I’m sure most people heard about Belle Delphine, an influencer who sold her “gamer girl bath water” back in July 2019. If you didn’t, consider yourself lucky.
Identifying as a woman in the gaming and streaming industry brings about stereotypes that are harmful and annoying. However, there are many others like Delphine who use their femininity to get more views. There’s nothing wrong with being proud about womanhood, but unfortunately, that leaves others (like myself) to dodge questions and assumptions about my abilities and intentions.
First of all, the stereotypes get repetitive. The assumption that I don’t know how to play the game that I am literally playing at that moment happens more often than I like to admit. New people will join my stream and tell me which buttons to push and where to go, all while sounding condescending. They treat me differently because I am female-presenting. My boyfriend streams as well, and that does not happen to him nearly as often. Some people just assume that I am not qualified to play games because I am female. I may not be the best at games, but I am definitely able to learn and play games the way that works best for me.
Something that could be even more annoying than condescending messages is the assumption that I want to flirt with members of the chat. The amount of messages I have gotten that are inappropriate, gross and downright creepy is immeasurable. I talk about my boyfriend often specifically for this reason. Even then, it does not stop persistent people from asking me gross questions. It becomes less of a shock moment and more of an annoyance after a while. People that come out of nowhere with those kinds of messages will always get a ban from me.
Lastly, when I tell people I stream on Twitch, sometimes they assume I am another Belle Delphine, only on the platform to sell my bathwater and put on an act for views. It seems as though whenever I mention that I play games, I get lumped into one of two categories: ditsy girl who has no idea what she is doing or provocative girl who wants to sell pictures of her feet (not that there is anything wrong with selling feet pictures, but I am not into that). In reality, all I do is sit in a big sweater and bumble around in a game until I finish it. Truthfully, it is satisfying proving someone wrong when they assume one of those stereotypes about me.
If you are someone who identifies as female and you want to start streaming and being involved in the gaming community, I advise you to grow a thick skin. Learn to brush off comments about your ability, your looks and your smarts. You have everything you need, and you are everything you need to be. You don’t need to conform to those boxes people desperately want to put you in. Embrace your personality, and people who are worth your time will watch you and join you on your streaming and gaming journey. It really is an enjoyable hobby, and even though some people may bring about negativity, the people who stick around for your content make up for it tenfold.
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