Female Players Not Allowed to Sign Up For Hearthstone Competition

[Zatheyll]

Seems Finland's e-sports competition Assembly Summer 2014 decided to split up the competition brackets between male and female to follow what true sports are and legitimize e-sports as an actual sport (because real life physical differences totally go inside the virtual world with the player). Seeing as the finals for Hearthstone are male only though, females can't even sign up to play in the competition.

http://wow.joystiq.com/2014/07/02/he...e-competitors/

It feels like we're back in the 30s.


MOD EDIT: Story got a follow up. There was a rules change and women can now enter: http://www.polygon.com/2014/7/3/5867...egation-policy

[Crissi]

Considering playing a game has virtually no need for the biological difference between men and women in terms of body mass, why do they even need to be separated?

>.<

[TEHPALLYTANK]

That is gonna cause some backlash...

[Zoaric]

Well that's just silly. As OP implied, the reason men's and women's sports are split is
purely physical differences. There's no legitimate reason (given, at least) to split this
by gender.

[RoryTee]

I really don't get how splitting the genders even makes E-sports legit.

That's not exactly the first criteria that springs to mind to me.

[Deleted]

good, tits distract the male pros

it's an unfair advantage

or some...thing

[MerinPally]

You could easily subvert this most dire of social issues by, well, you know. Not being vapid and following "E-sports".

You can't stick your fingers in your ears and just pretend it's not there. Whilst this particular issue is minor at best, to pretend that Esports as a whole doesn't really exist is just silly. It's growing, phenomenally fast, and has been for a while. It absolutely will be a thing.

Anyway, unless the force to click a mouse is somewhat larger than I'm used to, why split the genders? Brains are the same, that's what you need.

[Netherspark]

There are some sports where males and females should be split up (Rugby for example), but video games are hardly one of them.

[Blueobelisk]

I should take this opportunity to say that Hearthstone isn't a real sport and we could get into arguments about what constitutes a sport or not.

Instead I'll say that if it's a privately run competition, they can do whatever they want. It's stupid since it's a fucking computer game, but they can still organize it however they want.

[Bumkin]

There are significant intelectual differences between males and females so it would be unfair for female competitors to play males

[Deleted]

This is dumb, women have equal potential as the men when it comes to gaming, muscle mass does not even come into it.

[urasim]

Considering playing a game has virtually no need for the biological difference between men and women in terms of body mass, why do they even need to be separated?

>.<

There were/are tournaments that are female only. Double standards...

[Crissi]

There were/are tournaments that are female only. Double standards...

and I dont agree wit those either.

[Deleted]

There are significant intelectual differences between males and females so it would be unfair for female competitors to play males

hm k



- - - Updated - - -

This is dumb, women have equal potential as the men when it comes to gaming, muscle mass does not even come into it.

hm k


you're almost like twins that hate each other

[Celista]

good, tits distract the male pros

it's an unfair advantage

Just wear some tight pants and call it even.

[Gheld]

Finland is less individually culpable in this situation than the article headline implies. It's the international group's rules. Finland has apparently been lobbying to have it changed though.

[MerinPally]

Just wear some tight pants and call it even.

I'm sorry, have you seen some of the pro gamers? No thank you, I myself would take the white-knight-fedora-neckbeard approach and protect women from that, but I'd offer the same service to men. There are some things this world doesn't need - pro gamers in tight clothes is on that list, just before a reincarnated Hitler.

[Chiquihuite]

You could easily subvert this most dire of social issues by, well, you know. Not being vapid and following "E-sports".

I'd watch an SC2, Hearthstone, or LoL match over an NFL game any day of the week. For me personally, eSports are way more interesting than most "traditional" sports. Sorry to hear you don't also enjoy them, but I hope you're able to find alternative forms of entertainment that suit you

[Conspicuous Cultist]

Just wear some tight pants and call it even.

But they don't show up that much.

*Sobs*

[Ayla]

This is dumb, women have equal potential as the men when it comes to gaming, muscle mass does not even come into it.

How hard you play is directly proportional to how hard you can grip your mouse and press buttons.

Either way, I've made my comments directly to IeSF, I am hoping for a change. Either way both facebook and twitter have blown up over this. IeSF was even told to "Get out of my industry" by some game developers (Not Blizzard).