Page 1304 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 3 April 2019
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MS LE COUTEUR (Murrumbidgee) (3.31): I have to admit to some surprise when I first saw this motion. Given my age, I am not a gamer and I was not aware of any groundswell of community support for an ACT government e-sport strategy, but obviously we live and learn. I am aware, particularly from a stepson, that many people are seriously involved in the gaming community. Regardless of this, the Greens are always willing to explore new and innovative ideas, and we will be supporting this motion without amendment.
I note a motion moved earlier today, Ms Lee’s motion about the importance of physical activity in schools, and more broadly the importance of physical activity for everybody and especially young people. E-sports certainly have a place, but we need to make sure that people still do some physical activity, be it sporting or otherwise. That may be an issue with the expansion of e-sports. I understand that e-sports are growing in popularity and that they truly present many opportunities. Beyond the enjoyment that people derive from gaming, they offer participants an opportunity to be someone else, to delve into a different world, to be anonymous.
Competitive gaming, I think we have to acknowledge, suffers from some image problems. The stereotype is of the young, socially isolated man sitting in a dark room eating unhealthy takeaway food. But this is not a fair representation of either the diversity of gamers or the types of e-sports that can be played in open arenas for the enjoyment of spectators, not just players. Gamers are clearly a diverse group, and gaming can be a positive, prosocial activity. It can offer a genuine alternative recreational option, and doubtless creates global connections and friendships.
Video games can be culturally significant, artistically significant and economically significant. They can help shape young minds and tell stories. They form part of our artistic landscape, bridging and feeding into other artistic communities and mediums. The Greens believe that we must have Australian voices and stories conveyed through this medium and we must invest in Australian artists for our industry to grow and thrive.
Despite these positives, there are some major public image, and more than image, issues. The gaming community, and the industry for that matter, has been responsible for some serious and utterly repugnant misogyny. Over the years, the issue of women in gaming, be they creators, developers, animators, commentators or players, has been in the media for all the wrong reasons.
I am advised that there is a massive under-representation of women gamers. For example, women now make up 25 per cent of the US e-sports fan base, but there is still a distinct lack of professional women players at professional gaming events. There are reports of bullying, trolling and doxxing of women gamers. These constitute very serious cyberbullying. The gaming community both here and overseas has seen personal attacks, including threats of rape and death threats.
Women make up a significant proportion of the consumer market, but they are struggling to break into top gaming events and are also, perhaps unsurprisingly, under-represented in game development. The same can be said for female avatars and
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