343 Reassures Fans After Female Gamer Told Halo 'Isn't For Women'
Ah, the unwavering stank of toxic masculinity in the gaming world - is there anything like it? Just when you think the industry is trying to move on from its chequered past, along comes the likes of the Activision Blizzard allegations, and now, female gamers being told Halo "isn't for women." How cute!
Sometimes, it feels like we're banging our heads against a brick wall when it comes to women in gaming. Although there are organisations coming out the wazoo that try to promote female gamers and streamers, it seems that the very core of the FPS genre (in particular) is still a man's world. Halo Infinite might be no exception.
Warning: NSFW language ahead
Why Was A Female Streamer Attacked In Halo Infinite?
On December 19, streamer Grenade Queen shared her stream and explained how a group of men harassed her during a match of Halo Infinite. As well as being told to go play Fortnite or VALORANT, she was then mocked and told to "show your t*ts on f*****g Twitch."
The pair of men continued to berate her, with one saying, "Get the f**k off of Halo because you're not meant to be here." The other then added, "This is not for you, you notice how Master Chief was never a woman." Although Grenade Queen manages to keep her cool and doesn't respond, it looked like the incident upset her. Don't worry sis, you got this.
The problem is, Xbox Live back in the day was known for this kind of behaviour. Call of Duty has also been called out for a sometimes toxic community, and just when we think things are on the up, a clip like this surfaces. Although Grenade Queen confirms the perpetrators later apologised, this isn't enough for many.
What Has 343 Industries Said About The Incident?
Presumably connected to the above, 343 has tried to do some damage control with a tweet that stinks of PR. In the aftermath of GrenadeQueen's clip, 343 Industries Head of Design, Jerry Hook, wrote, "Halo is for everyone." Hook accompanied the post with a picture of female Halo fans at a comp.
It was a nice touch that makes 343's official stance clear, however, it was soon ripped apart in the comments. As you can imagine, Hook's tweet also opened the floodgates for other female players to share the abuse they've faced online. "Apparently not to some people," said one. "I’ve literally had a couple guys tell me I shouldn’t play just bc I’m female." Another added, "Then perma ban the guys that talked to her like that."
This development comes just after someone created a rather sexist campaign for female armour options in Infinite. There was something of a silver lining to the story though. Original Xbox creator Seamus Blackley caught wind of Grenade Queen's video and tweeted his own heartfelt response. Blackley reiterated, "This wasn’t the future for @Xbox live we envisioned.
"As a community and with the help of @Microsoft this needs to be highlighted and stopped. It will take teamwork between players, devs, and console manufacturers to change this and it’s time. It’s past time." As the Halo community rallies around Grenade Queen, let's hope this hasn't put her off playing.