“Never Good Enough”: Player Identities, Experiences, and Coping Strategies of Women in Czech Video Game Journalism

Abstract

In this article, we examine the position of women in Czech video game journalism and the strategies they use to cope with sexism. To this end, we conducted eight in-depth interviews with currently active women journalists. According to our respondents, their work is judged more harshly because they are women and they have to deal with gender boundaries and stereotypes, sometimes conforming to them to prevent further harassment. In this regard, our respondents were criticized (as well as praised) for their physical appearance and treated as less competent than their male colleagues. All respondents agreed that they were repeatedly told by various parties—players, colleagues, and developers—that they were not good enough as game journalists (and never would be). We argue that women game journalists are pronouncedly affected by sexism and misogyny as their expert role directly challenges toxic gaming masculinities.