AS THE G2 SMOKE CLEARS, HOW DO WE FIND CLARITY FOR WOMEN IN ESPORTS? (Opinion)
As the dust appears to settle temporarily at the feet of G2 and Carlos, discussions are forming among some individuals surrounding the environment currently present for women and minorities in esports.
Following the intense scrutiny of ‘Trial by Twitter’, Carlos has seemingly been unsuccessful in any reputational repair, with PR-crafted statements falling flat for many in the community. G2, on the other hand, have recouped a degree of respect after their 18/09/22 press release acknowledging the incident and its potential damage. While Carlos enjoys eight weeks of unpaid leave from his CEO position, many hope that confrontational conversation will ease into greater collaboration on handling new questions regarding women’s safety.
Generating the Right Questions
Identifying the valuable questions raised within the community is more of a task than expected. Due to the flurry of reactions to Carlos and his conflicting communications, the responses have covered vast swathes of the esports and gaming industries. However, one question (or recommendation) that particularly stands out emerged from Meg Kay, staff writer for Dexerto and self-professed “lolesports apologist” (@_megito).
Surprisingly, in a tweet merely two hours before Carlos revealed his friendship with Andrew Tate, she raised the idea that the esports industry should implement an initiative similar to the UK’s “Ask for Angela”. This initiative is popular in bars and events venues, where any individual can approach a member of staff and ask whether “Angela” is working or whether she is available. This query is a code that alerts staff that the individual in question requires help — usually due to harassment, abuse, or risk.
In her second tweet within the thread, she explains:
“I don’t think this is just important for sexual harassment — people scrapping over supporting different teams isn’t unheard of, and with esports events being generally a bit smaller than trad [sic] sports events it might be a little easier to police”
After people started to react to Carlos’s video with Andrew Tate, Meg re-raised the suggestion on her feed, requesting interaction from anyone who could assist in generating momentum behind the initiative.
Implementing initiatives of this nature could be highly beneficial in encouraging women and minorities to attend esports events. In addition, allegations have arisen against other members of the esports community relating to inappropriate actions and interactions.
Reactionary Responses
Inflammatory reactions to G2’s statement and the nature of responses came from Carlos himself. In his PR statement released alongside that from G2, he stated that he feels “terrible about the discussions it created”. However, judging by the other individuals who have come forward with alleged experiences — most notably Twitch Streamer Adrianah Lee.
As reported by sportskeeda, she played a clip from approximately one year ago, where fellow streamer Matthew “Mizkif” spoke of an alleged assault by CrazySlick. Adrianah Lee states that CrazySlick repeatedly touched her chest without consent. At the time, she claims to be “passed out”. Streamers involved in the incident — most notably Mizkif — had downplayed the allegations with the justification that people perceived the situation as rape when it was not. Nevertheless, non-consensual touch in this way would undoubtedly equal the legal definition of sexual harassment and assault. A third-party legal organisation has since been brought in to investigate while Mizkif is placed on leave from OTK (as announced 01:48 BST, 21/09/2022)
Alongside this, ConfusingQT (a female Apex Legends streamer) has emerged with details following an experience at an Apex LAN involving members of G2. Importantly, this reroutes the conversation back to G2 as an organisation. In her twitlonger, she details a “Fraternity like” chant targeting “Egirls at LAN”, which included mentions of abuse, rape, and necrophilia.
Neither allegation is currently accompanied by concrete evidence. However, if true, they point to a continuation or worsening of the toxicity known to already exist within esports. When compared to the reaction of Carlos, who felt “terrible about the discussions” created from his actions, a worrying picture emerges. This picture reveals a community where influential figures may be far less aware — or less caring — about the severity of toxicity against women and minorities.
Moving Forward
Both the discussions had and the ones still to come will be instrumental in how the esports industry moves forward. Many are concerned that, as with many incidents, the controversy surrounding G2 will eventually disappear under somebody’s carpet, along with any critical conversations accompanying it. Unfortunately, it has happened before, and it certainly will happen again. As Alixxa of Team Liquid stated in a 2021 Forbes article, to make progress, it is necessary to hold people accountable.
Suggestions such as implementing “Ask for Angela”-style initiatives (as suggested by Meg Kay) have strong potential as a starting point. The ability to receive assistance quickly and discretely from the staff at an event or tournament could be instrumental in the busy environment of LANs, as experienced by ConfusingQT. Overall accountability and greater attention to incidents of alleged harassment and assault also can reduce the dismissal and degradation faced by those coming forward with their own experiences.
Scrolling through responses to the G2 and Carlos controversy can be demoralising. Many young men in the esports community express open support for Andrew Tate and the intensely discriminatory views he promotes. However, all hope is not lost. We may see more dramatic change if we keep these vital conversations moving forward.
