Women in Esports Whitepaper

Key insights

6 takeaways

01
The document notes that the frequency and volume of harassment in gaming is unusual compared with other professions, and that many organisations do not moderate their channels.See it on page 2
02
Harassment was described as having a tangible toll, with participants reporting they could not respond for fear of professional retaliation and some withdrawing or leaving organisations.See it on page 2
03
Many participants had been involved in the industry for over a decade, which the document presents as evidence of their dedication.See it on page 2
04
Participants said support networks played a key role in bringing women into the industry and retaining them, and that women often do not know where to find other women gamers.See it on page 3
05
Participants felt male allies were critical to supporting and growing women's participation in esports, and that the lack of high-profile visible allies was discussed.See it on page 3
06
Livestreamers often broadcast for multiple hours per day to thousands of viewers and rely heavily on volunteer moderators, though the volume of comments makes moderation difficult.See it on page 2

Summary

The AnyKey Workshop 1 whitepaper, titled "Women in Esports Whitepaper," was published in October 2015 and reports on a private workshop held in September 2015 as part of a series of four. The workshop brought together a select group of professional female esports players, hosts, streamers, and industry stakeholders, with the stated goal of tracing their paths through esports to identify challenges and devise strategies. The document is organised around four themes: passion for and dedication to gaming and esports, harassment and sexism, support networks and role models, and male allies. Participants described family attitudes toward gaming as decisively shaping their involvement, and many said they had been in the industry for over a decade. Participants reported an ongoing pattern of abuse and harassment, with many organisations not moderating their channels, which the document notes are often hundreds of messages per minute. A public live-streamed panel titled "Women in Esports" followed at TwitchCon, with an onsite audience of several hundred and up to 3700 viewers online. The document lists interventions discussed, including moderation tools, codes of conduct, mentorship programmes, female-only tournaments, and help from male allies in setting behavioral norms in their online communities.