Game On!

You might be surprised to learn that 47% of Italy’s online gamers are female. But would you be surprised to hear that discrimination and verbal abuse against female gamers is still alive and well? In a world that is perceived as strongly masculine, do girls feel at ease to simply be themselves in the online gaming world?

WINDTRE, always pushing the envelope for social change and inclusion, decided to answer these questions with an online experiement.

Into the driver’s seat is professional gamer ‘Tuberanza’. After the pitch of his voice is adjusted, he enters the game as a “girl”. Many male players don’t like the fact that “she” is winning. Verbal abuse ranging from “no way this bitch killed me” to “you got kicked by a girl, shame on you” are hurled at the gamer.

Most enlightening is watching Tuberanza’s facial expressions shift from surprise to that of disappointment.

WINDTRE Ambassador and content creator, Diletta Begali, discusses the experience with Tuberanza, who expresses his frustration and the distracting and disheartening nature of the abuse.

72% of women gamers switch off the microphone while playing, as they don’t feel free to express their true identity – their gender.

The #VocealleGamer social experiment and video, not only gives a voice to girl gamers but allows their male counterparts to experience the flipside of the discrimination. The initiative underlines WINDTRE’s ongoing commitment to digital responsibility, through an inclusive use of technology.

The video, born from an idea by agency Wunderman Thompson, is available on YouTube and WINDTRE’s social media. It was published in conjunction with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on November 25th.

Watch this groundbreaking video here.