Angel is mine, they belongs to ME”

He loves playing multiplayer games with you too

Whenever you guys play Minecraft he aims to slay the ender dragon while you create a pretty house

Tendou doesn’t care as long as you’re having fun and you guys are doing something together

When the streams are over and you’re still on his lap he cuddles onto you for a little while longer

“Satori, lets go eat”

“Lets just stay like this angel”

Says poggers unironically

Suna

Suna is a league of legends player

I’m sorry I hate to say it but yes one of the games that he plays often and streams is league

Suna is the best one of the best players actually

Suna plays a variety of games and both alone and with some of his friends

Ik he plays jackbox w the Inarizaki team and streams it because its funny asf

He plays in a variety of tournaments and is very popular amongst the league community

Suna is very serious during his streams

He doesn’t talk as much as other streamers but everyone usually just focusses on his amazing gameplay

When he does talk he gets very aggressive

Suna swears a lot like a lot during his streams

Due to him being a night owl and how loud he is whenever he gets mad, sometimes you have to have to go over to his room and quiet him down

“Baby im sorry but can you quiet down a bit please? I have work tomorrow”

“Sorry babe, ill get to bed soon okay?”

His fans receive whiplash because Suna went from aggressive to soft

His fans make fun of him for how whipped he is for you

“Yeah im whipped, what about it?”

When his fans compliment you he goes feral

he gets really protective and aggressive and it’s kind of funny

“The dick they are sucking is mine. You guys can fuck off”

“SUNA RINTAROU”

“Oh shit uh sorry babe”

You don’t really show up that often on Suna’s streams but when you do he makes sure he kisses you on camera

He wants everyone to know you are his

He hates the word poggers

[khizuo]

My MCC 13 Predictions!

My Very Crude Stats Post

Your local MCC sweat is back with heavily reddit-influenced MCC 13 predictions! I’m purposefully keeping them really loose because it all really comes down to game order. And even with how loose these predictions are, I’m still very unsure about them! I think that while this MCC does have a definitive top 3 in Pink and a definitive last place in Sapphire, most of the other teams have the potential to fluctuate quite a bit.

a bit of a disclaimer, I guess: I’m making this post because I like to think about and analyze teams, not because I want to imply that some teams are worse than others. All teams will be entertaining no matter if they win or not! It’s a competitive event, but ultimately it’s for fun, and that’s what this post is for too. It’s fun to think about and speculate, but I mean to do it in the most harmless way possible.

Now on to the predictions:

Pink will be top three, unless something ridonkulously awful happens. They’re a favorite to win, and for a good reason—they’re very well-rounded, and they have an S-tier player in Dream and two A-tier players in Sparklez and Scott, as well as a B-tier player in Shubble. (Shubble’s performances are extremely inconsistent and she’s varied from top 10 to bottom 10, but she has gotten top 10 once and top 20 a good amount of times.)

I think Coral, Purple, Teal, and Cyan will fill out the rest of the top 5, although I’m not sure in which order.

Coral has Sapnap and Krtzyy, both A-tiers, and Wisp, who is very good at Minecraft in general although his performance last MCC doesn’t reflect that. They are “the PVP team” lol.

Purple is basically MCC 10 Orange, who won. It’s Petezahhutt leading the Hermits again. False gets top 15 on a really good team, Grian is actually pretty good, and Kara is also decent. I don’t think they have a high chance of winning because the competition is pretty stiff, but I do think they have the potential to do quite well and get to the top half.

Teal is SWEATY. They SWEAT. That’s all I have to say.

Cyan is well... Cyan. The dysfunctional family that we know and love. They’re pretty good at movement-based games, but those tend to be played early. If they want to get to dodgebolt they’re gonna have to really pop off in late-games like BSABM and SoT. I think they have a chance to win, but it’s not a wide chance. It will be pretty dependent on game order and if Fundy and Phil can replicate their performances from last MCC. I’ll definitely be watching them, though, because I know they’re gonna have me laughing. Plus they’ll probably have the wholesome #Technosupport.

Finally, Mint, Red, Emerald, and Yellow will round out the bottom 4 (Simmers are pretty much a guaranteed 10th in general). I think out of these four, Emerald and Red have the biggest chance to break into the top 5.

Emerald has a potential top-10 player in Tommy, but he’s also very inconsistent. I know he’s not throwing anymore, but that doesn’t equal consistency just yet. CPK is a very good top-15 player, and Tubbo can also very well reach top 15. Honestly they’re only in the bottom half because the competition is very stiff. They’ll still be really damn fun to watch though and I think Tommy will take a leadership role again! He’s been killing that since MCC 11 and I love it.

Red, also, has top-5 potential in the Quig-Mefs duo.

Yellow and Mint, while both having an S-Tier player each (Hbomb and Fruit respectively) are only as strong as their weakest links, I think. Hbomb and Fruit might train their teams and they might end up pulling surprisingly good performances, but again, the competition is stiff.

Simmers are... the Simmers. I love them. They’re here to remind us that MCC is a for fun tournament. Just gonna go watch their battle box domination again, brb. And who knows, maybe they’ll surprise us?

Anyways, I’ll finish this predictions post by again reiterating that I don’t have any expectations for the teams to fall according to where I place them (even though I left way larger margins than the reddit folk!) MCC is a tournament that is purely for fun and a team doesn’t have to win for their perspective to be enjoyable. I just hope all the contestants enjoy themselves and don’t feel too stressed!

P.S. If I see as many posts complaining about Techno not being in as I saw last MCC, I Shall Break A Lamp. #TechnoSupport!

[angeloncewas]

ohoho opinion time? let's go

obviously liking build mart or not is heavily dependent on who you're watching because you're more likely to enjoy a certain game, if the person you're watching is having fun. as someone who has consistently watched false's pov live (false my queen 🖐️), i like build mart. at the same time, it is kind of a shitty game and i 100% get why people, especially people like dream, would hate it. i'd hate it to of i were there, bro, memory? shit.

but like. i don't care? i usually don't care about stuff like this tbh but, as my track record suggests, i did go down some,, interesting people's blogs and posts and opinions on the matter

main big thing i see (mainly on tumblr btw bc i can't stand twt) are people wanting build mart removed or changed, mainly for dream. which imo is fair, a large reason parkour warrior was changed to tag was actually because of grian, and the way grian reacted to parkour warrior is very reminiscent to how dream treats build mart ngl. but like,, they did change build mart? between seasons? it wasn't a big change, but i remember literally everyone i watched (pvpers and builders) said the new change made it so much better. and i don't think they're going to remove it, just like they're not going to remove a lot of the pvp games. people prefer different games and that's just like,, how it is ig

big thing is dream's reaction, largely because he is one of the biggest people on mcc and has such a vocal disdain for build mart, so what he says, a lot of people will go with (kinda like mid game voting y'know, just with more dts) which is what creates the discourse, people mainly parroting what their favourite little meow meow says. and ofc this fandom is.. a wild one, so discourse is Discourse and the actual problem gets so skewed. i've seen people say noxcrew is ableist because of build mart? and that they're favouring hermits? which is. strange. bc if you look at the amount of pvp games i'd say they're more definetly not

imo i like build mart, i don't think it should be removed, unless there's another building (or ngl even redstone) based game that can replace it, but even then a lot of the pvpers are still gonna hate it, so there's no real winning here, just like grian still hates parkour tag. at the end of the day, it is still literally a minecraft tournament, and this is getting blown way out of proportion, but discourse is expected, and actually a lot of the time very civil. people just like arguing, let's be real lol.

anyway

feel free to disagree with me here, i love ur opinions and i like changing mine

-rabbithole

Appreciate the compliment afjdsk and I hope you're well, rabbithole anon ! I'll answer under the cut for length :)

> While it's definitely true that the streamer in question effects how you see the game, I don't think it's entirely up to that (not that you're saying it is, just my opinion). It's kind of boring to watch on the admin stream even though they can see any perspective they'd like, and the rush of winning imo is dampened by the activity itself even when the people are exceling. I haven't watched False though, so it's totally possible that she adds something special.

> I've seen some weird-ass thread on this topic too lol. Why y'all being so personal about a game you're not even in PLEASE /lh

> Dream was lying (affectionate) when he said that it hasn't been changed in ages, but I really don't know if the changes are enough. I actually say this as a Wilbur viewer - I remember him saying that the carts were definitely the problem after the first time they played the new map, but I'm pretty sure he hasn't exactly had stellar reviews of the game since. It doesn't feel much different, except for in aesthetic.

> That being said I don't have a solution to offer as an alternative. I don't think it should be removed unless they had a replacement equivalent ready, but I also can't say that it's perfect as-is, y'know?

> I've never seen people saying either of those things personally, but I don't doubt that they're out there and it's weird as fuck lol.

> I don't wanna keep rehashing the same arguments, but I guess my issue is the sort of "shut up and smile" mentality people have toward Dream. Not saying you do, just in general - why is Wilbur allowed to constantly scream about how Ace Race is a shitty fucking broken-ass game that needs to be burned in a fire while Dream can't even say he might opt out for his own enjoyment next time ? I know they're different people with different audiences, but I just don't like assigning that kind of responsibility based on coincidence and what have you

> People need to chill out and watch every single MCC VOD <3 ajfkds

(Sorry I'm not more convincing - I feel like I've said my piece since I never really had strong Build Mart beliefs to begin with - but I really appreciate your perspective and I hope you had a good MCC day lol)

[ranvwoop]

Mcc thoughts please :)

(I love to hear for u about this stuff!!!)

!! cryptid!!! friend!!! hello!!! thank you for asking!! Often I am no thoughts head empty about like, actual skill things, but I do have some thoughts for you :DD! (Also nice new pfp by the way !!). I also got very distracted while writing this. It's late. Oopsie.

Under the cut as usual Cause I Talk A Lot.

The first thing to say about it is ?? it was just a Very Nice Time. Everyone pretty much unanimously agrees that the vibes of mcc14 were Very Off, and I also came away with. eek. awkward. people are sad and unhappy and that is bad. mccp was also super good (and for a good cause!!) but I felt this one even surpassed it in Good Atmosphere. I watched Pink from Ranboo's pov live, and then watched Green from Phil's pov in the evening (/morning cause I fell asleep watching it lol), and I'm even debating watching Red from Quackity's pov despite it being an almost four hour VOD and I do not have the time for that, it was just. Such a nice time!! I can't actually speak for other than Pink and Green but. I understand completely why it is adored.

To preface, I don't know anything about being good at video games. Much less Minecraft. I spiritually relate to mister Pants in this position. I am tossing stones in this glass tumblr blog. I don't look at the Reddit, either.

For Pink, I have to say I Am So Proud of Ranboo. I am so proud of him. That's my parasocial relationship! He's come so far and he says he's not good at the game but h e i s. I'm very glad that they got parkour tag first, specifically because Ranboo did really well and he deserved to have a good start. Something something morale and surprising people, but also I just think he personally deserved it. I hope he comes back for more tournaments, it's no secret that i adore he but like... great attitude..... generally very versatile... he's not the best best pvper in the world but pvp but shut.... I'm so excited to see him come back and do even better. I hope he'll be a regular, and tbh since he's so happy and excited about it and also happy to be paired with anyone I think he will be. My streamer is so cool.

Wilbur and Tubbo also did extremely well!! Top ten?? My streamers?? My streamers constantly underestimated because the reddit is mean to them for some reason??? Admittedly I don't know much abt Tubbo in MCC because this is my first time watching his team, but, give him more credit he knows what he's doing D:. And Wilbur, I have been watching him in the past two MCCs and I know he's been trying so hard and constantly being just cut short. He just wants to do well and be a good support for his teammates,,, mister Soot... holding gently.

I am not too familiar with TapL, other than he's usually at the front of races, but second individual is Super Super Good. I am proud of him too. I've also not watched him because I'm not very into speedrunning (see above where I. I don't know a thing about Minecraft lol) but he's so cool I may have to. The universe is telling me watch Tapl. But he's very cool. Not a lot for me to say abt him since I knew him as a really good player and he ended up being a really good player!

Pink's overall communication and chemistry was So Good. It was so good that I didn't even think about it being a factor until I watched another point of view, and Green sort of fell apart a bit and I was like, huh, wow, okay. No offence to them, but they had a sort of rough start with Battlebox. It was a tiny bit secondhand embarassing because it's just nooO listen to eachother,, listen,,,,

They also had a rough entirety with Connor. Poor Connor. I say this with absolute affection, I think Connor's really cool and I like watching his streams and also it was funny, but CoNNOR,

He had to be taught how to play the game During the game. I don't think he'd used an Elytra before the tsf map?? Or at least it had been so long he forgot?? Nobody told him about 1.9 combat changes until chat told him during the game. Phil had said on stream that he was trying and failing to round people up to practice, but, they should've at least ran through the game mechanics with the man. Tell him the event started an hour before it should've or something and play on a realm and refresh stuff he Will Need. And then Sands of Time, where his game was bugged, everyone assumed he was just incompetent, and then he sounded very calm so nobody realized the gravity of How Much Sand.

I'm not saying he's not just bad at the game, (well. he's probably average at the game, honestly, but in comparison to people who have spent their career in The Craft), but I think with a little more support in some areas he wouldn't have done as poorly. This is also totally not salty or anything, it was Very Fun to watch the poor man trying to navigate Minecraft, and everyone had fun so!! Good. Rights.

(It was also very funny when Phil and Fundy both tried to compliment him and Discord cut it off. MAN CAN'T CATCH A BREAK!)

To speak more positively, they really managed well in sky battle and survival games. Tommy is always an excellent leader for those sorts of things and managed to even keep Connor alive until the end of SG, and I think they did very well in sky battle too?? I can't completely remember. Phil trying to coach Connor through TSF was also nice to see, even if the time ran out before he could actually manage to do it.

I don't know why I've based my metric of teamwork on Connor. It's important to uplift the weak link, I guess! Like I said, I am not upset about it or salty or think that they're secretly Bad Team Players or Bad People, it's just an observation. They're all individually great members of a team, and I've seen them all work well in the past!

Fundy was also there. Fundy did good. I didn't talk about Fundy here at all. I can't remember much about what he did.

I would also like to take a moment to talk about Purple Pandas, because they were at the root of Pink Parrot's failures and I think that is hilarious. Wool'd em in Battlebox. Killed them early in Sky Battle. And then, finally, killed Ranboo in SG. I just thought it was really funny.

[tubb0]

stream liveblog: tommyinnit 8/22

I woke up literally a minute before he started so thats cool

he’s in a mood

he says he’s going to spend more time editing his videos (and upload less)

he also says his plan is two smp videos and then ‘something cool. something you might recognize’ 👀

oh so someone is building a tesck to compete with walmart. good.

theres a nether protal in tommys tower. he is not pleased

I just woke up idk whos been doing stuff but they’ve been quite busy

tommy is upset that tubbo was streaming with someone who ‘stole his brand’ (wearing a red t-shirt)

chat says his name is also tom

now hes in call with tubbo, yelling

‘you’re not just gonna go speak to this guy with more red in his shirt than me’

oh he hung up on tubbo

shippers will have a fierld day with this one (I desperately hope they don’t exist since these are children but yknow I’m sure they do)

you can see the corner of tommys bed when he fullscreens his facecam. he doesn’t have sheets or a mattress cover on his bed. do what you will with this (unless its weird then please dont)

tubbo_ has joined the game

tommy says he will ghost tubbo

also hey its fine to have a crush on tommy if you’re around his age but you dont have be weird and pushy about it

tubbo is doing the sad walk and tommy shot him

tommy: best friendship ended with tubbo. jack manifold is my new best friend

tubbo_ has left the game

chat is babying tubbo again :/

tubbo_ has joined the game

<tubbo_> sorry

tubbo_ has left the game

‘I always knew this day would come. thats why I was always mean to tubbo. I knew he would rob me.’

tubbo_ has joined the game

he left again... his spaghetti is ready

tommy is thinking of ways to but tubbo to work in order for them to earn back his friendship

wait did ponk steak tommys horse? I thought bbh did

anyways retrieve horsechamp

chat says niki lost ylyl because of tommy

wilbur was not pleased that she finds him funny (joking of course)

anyway niki is so pretty

it has just clicked for tommy that the horse is in fact his horse

oh hes on the run

tubbo has returned from eating his poggers spaghetti

tommy is stuck in a hole

tubbo: you know the pope? anyway heres my bee box!

tubbo keeps talking about the pope

tubbo has decided he doesn’t need tommys friendship and left the game

tommy says hes ‘like dream. his only friends are the numbers.’

he called tubbo and theyre both yelling now

tubbo claims to want more mature friends than tommy

tommy is accusing tubbo of being on drugs

the pope returns

‘this is like a divorce’ ‘yeah except I dont care’

they spent a second questioning catholicism

tubbo please why do you keep talking about the pope

tubbo brought up death and tommy shut that down real quick

tubbo out here with definitions

dream has joined the game

dream is only kind to tubbo and yet wont follow them back on twt

there something so endearing about hearing someone moving further from the mic when they laugh

chat is talking about the vlog gun so tommys watching wilburs stream

tommy: *upset about wilbur trying to break the vlog gun* tubbo: does this mean we can be together for mmc??

tommy hit tubbo of his balcony and now tubbo is regretting coming back online

tommy just murdered dream by hitting him with a minecart

ah fuck chat lost it and my streams starting to lag

skeppy is threatening to burn the doscs to avenge dreams death

tommy to tubbo: our friendship really hold this server together

did he lie?? absolutely not

deals are being made

well not really. tommy is trying to get a disc in exchange for dreams stuff

some pvp may occur

stream title has been changed to ‘war’ things are getting serious

tubbos wifi is failing us

oh the boys are fighting

a few thing happened in so little time but to summarize the way that tommy and tubbo trust eachother and silently cooperate is very cool. I aspire for this friendship.

for some reason its always so weird to me when I hear just dream talking to tommy and tubbo

I think its because drram is so stubborn and assertive but tommy does not care or put up with it so no matter what dream always seems to have the lowerhand which doesn’t happen often

I’m confused why is chat making such a big deal about wilbur ending his stream

ah a confrence with president soot

the other day everyone was afraid the server was dying but this seems like the start of another war

wilbursoot has joined the game

do you ever get so caught up in the drama of these stream and then it hits you that these are just a bunch of losers playing minecraft

wilbur... to be fair tommy didnt mean to kill dream... he warned him too

oh?

wilbur whispered to tommy to run while he was negotiating with dream and I think he told tubbo to kill dream but tubbo might also just be doing that for fun idk

dreams bringing up server rules... do it. ban tommy. your server will die immediately.

wilbur has scolded tommy and now tommy is ignoring him to plot with tubbo

sapnap!

I like the dynamic between tommy, tubbo and sapnap very much

sapnap has joined the game

oh my god I have to pee

lmao dream said tommy scams him often and tommy went 😬

‘everyone will call you bream for bitch dream’

tommy gave him his stuff

oh but some was never picked up

yikes dream is actually mad

damn tommy and skeppy are really going at it

chat says skeppy had the sword that dreams mad about uh oh

hehe tommy is very funny

tubbo is bargaining for tommy since dream killed him and is threatening his cow

if chat is right and skeppy actually has the sword hes pretty good at kying because I believe him but also I don’t know him well so

tommy is telling tubbo to kill skeppy now

aw skeppys stream sniping thats no fun

but anyway was that not the sword dream was looking for that tommy just showed in the chest????

so is sapnap on their side now? I think I missed something

no chat seems just as confused as me so

sapnap about betraying dream: it just seemed interesting idk

I think hes lying

chat has a point... I cant tell if tommy doesn’t realize or doesnt care that dream is watching his stream

wait that was cool

dream pearled away from sapnap but tommy saw the pearl and waited there so he could attack

ok but anyway while theyre chasing eachother around how did the minecart kill dream?? I’m pretty sure it does no damage and if I’m wrong dream was still in enchanted netherite and I doubt he was running around on like half a heart... unless he just did a /kill on himself for the drama??

tubbo broke all the ender chests and put them inside one... hes so smart

oh ok so tommy doesn’t care if dream is watching

fuck a bug flew in my eye

ponk and skeppy just reading the deaths in chat and making small comments lol

tubbo what

sapnap please

I’m very glad dream isnt in vc anymore because I bet he’s very upset and he gets scary sometimes

dont get me wrong I love him but yknow

oh no sapnap dont :(

tommy is getting so nervous about tubbos wifi going out because then itll be him against everyone else online lmao

tubbo: our relationship cannot be toxic because I am not in love with you :))

no tubbo not the pope again

tubbo please my head hurts

woah tubbo just killed tubbo while dream started killing him

oh he logged out and now dream is killing tommy

at this point dream is purposely not communicating with tommy and I’m getting nervous

oh hes back

go tubbo go

yknow what a man can do with 55 sticks?

tubbo accidentally locked himself in jail lmao

tommy is calling dream clay

he does not care

dream logged out (unrelated to above statements)

woah wait what tubbo is leading tommy somewhere secret that he cant even show on stream

tubbo you genius what do you have planned

tommy is playing his vlog to entertain stream while tubbo directs him to the secret

wtf tubbo

also they said sounds have to be off so I think the location might be in the nether or something because sounds will apparently give it away

dying is the only way they can leave??? but it cant be the end though right?

cuz like the achievements would show up

hmm

I don’t want to be too much of a snitch in case any of them actually are lurking on here but anyways tubbo is very epic

both tubbo and tommys mothers are teachers?

but they have a point dont skip your classes to watch someone play minecraft!

tubbo is such a good friend

they also say their in a tournament on the 31st so look forward to it

tommy is really throwing shade at shippers this stream. good for him.

oh and lowkey dnf shade too haha

ha tubbo almost leaked one of tommys video ideas

tubbo just wants to play fall guys

tommy is too self aware

but also he has a point. chat always sides with tubbo because they baby him

its kinda weird ngl

ahh my wifis going out :(

they’re watching the sunrise on tommys balcony while listening to blocks

oop tommy ended the stream because chat was being weird

gg tommy

anyway good stream go check it out if you havent already because I left some stuff out either because I type too slow or didn’t want to leak secrets :))

[kobenipilled]

70 questions about video games answered, if you read even a little bit, please like the post!

1. First game you played obsessively? Probably would have to say Spiderman 2 on the original Xbox 2. A game that has influenced you creatively? Writing, drawing, etc. Final Fantasy 7 3. Who did you play with as a kid? My two year old younger brother! 4. Who do you play with now? My best friend @i-no mostly 5. Ever use cheat codes? As a kid, yeah, not so much anymore 6. Ever buy strategy guides? Hell naw 7. Any games you have multiple copies of? Final Fantasy 7, GTA V, Skyrim, Bioshock 2, Metro Redux, Phantom Pain, The Last of Us, All the Uncharted games. Just off the top of my head. 8. Rarest/Most expensive game in your collection? Probably one of my PS1 games, no clue 9. Most regrettable purchase? I didn’t buy it myself, but FFXV 10. Ever go to a midnight game release or stand in line for hours? Not anymore, no 11. Have you ever made new friends from playing video games? Hell yeah! 12. Ever get picked on for liking games? Sadly, yeah 13. A game you’ve never played that everyone else has? Most of the zelda games? Maybe? 14. Favorite game music? Bitch I can’t pick, but I’ll link 5 of my favs in no particular order Final Fantasy 7 DOOM (2016) Chrono Trigger Silent Hill 2 Gunpoint 15. If it was a requirement to get a game related tattoo, what would you pick? I’m already getting a bunch of game tattoo’s, outsiders mark is the first one I’m getting! 16. Favorite game to play with your friends IRL? Any split screen fps, they’re fucking amazing to play with frens! 17. Ever lose a friend over a game? Nah 18. Would you date someone that hates gaming? Hates? They wouldn’t date me. If they just don’t play, yeah. 19. Favorite handheld console? I don’t own one really, but it would be the switch for sure 20. Game that you know like the back of your hand? The Last of Us maybe? GTAV? Uncharted 4? No clue. 21. Game that you didn’t like or understand as a kid but love now? Dark Souls, maybe. Or Persona. 22. Do you wear game related clothing/accessories? Yeah, kinda. Got a GTA shirt, Game Grumps shirt too 23. The game that you’ve logged the most hours into? Skyrim? Fallout 4? Minecraft? Who tf knows 24. First Pokemon game? Pokemon Red? I think. 25. Were you ever an arcade game player? Hell yea! Used to play Metal Slug in a cafe! 26. Ever form any gaming rivalries? Depends on what you mean 27. Game that makes you rage? Any platformer tbh 28. Ever play in a tournament? Yeah, played in a Digimon Rumble Arena 2 tournament as a kid 29. What is your gaming set up? TRASH (specs on my twitch) 30. How many consoles do you own? Uhh, 3? Yea 31. Does the 3DS and/or Virtual Boy hurt your eyes or give you headaches? Nope 32. Did you ever play a game based on your favorite show/cartoon/movie/comic? Yea boi, spiderman ! 33. Did you ever have any bootleg games or plug-n-play games? I owned a bunch on my PS1 34. Do either of your parents play video games? My dad does! My mom likes nintendo 35. Ever work in a game store? Or do you have a favorite game shop? I don’t really like game stores 36. Have you ever shed actual blood, sweat or tears over a game? All three 37. Have you played E.T. for the Atari 2600? Do you think that’s the worst game ever, or do you have another nomination? Fucking FFXV bitch 38. A game you’re ashamed to admit that you like? Phantom Pain... 39. A sequel that you would die for them to make? Eh all the sequals I want is being made, maybe Silent Hill 40. What to you think of virtual reality headsets or motion controls? VR rocks, Wii motion controls suck my ass 41. A genre that you just can’t get into? Fighting Games 42. Maybe it wasn’t your first game, but what was the game that started you on your path to nerdiness? Most absolutely some star wars game 43. Ever play games when you really should have been concentrating on something else? Literally every day 44. Arcade machine that has consumed the most of your quarters? Metal Slug was free baby 45. How are you at Mario Kart? SHIT like omg 46. Do you like relaxing games like Animal Crossing or Harvest Moon? LOVE Animal Crossing 47. Do you like competitive games? Yeah! 48. How long does it take your to customize your player character? First time, 1+ hours 49. In games where you can pick your class, do you always tend to go for the same type of character? Yeah, rouge/ranger type 50. If you were a game designer, what masterpiece would you create? I am a game designer! Currently working on a 1888 detective game! 51. Have you ever played a game for so long that you forgot to eat or sleep? LOL yeah 52. A game that you begged your parents for as a kid? GTA, my mom wouldn’t let me have it 53. What’s your opinion on DLC these days? Depends, some DLC’s are fucking awesome, like Ubisoft is pretty good at them. Prefer expansions though 54. Do you give in to Steam sales? Fuck yeah I do 55. Did you ever make someone you hated in the Sims and did mean stuff to them? Yeah lmao 56. Did you ever play Roller Coaster Tycoon and kill off your guests? Does Planet Coaster count? 57. Did you ever play a game to 100% or get all of the achievements? Yeah! Uncharted series and The Last of Us, DOOM 2016, Black Flag 58. If you can only play 3 games for the rest of your life, which ones do you pick? DOOM 2016, Fallout 4, PUBG 59. Do you play any cell phone games? Hearthstone ig 60. Do you know the Konami Code? Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A 61. Do you trade in your games or keep them forever? If I don’t like them, trade in 62. Ever buy a console specifically to play one game? Yeah, got PS4 for bloodborne 63. Ever go to a gaming convention or tournament? Ye! 64. Ever make a TV or monitor purchase based on what would be best for gaming? Yep 65. Ever have a Game Genie, Game Shark or Action Replay? Did it ever mess up your game’s save file? Nope 66. Did you ever have have an old Nokia with Snake on it? FUCK YEAH 67. Do you have a happy gaming-related childhood memory you want to share? I got so many, most with my brother playing XIII or Nightfire 68. Ever save up a ton of tickets in an arcade to get something cool? Not really 69. In your opinion, best game ever made? Honestly a hard pick, DOOM maybe? FF7? Uncharted? TLOU? Dark Souls? No idea. 70. Very first game you ever beat? Hmmm, James Bond Nightfire probably

[jamesgeiiger]

Women navigate toxicity, other barriers in esports

NEW YORK — Susie Kim thinks the women gamers are out there. As general manager for a championship esports team, she would know.

She’s not surprised none of them are on her roster.

The Entertainment Software Association reported this year that 45 per cent of U.S. gamers are female, yet women make up a scant portion of the professional esports player pool. Executives for games like “League of Legends” and “Overwatch” say they are eager to add women to pro rosters, where players can make hundreds of thousands of dollars. Yet LoL’s Championship Series hasn’t had a female gamer since 2016, and the Overwatch League’s inaugural season featured just one.

The industry has grappled with harassment and toxic behaviour since the Gamergate scandal of 2014, when a group of male gamers organized to target women throughout the industry. Women say they feel marginalized within the community and are routinely subject to nasty comments about their ability or appearance. For elite gamers, much of it comes from fans, but opponents and teammates are sometimes just as challenging. At the lower levels, women are often bombarded by hyper masculinity in a space where most everyone is anonymous.

Kim’s London Spitfire won the first Overwatch League championship in June. Speaking to The Associated Press before the grand finals, she said there are “absolutely” women talented enough to be playing in the Overwatch League.

“But they’re just like, ‘It’s a headache. I don’t want to be part of this at all,”‘ Kim said. “I don’t blame them.”

AT THE TOP

Maria “Remilia” Creveling is the only woman — and only transgender woman — to compete in the LoL Championship Series (LCS), the top pro league for the world’s most popular esport. Her stay in the LCS was short-lived and not the inspiring breakthrough some fans had hoped.

Creveling was a standout support player and qualified for the LCS with team Renegades in 2015. She made her debut the next year under intense scrutiny. Many celebrated her, but the comment sections accompanying live streams of Renegades matches were flooded with sexist and transphobic harassment. Fans disputed her gender identity, wrote critically about her appearance and bashed her abilities.

A few weeks into the season, Creveling removed herself from the Renegades’ roster, citing anxiety and self-esteem issues. She hasn’t returned to the LCS since.

Creveling declined to be interviewed by the AP, but did say she has resumed competing and will be looking for a new team soon.

Other major esports have similarly thin histories of women at the highest levels. The NBA 2K League said it had one woman in a pool of 250 finalists for roster spots in its inaugural season. She did not land one of the 102 available slots. The Overwatch League had one woman for its inaugural season, Kim “Geguri” Se-Yeon with the Shanghai Dragons. Sasha “Scarlett” Hostyn, a transgender woman, won a major “Starcraft II” tournament in February and is the only woman to win such an event in that game.

Se-Yeon and Hostyn have been reluctant to embrace the spotlight as female role models. Both have said they simply want to be seen as talented gamers.

“Being the icon or being looked up to because I’m female — I’m grateful,” Se-Yeon said via translator at a press conference in March. “But I don’t really have any thoughts about it. That’s not how I want to be known.”

AT THE LOWER LEVELS

Tiffany Chang is a fan of Se-Yeon’s. The amateur player doesn’t blame the “Overwatch” pro for shying away from attention as a woman. Chang sometimes gets the urge to do the same.

Chang hosts Twitch streams of herself playing “Overwatch” and other games to collect donations for charity, and routinely plays online against strangers. Women like Chang encounter a lot of toxic behaviour, much of it the same sort of trolling women see elsewhere on the internet. They’ll get remarks about their appearance, the tone of their voice, and more than anything, a dismissal of their ability and knowledge in the game.

Even if Chang can tune out the harassment, it can still affect her performance. Esports like LoL and “Overwatch” are heavily teamwork and strategy dependent. Each player chooses a character, and those characters are designed for specific roles, like attacking, holding territory or healing. A good “Overwatch” team needs tanks and healers, just like a football team needs quarterbacks and left tackles.

Women are often pressured to play as female characters, and female healers in particular. In “Overwatch,” that character is usually Mercy, a fairy-like flying doctor who can heal and resurrect teammates. Chang has been harassed for playing as other characters, but also gets snide comments when she plays as Mercy. In certain games, it becomes impossible for her to assume any role, even if she’s simply trying to help the team.

“You want me to do this, and you’re going to harass me for it?” she said. “It’s definitely something that we face.”

Briah Luther gets the same treatment in LoL. Sometimes when the 35-year-old school teacher shouts out a key bit of information, like the location of an attacking opponent, men simply ignore her, leading to a huge tactical advantage for opponents. It’s a common complaint from female gamers, and that lack of trust can sink a team and affect players’ rankings in the competitive sphere.

“The second they realize I’m a woman, I no longer have power,” Luther said.

Ella Lasky has pro gaming aspirations, and the 12-year-old is on a promising path. She is one of the top players in the “Minecraft” City Champs circuit operated by Super League Gaming. Most importantly to her parents, video games have played a key role in her social development.

“It’s given her a sense of pride,” said Ella’s mother, Johanna.

Ella was featured on a Nickelodeon TV show about the league, and that exposed her to a different side of esports. Internet commenters did not respond well to a woman taking centre stage on a video game broadcast.

“‘Why is the girl so loud? Why is the girl shouting? The girl needs to shut up. She’s annoying me with her voice,”‘ Johanna recalled reading. “I explained to her, ‘I think part of it is that because you’re a girl, you’re being targeted.”‘

Ella wasn’t fazed and plans to keep gaming. But she’s already keenly aware of the assumptions made by many in the esports community based on her gender.

“I don’t think girl gamers get as much respect as boy gamers,” she said.

WHAT CAN BE DONE

Publishers have made progress responding to harassment complaints since the Gamergate scandal, but video games are still not a space known for gender equality. Riot Games, which publishes LoL and operates the LCS, was criticized just this summer for its treatment of female employees in a story by Kotaku . Riot apologized publicly to fans and employees, and it has outlined a plan of action to address the issues.

More in-person gaming might help. Women say men and boys tend to be better behaved without the anonymity of online play. The Laskys think that’s one benefit of the Super League competitions, where teams gather at movie theatres to compete face-to-face.

Some fans also are disappointed by the number of women promoted by the streaming service Twitch, as well as game publishers.

One issue at the pro level is the housing situations for elite teams. Esports athletes are often placed in swanky team housing, but sharing a living space with a group of college-aged men isn’t ideal for many women.

Then there’s the anxiety of the spotlight. Fans have eagerly dismissed barrier-breaking female gamers as mere PR stunts, and the weight is even greater on women when they find themselves alone on that platform.

“It ultimately comes down to the community and the fan base,” Kim said. “(Women) don’t want to deal with the toxicity. They don’t want to deal with the media going crazy over them. They don’t want to deal with living with the boys or getting preferential treatment. They don’t want to deal with all of that. They just kind of want to play.”

——

Follow Jake Seiner: https://twitter.com/Jake–Seiner

——

More AP esports: https://apnews.com/Esports and https://twitter.com/AP–Sports

Women navigate toxicity, other barriers in esports published first on https://worldwideinvestforum.tumblr.com/

[mikemortgage]

Women navigate toxicity, other barriers in esports

NEW YORK — Susie Kim thinks the women gamers are out there. As general manager for a championship esports team, she would know.

She’s not surprised none of them are on her roster.

The Entertainment Software Association reported this year that 45 per cent of U.S. gamers are female, yet women make up a scant portion of the professional esports player pool. Executives for games like “League of Legends” and “Overwatch” say they are eager to add women to pro rosters, where players can make hundreds of thousands of dollars. Yet LoL’s Championship Series hasn’t had a female gamer since 2016, and the Overwatch League’s inaugural season featured just one.

The industry has grappled with harassment and toxic behaviour since the Gamergate scandal of 2014, when a group of male gamers organized to target women throughout the industry. Women say they feel marginalized within the community and are routinely subject to nasty comments about their ability or appearance. For elite gamers, much of it comes from fans, but opponents and teammates are sometimes just as challenging. At the lower levels, women are often bombarded by hyper masculinity in a space where most everyone is anonymous.

Kim’s London Spitfire won the first Overwatch League championship in June. Speaking to The Associated Press before the grand finals, she said there are “absolutely” women talented enough to be playing in the Overwatch League.

“But they’re just like, ‘It’s a headache. I don’t want to be part of this at all,”‘ Kim said. “I don’t blame them.”

AT THE TOP

Maria “Remilia” Creveling is the only woman — and only transgender woman — to compete in the LoL Championship Series (LCS), the top pro league for the world’s most popular esport. Her stay in the LCS was short-lived and not the inspiring breakthrough some fans had hoped.

Creveling was a standout support player and qualified for the LCS with team Renegades in 2015. She made her debut the next year under intense scrutiny. Many celebrated her, but the comment sections accompanying live streams of Renegades matches were flooded with sexist and transphobic harassment. Fans disputed her gender identity, wrote critically about her appearance and bashed her abilities.

A few weeks into the season, Creveling removed herself from the Renegades’ roster, citing anxiety and self-esteem issues. She hasn’t returned to the LCS since.

Creveling declined to be interviewed by the AP, but did say she has resumed competing and will be looking for a new team soon.

Other major esports have similarly thin histories of women at the highest levels. The NBA 2K League said it had one woman in a pool of 250 finalists for roster spots in its inaugural season. She did not land one of the 102 available slots. The Overwatch League had one woman for its inaugural season, Kim “Geguri” Se-Yeon with the Shanghai Dragons. Sasha “Scarlett” Hostyn, a transgender woman, won a major “Starcraft II” tournament in February and is the only woman to win such an event in that game.

Se-Yeon and Hostyn have been reluctant to embrace the spotlight as female role models. Both have said they simply want to be seen as talented gamers.

“Being the icon or being looked up to because I’m female — I’m grateful,” Se-Yeon said via translator at a press conference in March. “But I don’t really have any thoughts about it. That’s not how I want to be known.”

AT THE LOWER LEVELS

Tiffany Chang is a fan of Se-Yeon’s. The amateur player doesn’t blame the “Overwatch” pro for shying away from attention as a woman. Chang sometimes gets the urge to do the same.

Chang hosts Twitch streams of herself playing “Overwatch” and other games to collect donations for charity, and routinely plays online against strangers. Women like Chang encounter a lot of toxic behaviour, much of it the same sort of trolling women see elsewhere on the internet. They’ll get remarks about their appearance, the tone of their voice, and more than anything, a dismissal of their ability and knowledge in the game.

Even if Chang can tune out the harassment, it can still affect her performance. Esports like LoL and “Overwatch” are heavily teamwork and strategy dependent. Each player chooses a character, and those characters are designed for specific roles, like attacking, holding territory or healing. A good “Overwatch” team needs tanks and healers, just like a football team needs quarterbacks and left tackles.

Women are often pressured to play as female characters, and female healers in particular. In “Overwatch,” that character is usually Mercy, a fairy-like flying doctor who can heal and resurrect teammates. Chang has been harassed for playing as other characters, but also gets snide comments when she plays as Mercy. In certain games, it becomes impossible for her to assume any role, even if she’s simply trying to help the team.

“You want me to do this, and you’re going to harass me for it?” she said. “It’s definitely something that we face.”

Briah Luther gets the same treatment in LoL. Sometimes when the 35-year-old school teacher shouts out a key bit of information, like the location of an attacking opponent, men simply ignore her, leading to a huge tactical advantage for opponents. It’s a common complaint from female gamers, and that lack of trust can sink a team and affect players’ rankings in the competitive sphere.

“The second they realize I’m a woman, I no longer have power,” Luther said.

Ella Lasky has pro gaming aspirations, and the 12-year-old is on a promising path. She is one of the top players in the “Minecraft” City Champs circuit operated by Super League Gaming. Most importantly to her parents, video games have played a key role in her social development.

“It’s given her a sense of pride,” said Ella’s mother, Johanna.

Ella was featured on a Nickelodeon TV show about the league, and that exposed her to a different side of esports. Internet commenters did not respond well to a woman taking centre stage on a video game broadcast.

“‘Why is the girl so loud? Why is the girl shouting? The girl needs to shut up. She’s annoying me with her voice,”‘ Johanna recalled reading. “I explained to her, ‘I think part of it is that because you’re a girl, you’re being targeted.”‘

Ella wasn’t fazed and plans to keep gaming. But she’s already keenly aware of the assumptions made by many in the esports community based on her gender.

“I don’t think girl gamers get as much respect as boy gamers,” she said.

WHAT CAN BE DONE

Publishers have made progress responding to harassment complaints since the Gamergate scandal, but video games are still not a space known for gender equality. Riot Games, which publishes LoL and operates the LCS, was criticized just this summer for its treatment of female employees in a story by Kotaku . Riot apologized publicly to fans and employees, and it has outlined a plan of action to address the issues.

More in-person gaming might help. Women say men and boys tend to be better behaved without the anonymity of online play. The Laskys think that’s one benefit of the Super League competitions, where teams gather at movie theatres to compete face-to-face.

Some fans also are disappointed by the number of women promoted by the streaming service Twitch, as well as game publishers.

One issue at the pro level is the housing situations for elite teams. Esports athletes are often placed in swanky team housing, but sharing a living space with a group of college-aged men isn’t ideal for many women.

Then there’s the anxiety of the spotlight. Fans have eagerly dismissed barrier-breaking female gamers as mere PR stunts, and the weight is even greater on women when they find themselves alone on that platform.

“It ultimately comes down to the community and the fan base,” Kim said. “(Women) don’t want to deal with the toxicity. They don’t want to deal with the media going crazy over them. They don’t want to deal with living with the boys or getting preferential treatment. They don’t want to deal with all of that. They just kind of want to play.”

——

Follow Jake Seiner: https://twitter.com/Jake–Seiner

——

More AP esports: https://apnews.com/Esports and https://twitter.com/AP–Sports

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