Female gamers together “hunt down” abusers in CS: GO

The “#MeToo” movement started in Hollywood with actresses standing up to denounce the harassment of producer Harvey Weinstein, then quickly spread to many other countries and fields. By this April, the fire has reached the gaming community CS:GO in the most “gamer” style possible.

Starting April 12, the elite group of female gamers announced the formation of a team called “Bully Hunters”, ready to help victims of harassment and bullying in the world. CS:GO by entering the game and defeating the villain, through their “overwhelming strength and unmatched skills”.

In the statement posted on the youtube channel, the female gamers affirmed: “The period of harassment in CS:GO has come to an end. A group of gamers, brands and organizations have come together to create the world’s first aid tool for victims of in-game harassment, the group. Bully Hunters. Bully Hunters is a self-defense team of elite female gamers, focused on putting an end to harassment and abuse in the popular game. CS:GO“.
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The campaign received a lot of support, from famous Twitch gamers like ZombiUnicorn, gaming brands like SteelSeries, Vertagear, CyberPowerPC, Diverse Gaming Coalition to a national organization for women. The members of the team are anonymous female gamers, they are expected to have a strong performance in each “purge” match.

A representative of the group said that Bully Hunter will be trained in skills to prepare for battles. The “retaliation” for harassers only takes place in the game, where gamers defeat opponents with their own techniques. In addition, a global rating system has also been established to connect victims with Bully Hunters, assess their experience and limit outside disturbances.

In addition to the specific takedown battles, the campaign’s underlying goal is to raise awareness of the issue of sexism and discrimination. bully in game online. The group reported that 21 million female gamers are harassed in games every year, “including extreme threats of sexual violence and death”. Until now, this issue has been overlooked, even considered by some to be normal, harmless and inevitable.

Bully Hunters hopes that through dialogue, the number of gamers with these bad habits will gradually decrease until it stops altogether. The group also called on manufacturers to take action to prevent harassment and discrimination in the game.

In the long term, Bully Hunters hopes to expand its influence to other games, but has no specific plans yet. The group also plans to recruit more members. Gamers can apply but not everyone can be selected. Bully Hunters said they will review the in-game parameters of the registrant, as well as the play history must be clean to be accepted.

The group’s actions and goals are reminiscent of the iconic Batman of Gotham City, where the bat is not just a crime fighter, but the awakening and struggle of the entire city. Although there are many concerns that the members of Bully Hunters themselves will become victims of harassment (especially when they do livestreams), experts still appreciate the moral support of the war. Translation for average level gamers.​