The Overwatch heroine D.Va remains a symbol for women’s rights in South Korea. Female players, in particular, face significant challenges there.
Recently, we reported that D.Va and her rabbit were an important symbol at the “Women’s March”. But the movement goes even further. The group “For D.Va”, also known as the “National D.Va Association” in South Korea, utilizes the Overwatch heroine as a mascot. The group originally started as a protest against South Korea’s president, Park Geun-hye, who wanted to downplay criticism by stating that “she is just a woman,” while being deeply embroiled in various corruption scandals.
However, even after the president’s suspension, “For D.Va” continues to exist to promote gender equality in the gaming scene – with D.Va as a symbol.
Kotaku contacted one of the members and asked many questions about the movement and the perception of women in the national and international gaming scene.
“We just want people to treat women as equal human beings in the gaming scene so that we are not continuously insulted or sexually harassed while playing games.”
Especially in South Korea, the country that has produced so many great players, the discrimination against women in this area is particularly high.
We reported on the case of the young player Geguri, who was so good at handling Zarya that she was accused of cheating and hacking. Even after Blizzard cleared her, the pressure continued to mount. Ultimately, she felt compelled to publicly demonstrate her skills. She managed to do so, although she ended up crying from the weight and pressure.
“It has almost become routine for female players to be harassed in chat, especially with sexual insults like ‘slut’ or ‘whore’. The thought is widespread in Korea that women cannot play games, and if they have a high rank, it must have been achieved through hacks or because they flirted with men.”
How male players interact with D.Va in the game also reveals a lot about how they think about women. “For example, D.Va’s skin for the Year of the Rooster – a traditional Hanbok design – causes many men to constantly look under D.Va’s skirt as a humiliation tactic against their opponents.”
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