Top Twitch streamer Pokimane recently opened up about her experiences with an obsessed fan who tracked down her address. Sadly, sexism and harassment is all too prevalent in the world of gaming, which Pokimane has encountered in the years following her rise to fame. Pokimane even confronted sexist viewers a few years ago with hard facts and streaming data to spotlight the criticisms that many female streamers face.
In addition to reports of sexism and unequal treatment at major game development studios, female content creators and Twitch streamers have been faced with disrespectful comments on their social media pages. However, this behavior can spill into the real world as well, with several female streamers and content creators reporting instances of fans stalking or harassing them. For instance, popular Twitch streamer BrookeAB revealed last year that she has faced stalking and harassment from fans that included death threats. This led to greater discussion around the seriousness of this issue, and BrookeAB revealed threatening messages from stalkers and online trolls, publicly asking social media platforms to do more to help female creators.
Massively popular Twitch streamer Pokimane recently appeared on Anthony Padilla’s YouTube show to talk about some of her most talked-about moments and controversies. At one point, she touches on her experience with an obsessed fan who managed to track down her California neighborhood in search of her. Luckily, Pokimane’s roommate ran into the stalker and managed to warn Pokimane before any altercation or interaction occurred. The streamer went on to explain that these sorts of fans are what keep her from investing in real estate or living her life too publicly and that these situations prompted her to look for apartments with higher security.
Pokimane’s comments are unsettling but, unfortunately, not particularly surprising. Twitch seems to be something of a hotbed for sexism and harassment, as female creators regularly report facing difficulties from viewers. Other female Twitch streamers like KylieBitkin have even been harassed for things as minor as in-game altercations with fellow creators.
While not all sexist or inappropriate behavior will escalate to stalking or real-world altercations, it is important for the gaming community and large platforms like Twitch to understand that any harassment can turn into something much worse, and take action accordingly. It doesn’t seem that women online will be free from harassment or stalking any time soon, but the platforms like Twitch can do more to create as safe an environment as possible for female creators. Stories coming from large Twitch creators like Pokimane can at the very least help raise awareness of these problems.
