As a self-proclaimed newbie to the gaming community, social media has been a great way to learn more about games and their history, and to engage with fellow fans. After the release of the Fallout TV show, I decided to learn more about the Fallout games since I was considering playing them myself. I took to Twitter to find fellow Fallout fans and see others’ opinions on the new show. However, what I came across was quite weird. I found user-made mods (short for modifications) of the main female characters wearing skimpy gear, with their proportions altered to appeal more to the male fans, if you get what I mean. After going down this modding rabbit hole, I learned that this isn’t the first game with unsavoury changes made to characters by the fans. Many beloved games have been taken and altered to fit what this minority wants. 

The modding issue is just a tiny part of a much larger issue: sexism in the gaming community. The most recent example of raging sexism I saw was from fans of Warhammer.

The Warhammer franchise, known for its gritty fights and dark fantasy world, has run into controversy on its journey to inclusivity and diversity in its games. Long-time fans of the franchise take issue with the game’s inclusion of female characters, some even vowing to boycott the games due to the new addition. Before getting into the in-depth details of the controversy, it is essential to review some brief Warhammer lore to understand the issues fans are taking up right now. In Warhammer 40K, one of the most iconic factions in the game is the Adeptus Custodes, often shortened to the Custodes. They are elite warriors who serve as personal bodyguards to the Emperor of Mankind, who is genetically and magically superior to any other human or space marine. For most of Warhammer history, these warriors have been depicted as an all-male force. That was until recent developments in the Warhammer universe revealed the long-time existence of female custodians and even an update that includes a short story that features a female custodian. Many fans have issues with this addition/revelation as they believe it to be a departure from the universe’s foundational lore. However, there are two sides to this discourse; one side accepts this change and is excited for more representation, and the other is using lore as an excuse to be more vocally misogynistic. Many Warhammer fans believe that the game isn’t just abandoning its lore, but is going woke. 

The Warhammer community serves as a stark example of the ongoing issue of sexism within the gaming world. Sadly, this is far from an isolated case — there are countless other games with fanbases rooted in sexist and misogynistic attitudes. This isn’t a new phenomenon either; misogyny has been entrenched in gaming culture since the early days of online play. But the real question is: how, and when, does this cycle break? Will sexism continue to thrive, with those calling for change dismissed as merely “woke”? Or is the solution to push forward with more inclusive and diverse representation, despite the backlash?

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Graphic by Forrester Toews