Sweet Anita blames 'bystanders' for gendered toxicity in gaming: "They set the standard in these situations"

Toxicity is a huge problem in the gaming world, and it’s even more prevalent towards women. Sweet Anita, a popular Twitch streamer, has chimed in on the issue. As someone who has overcome adversity and hardship to get to where she is, Anita is the perfect person to make a statement.

Nobody knows her real name, but we do know that she’s no ordinary woman. Anita suffers from Tourette’s syndrome, a condition that compels her to make involuntary sounds and movements. But that hasn’t stopped her from becoming a successful variety streamer, and now she has a little under a million followers on her Twitch channel.

Anita featured as a guest on the latest episode of HealthyGamer.GG, a Twitch channel created by Dr Alok Kanojia, a Harvard-trained psychiatrist who discusses mental health. She appeared alongside other popular streamers including Devin Nash, Felix “xQc” Lengyel, Lily “LilyPichu” Ki, and Steven “Destiny” Kenneth Bonnell II.

The group talked about positivity, toxicity, and what we can all do to make the gaming community a better place for everyone. At one point, Anita shared her thoughts on the toxicity she’s experienced as a woman in the gaming world.

She describes an experience where a man was harassing her and being particularly rude while four others stood by and let it happened. She said they were “still cooperating with him” and “ignoring the fact that it’s happening”, which she believes “validates his behaviour.” More importantly, it made her feel like they didn’t have a problem with what he was doing, and that’s not okay.

“The bystanders kind of set the standard in this situation,” she added. “And I kind of think, like, a huge step forward there is getting dudes proud of actually standing up and going, you know what, this isn’t the f**king 1960’s, dude. You have to be a grown-up now. Like, we’re not all gamer kids anymore.”

(Picture: Sweet Anita)

Anita’s point is one that everyone can sympathize with. After all, she’s been subject to all kinds of harassment throughout the years, even to the point where she feared for her life due to an in-real-life stalker. It’s gut-wrenching to try and imagine what she’s been through, and it’s taken a toll on her.

However, that hasn’t stopped her from speaking up on these issues, and that means people have all the more reason to listen. Like a diamond in the rough, she is cementing her place as an inspirational and influential icon that all gamers can all look up to.