IS GAMING A BOY’S CLUB?
WOMEN, VIDEO GAMES AND SEXISM
Marketed primarily to boys and men, video games do not have a good track record when it comes to
positively including girls and women. Female characters are rarely in the games and, when they are, they
are often portrayed in negative, stereotypical and one-dimensional ways. The lack of female characters, the
over-sexualization of them and the violence directed against women are just a few of the problems.
Women media critics have called attention to the sexism and misogyny within the gaming world and, in
resulting backlash, several of them have become victims of violent threats themselves. Anita Sarkeesian,
one of the more well-known media critics, was in the news recently because, when she was invited to speak
at Utah State University, she received threats that there would be a shooting massacre if she came. The
campus police reportedly told her they could not search people entering the talk for weapons and therefore
could not guarantee her safety, so she cancelled. Over the past several years, Sarkeesian has repeatedly
been threatened with rape, violence and murder because of her outspoken analysis of sexism in the gaming
world.
This advanced high school lesson provides an opportunity for students to learn more about the world of
video games, understand how sexism and misogyny are perpetuated in gaming and express their own
thoughts about the issue.
See these additional ADL resources: Current Events Classroom lessons “Addressing Hate Online: Countering
Cyberhate with Counterspeech” and “Stereotypes of Girls and Women in the Media,” Rosalind’s Classroom
Conversations “League of Lessons: Why Gaming Matters” and Best Practices for Responding to Cyberhate.
Grade Level:11–12
Time:60 minutes
Common Core Anchor Standards:Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, Statistics and Probability
Learning Objectives:
Students will learn some background facts and information about the current state of video games.
Students will reflect upon their own experience with gaming.
Students will understand the role of women in video games and the specific ways in which sexism is
perpetuated in the gaming world.
Students will express their thoughts by writing a letter to a video game company.The Current Events Classroom adl.org/curriculum-resources
© 2014 Anti-Defamation League, www.adl.org/education-outreach Page 2 of 14
Material:
Our Experience with Gaming Statements
TEDxWomen Talk About Online Harassment & Cyber Mobs video (2012, 10 mins., Feminist Frequency)
“It’s Game Over for ‘Gamers’: Anita Sarkeesian On Video Games’ Great Future” (The New York Times,
October 28, 2014, www.nytimes.com/2014/10/29/opinion/anita-sarkeesian-on-video-games-greatfuture.html)
Online Harassment: Summary of Findings (Pew Research Internet Project, October 22, 2014,
www.pewinternet.org/2014/10/22/online-harassment/)
Post-it® Notes or round stickers (at least 7 per student)
Vocabulary:
Review the following vocabulary words and make sure students know their meanings. (See ADL’s “Glossary
of Education Terms.”)
abusive exploit misogyny protagonist
controversy feminism objectification sexism
critique gamer offensive stalking
cyberstalking harassment pernicious stereotype
dehumanize macho perpetrator victimization
WHAT IS GAMING?
1. Ask students some or all of the followingquestions to begin the lesson:
What are video games?
Where and how do you play video games?
What different kinds of games are there?
What is your favorite game and why?
What else do you know about gaming?
Record their responses on the board. Explain that we are going to discuss video games, women and
sexism.
2. Share the following information about the state of video games in 2014 according to the Essential Facts
About the Computer and Video Game Industry1 report. Do this by taking each statistic and turning it into
a question (e.g. What percentage of Americans do you think play video games?), allowing some guesses
and then telling students the correct answer.
59% of Americans play video games.
Video games are the fastest growing form of mass media today.

1 Ipsos MediaCT, 2014 Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry (Washington, DC: Entertainment
Software Association, 2014), www.theesa.com/facts/pdfs/ESA_EF_2014.pdf.The Current Events Classroom adl.org/curriculum-resources
© 2014 Anti-Defamation League, www.adl.org/education-outreach Page 3 of 14
The average age of video game players is 31 years old.
Of all game players, 52% are male and 48% are female (this is up from 40% female in 2010).
Women age 18 or older represent a significantly greater portion of the game-playing population
(36%) than boys age 18 or younger (17%).
The average age of most frequent game purchasers is 35 (50% women/50% men).
62% of gamers play games with others, either in person or online and 47% play social games.
(Social games are where more than one person can play the same game at the same time and there
can be interaction between them).
3. Ask students: Do any of these statistics surprise you? Not surprise you? Do you think these statistics have
changed over time and if so, how?
OUR EXPERIENCES WITH VIDEO GAMES ACTIVITY
1. Post the statements written below around the classroom, using print-outs of Our Experience with
Gaming Statements:
I have watched other people play video games.
I have played video games.
I play video games on a regular basis (at least once a week).
I have witnessed sexism in video games.
People have said or done sexist things to me through video game interaction.
I believe video games can have a negative effect on attitudes and perspectives in general.
I believe video games can perpetuate sexism.
2. Distribute at least seven sheets of Post-it® Notes to each student. Give students five minutes to walk
around the room and place a post-it or round sticker on or near all of the statements that are true for
them or if they agree. If you have a large class, you may want to call them up in smaller groups.
3. After placing their post-its on the statements, instruct students to move to the statement they are most
interested in talking about with others. Give students 5–7 minutes to discuss the statements with each
other. Have them talk about why they decided to stand where they are and what the statement means
to them.
4. Have everyone go back to their seats and engage them in a class discussion by asking the following
questions:
Where are the most post-its or stickers? The least? Why do you think that is?
How did you decide which statement to talk about with others?
As a class, do we watch video games often?
What do you like about video games?
What don’t you like about gaming?
Have many of us witnessed or experienced sexism in video games? The Current Events Classroom adl.org/curriculum-resources
© 2014 Anti-Defamation League, www.adl.org/education-outreach Page 4 of 14
5. Ask students: In what ways does sexism exist in video games? Can you share an example of sexism?
Record their responses on the board/smartboard. Tell them that as we learn more about sexism in
gaming, we will add to the list.
NOTE: This list will be referred to and used in a later activity.
VIDEO, TURN AND TALK
1. Play this 10-minute video TEDxWomen Talk About Online Harassment &Cyber Mobs with Anita
Sarkeesian, who speaks about her experiences with sexism and online harassment. Explain that Anita
Sarkeesian is a media critic, blogger and author of the video blog “Feminist Frequency,” in which she
examines the depiction of women in popular culture.
NOTE:Preview the video in advance to make sure it is appropriate for your students.
2. After watching the video together, have students turn and talk to a person sitting next to them to share
their initial thoughts and feelings after watching the video. Allow each person one minute per share.
3. Engage the students in a large group discussion by asking the following questions:
What is Anita Sarkeesian saying?
Why do you think people attacked her? Why does she describe them as a cybermob?
What are some examples of sexism and misogyny in gaming that she discussed?
Are those same forms of sexism present in other forms of media?
How do you think these images and messages about women impact girls and women? What about
boys and men?
READING ACTIVITY
1. Distribute a copy of the article “It’s Game Over for ‘Gamers’” to each student. Explain that Anita
Sarkeesian, and other women critical of sexism in video games, has been in the news lately because she
was going to give a speech at Utah State University and received threats that there would be a shooting
massacre if she came. The campus police reportedly told her they could not search people entering the
talk for weapons and therefore could not guarantee her safety, so she cancelled.
2. Give students ten minutes to read the article silently or, you can give them the article in advance for
homework to read the night before.
3. Engage students in a discussion by asking the following questions:
What more did you learn about Anita Sarkeesian after reading her article?
Why does she say she has a “love-hate” relationship with gaming culture?
Why is she critical of video games and the gaming world?
Why do the self-identified “hard core gamers” dislike some of the new genres of games?
What is the thesis of the article?The Current Events Classroom adl.org/curriculum-resources
© 2014 Anti-Defamation League, www.adl.org/education-outreach Page 5 of 14
SMALL GROUPS: HOW SEXISM IS PERPETUATED IN GAMING
1. Explain to students that now that they have more information after watching the video and reading the
article, they are going to get more specific about how sexism and misogyny are perpetuated in the
gaming world. Also, explain that Anita Sarkeesian is one of the most well-known women who was
targeted for her views about women and gaming but she is not alone.
2. Divide students into small groups of five and have them review the list developed earlier indicating
ways sexism exist in video games. Give small groups 5–7 minutes to come up with a list of additional
ways that sexism is perpetuated in gaming.
3. When the small groups are finished talking, have each share one or two items from their list and add it
to your overall list. If the list does not include all the items below, share these as well:
Lack of female characters (Studies have consistently shown that at least since the 1990s, the
percentage of female characters in video games has remained steady at around 15%.)
Women as victims of violence and abuse against women
Negative portrayals of women
Over-sexualization of female characters
Traditional gender marketing strategies (Video games are marketed to boys and men.)
“Women as background decoration” (These are largely insignificant non-playable female characters
(NPC).
“NPC” (These are secondary players—the figures are not directly controlled by players and use
automated scripts. They tend to be sexually objectified which dehumanizes the women and conveys
the message that women’s primary role is to satisfy men.)
“Damsel in Distress” (A female character placed in a perilous situation from which she cannot
escape on her own and must be rescued by a male character; she tends to be portrayed as frail,
fragile and vulnerable.
4. Read the entire list out loud and engage students in a discussion by asking the following questions:
How does this list make you feel?
Do you see this same type of sexism perpetuated in other media forms? How so?
Do you think these portrayals of women impact how all people view women and girls in the real
world?
What can we do about it?
READING AND DISCUSSION: ONLINE HARASSMENT REPORT
1. Distribute a copy of the Pew Research Internet Project’s Online Harassment: Summary of Findings to
each student. Explain that this summary is about online harassment and highlights differences in the
way women and men experience online harassment. This discussion is separate but related to the
conversation about sexism and misogyny in gaming.
If time permits, review the whole summary but if not, highlight these two graphs: “Young women
experience particularly severe forms of online harassment” and “Men and women experience different
varieties of online harassment. “ The Current Events Classroom adl.org/curriculum-resources
© 2014 Anti-Defamation League, www.adl.org/education-outreach Page 6 of 14
2. Engage students in a discussion by asking the following questions:
How would you summarize what you see in the two graphs?
What is the difference between the ways in which men, women and the general population
experience online harassment?
How can you explain these differences?
Why do you think there are such disparities between how women and men experience online
harassment?
How is the report helpful or not helpful? Please explain.
Do you think there is a connection between the way women are portrayed in video games and
online harassment? Explain your thinking.
WRITING ACTIVITY (HOMEWORK)
As a culmination of what they have learned, give students a homework assignment to write a letter to a
video game company which outlines how they see women portrayed in their video game(s). Students will
first identify a video game company that produces a game they want to address in their letter. If some
students have never watched or played a video game, they should do so before writing their letter. Engage
students in the writing, revision and feedback process so that the letters are high quality and able to be
published and sent to the video companies.
ADDITIONAL READING AND RESOURCES
Feminist Frequency
2014 Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry (The Entertainment Software
Association)
“Online Harassment: Summary of Findings” (Pew Research Internet Project, October 22, 2014)
“Harassment via Wikipedia Vandalism” (Feminist Frequency, June 12, 2012)
“Feminist Critics of Video Games Facing Threats in ‘GamerGate’ Campaign” (The New York Times,
October 15, 2014)
“Sexism, Lies and Video Games: The Culture War Nobody Is Winning” (Time, September 5, 2014)
“Why Does Sexism Persist in the Video Games Industry?” (BBC News, June 13, 2014)
“Rape and death threats are terrorizing female gamers. Why haven’t men in tech spoken out?” (The
Washington Post, October 20, 2014)
Hate Crimes in Cyberspace by Danielle Keats Citron
“Open Letter to Jennifer Lawrence”(Forbes, October 8, 2014, letter in response to an incident of cyber
gender harassment)The Current Events Classroom adl.org/curriculum-resources
© 2014 Anti-Defamation League, www.adl.org/education-outreach Page 7 of 14
COMMON CORE ANCHOR STANDARDS
Content Area/Standard
Reading
Standard 1: Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it;
cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
Writing
Standard 4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization and style are
appropriate to talk, purpose and audience.
Speaking and Listening
Standard 1: Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with
diverse partners building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
Statistics and Probability: Making Inferences and Justifying Conclusions
Standard 1: Understand statistics as a process for making inferences about population parameters based
on a random sample from that population.The Current Events Classroom adl.org/curriculum-resources
© 2014 Anti-Defamation League, www.adl.org/education-outreach Page 8 of 14
OUR EXPERIENCE WITH GAMING STATEMENTS
I have watched
other people play
video games.The Current Events Classroom adl.org/curriculum-resources
© 2014 Anti-Defamation League, www.adl.org/education-outreach Page 9 of 14
I have played
video games.The Current Events Classroom adl.org/curriculum-resources
© 2014 Anti-Defamation League, www.adl.org/education-outreach Page 10 of 14
I play video
games on a
regular basis
(at least once a week).The Current Events Classroom adl.org/curriculum-resources
© 2014 Anti-Defamation League, www.adl.org/education-outreach Page 11 of 14
I have witnessed
sexism in video
games.The Current Events Classroom adl.org/curriculum-resources
© 2014 Anti-Defamation League, www.adl.org/education-outreach Page 12 of 14
People have said
or done sexist
things to me
through video
game interaction.The Current Events Classroom adl.org/curriculum-resources
© 2014 Anti-Defamation League, www.adl.org/education-outreach Page 13 of 14
I believe video
games can have a
negative effect on
attitudes and
perspectives in
general.The Current Events Classroom adl.org/curriculum-resources
© 2014 Anti-Defamation League, www.adl.org/education-outreach Page 14 of 14
I believe video
games can
perpetuate
sexism.