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The only exception is sexism. Which is far worse in the real world, especially in the video game industry. Real women face death threats for saying that virtual women shouldn't be abused so much. Anita Sarkeesian, author of Feminist Frequency and Tropes vs. Women, received more online hatred than President Mbasogo for just wanting to talk about these issues. The idea of the "fake gamer girl" is based on the assumption that video games are only for men, that girls are only doing it to impress men, and such silly darlings must now prove themselves to men. Which turns video games into a more childishly phallocentric game than "Pull out your pant pockets and pretend to be an elephant." Cosplayers are blamed for the sexual harassment they receive at gaming conventions. It's like conventions looked at the rape culture of victim-blaming and decided to create a tutorial level.

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If you don't believe this is a problem, spend five minutes reading Fat, Ugly or Slutty? or #1reasonwhy to learn about the shit women put up with every day. #1reasonwhy panels at gaming expos are quickly becoming women-friendly spaces where sexism and gender can be discussed without fear of harassment or protest.

So where do you go from being bombarded with all of this frightening and uncomfortable information? For starters, you share it! Spread it around like wildfire to anyone who claims to care about games as a medium of artistic expression and fun.

Next, you listen! Anytime you find yourself wanting to argue against a woman's narrative of sexism in the industry, or how she reads another character, listen. Chances are she knows what she's talking about! If someone is telling you about what it's like to be them, and not you, they know more than you about that. Real people are not cutscenes: You can't just mash the controller to skip them and get back to being the undisputed male center of the universe.

Finally, you allow people to criticize games and gender in narratives and allow the discussion to continue within game spaces without derailing the conversation. This is the best way we can learn from each other and improve the future of gaming. If someone is trying to prevent a discussion of a problem, they are that problem.