I want to share an experience I had yesterday that makes me feel pretty sad about our industry. I was invited to a showcase of student games on Twitch - both as an industry professional, and as a teacher who had worked with some of the students.

The first few games were led by male directors. The comments in the Twitch chat were a combination of things: praise, support, emojis, questions on game structure, questions about team crunch. Normal stuff.

Then came a game directed by a woman. And - it was instant & obvious - as soon as the female director began speaking about her work, the chat at the side of the screen was flooded with all-caps shit talking, like imagine "BOOBS!" a hundred times.

And like, I know there's always those assholes. But it’s time to recognise that those assholes are not assholes to everybody.

No, it was stunningly clear - as soon as a woman began to talk about HER WORK, the shit talking began, and in a way that her work and her voice could not be fully concentrated on due to the torrent of all-caps misogynistic crap streaming alongside.

It’s not a coincidence, folks.
It’s not “just a joke”.
It’s calculated.

And what amazes me and depresses me the most isn't the shit talking. It's the complete silence and acceptance of this by the 200+ participants. Only I spoke up, after several screens worth of sheer muck. No moderator or other participant acted before I spoke up.

Why is it that men don't speak up in these situations?

I've seen lots of men retweeting some rando with 10 followers to denounce them, or bandwagonning once someone is already declared persona non grata. But speaking up in the moment is rare.

Why is this?
What actually goes through your brain?

I can't see what there is to lose by speaking up in the moment.

Imagine the confidence a male game director can just naturally assume - that while he speaks about his game, he will be taken seriously and asked questions pertaining to his work.

Imagine being a female game director and knowing that when you speak up about your own work, a handful of assholes will ensure that nobody can concentrate on what you are bringing to the table because of their misogynistic crap.

And imagine what it feels like to work in an industry where the problem is not just these assholes - it’s all the rest of you, not saying a damn thing.

So next time you see this dynamic happening & you decide not to say anything… check what's happening in your brain.

What’s going on there?
What’s in it for you?
Why are you like this?

I’m scarlet for the lot of you & sad as hell for the amazing women who get treated this way.