Women's Experiences of Sexual Harassment in Online Gaming

Abstract

To better understand the types of sexual harassment women experience in online gaming, their labeling of such experiences, and the relationship between the perpetrator and the victim, we surveyed women gamers to inquire about their experiences. Participants were 182 women from North America who played online video games. Overall, 56.6% of participants reported experiencing one or more types of sexual harassment during online gaming. Additionally, 45.6% of participants reported witnessing one or more types of sexual harassment perpetrated against other women. About half (50.5%) of participants who had experienced harassment labeled their own experiences as “sexual harassment,” and 42.2% labeled the behaviors that they witnessed against someone else as “sexual harassment.” Results speak to the need for prevention interventions to protect women gamers.