We have teamed up with Sky Broadband and Guild Esports to launch #NoRoomForAbuse. The campaign aims to raise awareness of the abuse that women gamers experience while delivering meaningful education around the issue.
Recent research commissioned by Sky Broadband, which polled 4,000 gamers, revealed that 3 out of 4 women (75%) under 25 years old face abuse while gaming online. As part of the campaign, participants were invited to a controlled immersive gaming experience at the Sky Guild Gaming Centre (SGGC), where the challenges and realities of gaming as a woman were demonstrated in a live setting.
Everybody at Cybersmile is excited to work with Sky Broadband and Guild Esports on such an important campaign. Women gamers should be able to enjoy playing video games without the constant fear of being targeted with abuse. There is absolutely no place for sexist abuse in gaming.
Dan Raisbeck, Co-founder, The Cybersmile Foundation
In addition to the powerful experience at Sky Guild Gaming Centre, we have created a series of interactive educational modules designed to complement the initiative by raising awareness of sexist abuse in gaming, promoting personal safety, and empowering gamers to be informed and considered allies.
Sexist abuse in online gaming is completely unacceptable and we must stand together to address this fundamentally important issue and make online gaming safe and accessible to all. We're proud to be working with Guild Esports and Cybersmile to help educate gamers and encourage them to be better allies. We're also committed to creating a level playing field for women in gaming through tournaments, events, educational experiences and more.
Jaclyn Beavis, Head of Advertising and Campaigns, Sky Broadband
The #NoRoomForAbuse curriculum covers the following three key areas:
- Module 1: How to Recognise Abuse: An interactive module raising awareness of how widespread the problem of sexist abuse in gaming is while exploring the potential impact that it can have.
- Module 2: How to Report Abusive Behaviour: An interactive module educating users with practical tips and advice for staying safe when gaming online.
- Module 3: How to Become an Ally: An interactive module demonstrating simple and effective ways for gamers to be informed and considered allies.
These modules are freely accessible online.
As women, the abuse we receive on a daily basis is simply unacceptable which is why campaigns like this are so important to challenge the gaming community to become part of the change. It's crucial that we work together in making the online gaming world safer for women as there is absolutely no room for abuse.
Stephanie Ijoma, Consultant, Gaming Entrepreneur, and Founder at NNESAG
In addition to discovering that 75% of women under 25 years old face abuse while gaming online, recent research commissioned by Sky Broadband also found:
- Of the 75% of women under 25 who faced abuse while gaming, 80% of them had received messages of a sexual nature.
- 52% of female gamers indicated that they felt worried about playing computer games online.
- 31% of female players felt the need to lie about their gender and remained anonymous during online gameplay.
- 49% of women gamers aged 18-65 had received hate or harassment when gaming online.
The data highlights the number of incidents of abuse experienced by women gamers, demonstrating those under 25 are subjected to a substantially larger proportion of unacceptable comments.
Improving opportunities for women in esports is a key commitment of our partnership with Sky. While there's still work to be done, we're proud to be at the forefront of fostering greater female participation in the sector and creating an inclusive gaming community. We hope that by raising awareness of the abuse affecting female gamers through our #NoRoomForAbuse campaign, alongside a collective effort of support and education, we can make real progress in creating a better gaming experience for all.
Jasmine Skee, CEO, Guild
The #NoRoomForAbuse campaign enables gamers of all ages to learn about the impact that online abuse can have and how to recognize when it is happening. The educational curriculum will encourage students to become considered allies, fostering a kinder gaming environment for all.