Last month, the YouTube creator Shirrako uploaded a video capture of him playing the recently released Wild West-era video game Red Dead Redemption 2 (RDR2). The video, titled: “Beating Up Annoying Feminist”, depicted his avatar physically assaulting a female character - a suffragette - until she was unconscious.
Within days, the video had received more than a million views, including comments like:
The only good feminist is a DEAD FEMINIST
When Shirrako's YouTube channel started to generate media attention, YouTube pulled his video. But in response to a social media backlash spurred on by YouTube's most influential creator, PewdiePie, YouTube lifted the ban on the video. This backflip prompted Shirrako to upload more videos, including “Dropping Feminist to Hell & Killing the Devil” and “Annoying Feminist Fed to Alligator” and the comments kept rolling in.
'It’s part of the culture'
Recent research has shown an association between playing violent video games and decreased empathy towards female victims of violence.
Despite this, videos like Shirrako's are common. In fact, Rockstar Games (the publisher of RDR2) has been criticised in the past for blatant sexism and stereotypical portrayals of female characters in its games.
RDR2 gives players the option to kill female characters that represent women’s suffrage, without repercussions. So, should Rockstar Games be held accountable for fostering negative attitudes towards women? Should game developers prevent players from attacking the female game characters - particularly when the character is a suffragette, a symbol of women’s fight for equality?
Backlash against #MeToo
A recent study explored tweets posted by men in response to the #MeToo movement that used the hashtag #HowIWillChange. According to the researchers: "#HowIWillChange was intended to engage men and boys in the ongoing discussion about sexual violence by asking them to evaluate their role in sustaining rape culture."
Among the tweets, researchers observed the expression of sexist attitudes, a hostile resistance to social change, and a desire to maintain current gender power structures.
Anonymity perpetuates bad behaviour
When it comes to negative online behaviours, anonymity has been found to be an influential factor. It allows individuals to freely exhibit inappropriate and socially unacceptable attitudes towards women.
And the power to openly encourage such behaviours anonymously via YouTube comments means people can share their hatred towards women and the feminist movements, without offline repercussions.
Jessamy Henricksen is a PhD student and sexologist at CQ University. Dr Marika Guggisberg is a research and teaching academic in Violence Against Women and Children at CQUniversity.
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