When you enter the online world of video games it comes as a shock, you are surrounded by middle-aged men, swamped with insults and disrespectful comments hurtled at you for simply having your name as a username, and mine is Georgia.

Yes, I might be the only girl in the lobby but does that mean I should get repeatedly targeted, spawn camped, and abused for simply having a different gender?

I never knew how bad it was and wanted to bring others into the knowledge of online gaming as a girl. It should be more publicized as without people knowing about it how can we stand up about it?

I have witnessed it firsthand

Since the age of 13, I went online, playing multiple games, and still now I game, Call Of Duty is the game I play at the moment and what can I say apart from the fact that this is the worst so far.

I have multiple times been the center of attention in the voice chat, everyone on there is in shock a girl is in the game, usually in denial and thinking I'm a man trying to catfish.

The other times they try their hardest to get me out of the game, insulting and instantly killing me or just speaking to me in such a rude way.

It's always middle-aged to mid-20s men, it's like they think they have the right to the game and no women should play it.

Some comments I have received that stood out are:

• Get back to the kitchen
• Girls don't know how to game
• And being asked out or spoken to in an inappropriate way

These are all totally inappropriate, and shouldn't be the way.

Stereotypes

As a gamer I am aware of what the stereotypes are, most girl gamers come online to play unranked games in an unserious way, some stand and just talk and don't participate in the game, or when they do, they aren't the best.

This is where the hate can come from as many men believe girl gamers can't play, and are either

An easy kill

Or

Are going to make our team lose

But that's not always the case, myself and other girl gamers I have seen who do play seriously are good at the game and perform as well as them!

I personally can't ever see a time when girls get accepted in gaming, as the games always be seen as 'men's games' and it starts with the basic stereotypes of gaming through the years, all I can hope is future generations learn to be more accepting.

The outcome

I know this is sad and not the way it should be, but I usually always have voice chat channels off, I turn off written chat and so I play only talking to my boyfriend. Otherwise, I would receive too much hate.

Do you ever think times will change and girls will be accepted more in the online gaming community?

Thanks for reading :)