A few months back, the world of Twitch dealt with some controversy as certain female streamers were hit with accusations that they weren't real gamers, just women showing their boobs on cam to get views, donations, and ultimately, partnered with Twitch and other companies.
The arguments were fairly valid, even if they were a bit broad. Yes, it was clear there was and still is a large contingent of women who gain an audience by simply showing a lot of cleavage. And yes, it's not entirely fair to the gamers (men and women) who are serious about gaming and actually on Twitch to play video games.
I get the frustration. I really do. Nothing is more upsetting than working hard at your craft, pouring hours into it, and getting minimal gains while someone else giggles and clearly doesn't have a clue as to what's going on in the game she's "playing" while the views, subs, and sponsors roll in.
But I feel a lot of people who complain like to paint a very broad picture of what the problem is, often lumping more serious women gamers into the fray just because it's a woman streaming who may or may not be showing some cleavage.
I struggle with this a bit because I've met plenty of women in my time who almost always have kind of cleavage showing. It's normal, natural, and not necessarily meant to be something that draws attention, just how they are comfortable dressing. It's not much different than men who walk around either in beaters or shirtless. It's a comfort thing and many women are pretty comfortable in a tank top.
In a lot of ways, I feel the issue towards women gamers is similar to the issue that women sports fans often deal with. Sports, much like games, has often been thought of as a man's realm, where they can get away from the feministic stuff and enjoy being a man. Gaming has often been viewed the same way, just without the masculinity that sports offers.
There's always been this defensive view of gaming when women are involved and I think it contributes to the perception being laid on women who attempt to show the world they like games.
Now don't get me wrong; there are a LOT of women who exploit Twitch by dressing in skimpy outfits to get views and such. It exists and is not really a new idea. It certainly is a problem, but unless Twitch and sponsors who in a sense enable this stop supporting these "fake" gamers, it's always going to go on whether it's fair or not.
In a sense, calling it unfair is actually being unfair. If a woman can go on a stream, show her boobs, and get paid for doing it while Twitch looks the other way, she's in a sense just following the American dream. You and I can hate it, but it's just someone taking an opportunity that's currently presented to them.
Again, I'm not calling it a good thing. It certainly isn't. If Twitch is meant to be a site for people who want to show their video game (or creative) skills and not have sexual clothing be part of it, then the site itself needs to crack down more on this and actually put a stop to it. If they don't, well, you can spit venom all you want, but it's not going to stop guys from watching.
Fact is, sex has ALWAYS been a big selling point, even if it's somewhat regulated in the States. Guys want to see cleavage and such and women want to see men with muscles wearing next to nothing. It's why pornography is such a big business and why strip clubs continue to exist.
It may be frowned upon, but as long as someone's willing to pony up the money to watch a girl stream with her boobs hanging out, it's going to exist. The moment that people stop going into these streams and supporting them, that's when they'll stop.
Unless that happens, all you can do is continue to work at your craft, be entertaining when you stream, and realize that even if these women go away, it's still a VERY saturated marketplace. There are a LOT of people who love games and want to showcase their skills, but only so many people to watch at any given time.
I ultimately will say worry about yourself when it comes to anything in life. If you spend all your time worrying about what others are doing, you'll never get anywhere. Make your stream better, get better at the games you play, and be fun to watch. Most importantly, remember that while you may only have a fraction of the viewers some of these women have, you still have viewers. Make them feel valuable and who knows, they might tell their friends about this awesome streamer.
Word of mouth is a powerful thing that I myself have failed to really capitalize on.
Or better yet, instead of complaining about the women clearly using their bodies to gain views, find and promote the legitimate gamer girls who love games and are fun to watch. There are plenty of them out there who I've enjoyed when I've had the chance to watch them and they aren't using cleavage to gain an audience.
If you don't think women should be playing games, well, go back under the rock you crawled out from under because that kind of sexism doesn't belong in today's world.
In the end, if you don't like what a woman is doing, feel free to use social media to POLITELY make your point, but remember for every person who agrees with you and avoid it, there's many others who will go just because they can't resist the idea of seeing boobs. You're best bet is don't watch them. Don't give them publicity.
If I don't like something, I don't watch it. Sure, the few times I stream these fake gamers could be stealing views, but I am of the belief that if I'm entertaining enough and present a stream that's high enough in quality, people WILL find it and support it over the fluff that's out there.
If they don't, well, I'm not doing this seriously and it means that I wasn't entertaining enough for other people.
People will always manipulate the system. Gaming is no different. Just don't throw an entire race or gender under the bus because you're mad. Find the good ones and promote them. In return, they just may promote you and everyone wins when that happens.
Thanks for reading and if you have a comment, please be polite about it. Rude ones will not be approved.
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