There is a new case of sexual harassment in the gaming sector

After the publication of a tweet, more than 70 professional gamers came forward reporting that they had suffered violence and sexual harassment by some famous colleagues in the sector

(photo: CARL DE SOUZA / AFP via Getty Images ) Esports represent a sector that, in 2019, was worth a billion dollars. An industry from which, however, women seem to be almost excluded: they are only 35% of professional players, according to a study conducted by Interpret. A field therefore mainly dominated by men, in which women are increasingly forced to undergo cyberbullying, aggression and harassment. Already in 2014, the New York Times had spoken of this phenomenon and in the summer of last year some video game developers had been accused of sexual violence and abuse by some colleagues and gamers. On both fronts, after fleeting repercussions within the export community, very little seems to have changed.

From the night of May 24, more than 70 gamers on Twitter, YouTube, Twitch and TwitLonger - the vast majority of the women cases - shared their stories of discrimination, violence and sexual harassment. Revelations that this time are having a wider echo, given that they have led to the resignation of Omeed Dariani, CEO of Online Performers Group, an important agency that manages talent in the export field.

has come this far

The tweet of the complaints was the tweet of a Twitch streamer, Hollowtide, in which the latter said that a famous person of the environment had committed "pretty terrible things", without mentioning the name.

Everyone memes Lucky but theirs someone else at the top of the d2 directory who is aa bigger scum lord and people don't even know the awful things they've done

- ʜᴏʟʟᴏᴡ (@Hollowtide) June 19, 2020



In the comments to the tweet three streamer professional, JewelsVerne, SheSnaps and SchviftyFive , told their story with the player in question, famous online with the name of Lono, or SayNoToRage. The women said they were harassed physically and have received several offers of sexual character by Lono. After several hours, the latter has posted a video apology on YouTube. “There are no excuses for my behavior. There is no way to get over it. The things I have done are unacceptable. I'm deeply sorry,” said the gamer.

As in a massive domino effect, came the complaints of other female video players has . Among these, Molly Fender Ayala , streamer of Twitch, and is responsible for the development of the video game Overwatch, on Twitter has accused Dariani, ceo of Online Performers in the Group, of having acted inappropriately towards her, and have also proposed a sexual relationship to three.

My experience with Omeed Dariani.

Read: https://t.co/rU8ZoGLCiF

— Molly Fender Ayala (@ItsMeMollyO) June 21, 2020

What's happening now

As reported by the New York Times , this time, the community, esports has moved in a compact manner and has condemned the violence . Dariani resigned from his post and some of the talents represented by the Online Performers in the Group have decided to leave the agency. One of the giants of video gaming, Astro Gaming, has announced the end of its commercial relations with Lono, and the other two streamer involved in the allegations. Facebook Gaming has temporarily suspended another player accused of harassment. So is Twitch that has published a tweet in which he explained that it is collaborating with law enforcement to report and punish the violence, and the harassment of some users.

The streamer are organizing on the 24th of June an event online: throughout the day, refrain from using Twitch to push the gaming company to tackle the issue of racism and sexual harassment.