This probably comes as no surprise, but I'm still playing League of Legends like it's the only thing keeping me alive, waiting for it to deliver rainbows and unicorns at my doorstep. I enjoy the game quite a bit, especially since a good chunk of my friends play, and by extension their friends. If we're all on at the same time, we can easily make a custom 10s with people left over.
That said, LoL has made me retract my previous statement and opinions on girls in the gamer community. Earlier I said I hadn't met much opposition in the multiplayer games I play despite my gender, especially in the Halo community. I'm not a good Halo player, but I went running in, guns blazing, mic on, and my teammates never made a derogatory comment regarding my abilities in correlation to gender. I figured that if this attitude were to be prevalent anywhere, Halo would be it, right?
That isn't to say I've never encountered that type of behavior. I have a few guy friends who make such remarks, and one that certainly believes males are superior gamers (and also throws quite the manly fit if I ever beat him in anything), but I've never heard them say similar things to other girls, so I'm chalking it up to being part of the dude circle.
I'm sure you can see how this is going to correlate with League of Legends...or can you?
LoL is the first time I've experienced heavy trolling and childish attitudes. Name slinging, cursing, and complete with nearly incomprehensible grammar. My user name is rather feminine as well, which is why I have been hassled and mocked for being a gay male.
I'm having a hard time trying to verbalize exactly how I feel about this, but I suppose I can do it this way: What the fuck is so wrong with you that you think gay bashing is acceptable?! And what does sexual preference have anything to do with gaming ability?! At least a small and maybe plausible argument could be made about gender considering the genetic makeup between men and women are different, but sexuality? Really? Do you really think liking men inpairs ones ability to hit a button faster?
And no, I'm not talking about the general, "Omg ur so geeehy!" comments when one is losing, but honest to God gay bashing for no reason other than to be a homophobic dick.
Let me tell you, little gamers, while your home town or little tent village or whatever hellhole you reside at may find it acceptable to lynch those who prefer the same sex, the rest of the world doesn't feel the same way. Maybe not all the world, but certainly good chunks of the world that you interact with online. Now that LoL has implemented a new system dealing with rude gamers, hopefully we'll never have to see you again.
However, the downside to this is out of all the people in that 10 person game, only one other person aside from me called him out on homophobia and how it isn't relevant to gaming. Only one other person. I understand not wanting to get involved in stupid little flame wars over a game, but your silence is what keeps this type of behavior going, and your silence isn't going to solve this problem. We're a community, perhaps it's time you join it.
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