Content/Trigger Warning: Gender and Racial Slurs and Profanity
I mean, duh. But still, it’s nice to have some data to back up all the anecdotal evidence.
Halo 3 was used as the staging ground, chosen for its popularity and its random matchmaking system. In order to standardize the experimental conditions, verbal messages were pre-recorded in both a male and female voice. These were made up of unassuming things such as “hi everybody,” “nice job so far,” and “thanks for the game, bye.” The researchers then played public matches, transmitting the messages via voice chat. Matches played without engaging in voice chat were used as a control. […]
Findings indicate that, on average, the female voice received three times as many negative comments as the male voice or no voice. In addition, the female voice received more queries and more messages from other gamers than the male voice or no voice.
Negative language also tended to be more gendered when directed toward women than when directed toward men.
In one particular game nearly every utterance made by the female condition was met with a negative response by a particular gamer. When the female condition said “hi everybody”, the other gamer responded with “shut up you whore” followed a few seconds later with “she is a nigger lover”. When the female condition said, “alright team let’s do this”, the other gamer replied, “fuck you, you stupid slut.”
What’s wrong with people?