Guild Esports / Sky: #NoRoomForAbuse

Sky Broadband and Guild Esports have launched a powerful new campaign to highlight the abuse suffered by women in gaming on a daily basis. #NoRoomForAbuse has come off the back of shocking new research conducted by Sky Broadband, which shows that almost half of women gamers have suffered abuse online, with over 80% of those revealing messages had been sexual in nature. As a result, Sky Broadband created an immersive experience in partnership with Guild Esports at the Sky Guild Gaming Centre in Shoreditch that shines a light on the abuse experienced by women gamers in the UK. To launch the findings and the experience, Sky Broadband has partnered with a host of female gamers and gaming experts who feature in a series of striking images that depict some of the abuse they regularly face whilst playing online #NoRoomForAbuse. Millions of British women are victims of online abuse according to shocking new study released by Sky Broadband and Guild Esports today. New research reveals half (49%) of women gamers in Britain have experienced a level of abuse or harassment when playing or streaming online, rising to 75% amongst those aged 18-24. The findings delve into the differing experiences faced by both men and women gamers when playing video games on the internet, with over a half (52%) of women admitting they feel worried about playing computer games online, over concerns for their mental health. The high-level gaming simulator begins as a neutral experience then changes to highlight the terrifying level of harassment that women gamers face daily. Video content from the experience shows the real-time reactions of male players as they’re slowly given increasingly aggressive messages while they try to game. Messages such as “Stop playing a man’s game little girl” and “Someone kill this wh*re” can be heard throughout the room, just a snippet of what so many women receive daily. Stephanie Ijoma, Sunpi, Elz the Witch and Danielle Udogaranya, all regular gamers and content creators, appear in front of a backdrop covered with writing that illustrates true-to-life abusive and violent messages that are heard by women in gaming daily. The four also participate in video content discussing what needs to be done about the rising issue of women’s abuse, and give their thoughts on men’s’ reactions to Sky Broadband’s immersive simulation.