#StreamersOfColor

[mirandatrannzz]

[Week 9]

🎮 Game Over for Gatekeeping? How Diversity is Reshaping Gaming

From Ethics to Exclusion: How Gamergate Redefined Online Harassment

Gamergate, disguised as a push for "ethics in gaming journalism," was a targeted harassment campaign designed to exclude women and marginalized voices from gaming (Stuart, 2014).

It stemmed from anxieties over shifting power dynamics - gaming was no longer an exclusively male space, and the rise of female representation triggered a backlash.

💻 Online platforms amplified this outrage through their algorithms, normalizing harassment under the guise of "free speech." Far from neutral, they became enablers, rewarding inflammatory content with visibility and allowing harassment to flourish. Gamergate reinforced the "gamer mold," framing women and marginalized groups as interlopers and discouraging diversity (O’Donnell, 2022).

⚠️ The tactics of Gamergate persist in modern online hate campaigns. While diversity initiatives exist, women in gaming - whether developers, streamers, or critics - still face routine harassment (Cote, 2020). The fight for inclusivity is not just about gaming; it reflects broader struggles over power and digital exclusion.

The Gamer Mold: Who Fits, Who is Pushed Out, and Who Fights Back

The stereotypical "gamer" - young, white or East Asian, middle-class male - is an instrument of control, upholding the status quo (Yao et al., 2022). This exclusionary identity dictates who is seen as a "real" gamer. 

📊 A staggering 83% of adults aged 18–45 report harassment in gaming spaces (Moreno-López & Argüello-Gutiérrez, 2025), exposing systemic hostility toward those who do not conform.

This structure fuels gatekeeping. When Anita Sarkeesian critiqued sexist tropes in Tropes vs. Women in Video Games, she faced a coordinated harassment campaign, including death threats, rape threats, and a mass shooting threat at Utah State University (Teti, 2017). 

💣 Such extreme responses reveal that digital platforms are not neutral but contested battlegrounds for power and exclusion (Chia et al., 2020).

Gamergate further entrenched the "gamer mold," reinforcing gaming as a male-dominated space. However, marginalized gamers are fighting back, reshaping the industry, and creating alternative spaces.

Press Start to Disrupt: How Marginalized Gamers Are Fighting Back

Diverse gamers reclaim space through streaming, esports, game development, and indie gaming.

Groups like Black Girl Gamers (BGG), founded in 2015 by Jay-Ann Lopez (Teasley, 2024), have built safe digital spaces for Black women, amplifying marginalized voices through curated Twitch streams and industry panels.

🌍  BGG is not just about representation - it is a direct challenge to the structures that police gaming culture.

The rise of such communities underscores the depth of systemic exclusion (Paul, 2018). Their existence highlights how traditional gaming spaces remain hostile, necessitating alternative platforms.

However, progress is not just about visibility; it requires dismantling entrenched power structures. Actual change goes beyond inclusion - it demands systemic transformation in how gaming spaces are defined and governed (Peterson, M. , 2013).

Gaming's future hinges on this battle (Chia et al., 2020). The question is no longer whether diversity belongs in gaming but whether the industry will dismantle the barriers that necessitated these counter-movements in the first place.

💬 What do you think?

💡 Have you experienced gatekeeping in gaming?

🚀 What are your favorite communities that are pushing for diversity?

🔁 Reblog & share your thoughts in the tags or comments!��Let's keep the conversation going. 

References

Chia, A., Keogh, B., Leorke, D., & Nicoll, B. (2020). Platformisation in game development. Internet Policy Review, 9(4). https://policyreview.info/articles/analysis/platformisation-game-development

Cote, A. C. (2020). Redirecting. Ebsco.com. https://research.ebsco.com/c/ln5f2k/search/details/ye2pindx6n?db=e000xww

Moreno-López, R., & Argüello-Gutiérrez, C. (2025). Violence, Hate Speech, and Discrimination in Video Games: A Systematic Review. Social Inclusion, 13. https://doi.org/10.17645/si.9401

O’Donnell, J. (2022). Gamergate and Anti-Feminism in the Digital Age. In Springer eBooks. Palgrave Macmillan Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-14057-0

Paul, C. A. (2018). The Toxic Meritocracy of Video Games. Google Books. https://books.google.com.vn/books?hl=en&lr=&id=Mip0DwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT6&dq=how+traditional+gaming+spaces+remain+hostile

Peterson, M. (2013). Computer Games: Definitions, Theories, Elements, and Genres. In: Computer Games and Language Learning. Palgrave Macmillan’s Digital Education and Learning. Springer.com; Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://fsso.springer.com/federation/Consumer/metaAlias/SpringerServiceProvider

Stuart, K. (2014, December 3). Zoe Quinn: “All Gamergate has done is ruin people’s lives.” The Observer. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/dec/03/zoe-quinn-gamergate-interview

Teasley, S. (2024, February 12). A Peek Inside Her Agenda: Jay-Ann Lopez. Her Agenda. https://heragenda.com/p/jay-ann-lopez/

Teti, I. F. (2017). Female Tropes in Video Games | Penn State - Presidential Leadership Academy (PLA). Psu.edu. https://sites.psu.edu/academy/2017/04/09/female-tropes-in-video-games/

Yao, S. X., Ewoldsen, D., Ellithorpe, M., Van Der Heide, B., & Rhodes, N. (2022). Gamer Girl vs. Girl Gamer: Stereotypical gamer traits increase Men’s play intention. Computers in Human Behavior, 107217. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2022.107217