Women in eSports
The number of girls/women who are into gaming is huge, but the number of female players in the uprising eSports scene is small.Some of the top eSports players can expect to command six-figure salaries, yet a vast pay gap exists between the sport’s top earning men and women. Among the top 100 highest overall player earnings, tracked by Esportsearnings.com, there are no women gamers.
How to increase the number of women in eSports ?
One way to increase the female presence in eSports is by creating / organizing more tournaments than we have at this point which are specifically for women or there could be neutral tournaments which accept both genders ( male and female ).That way we are making a supportive space and role models for young women who have the will to be a part of the eSports scene.If women want to compete in the highest tier they need to create a groundswell.Fans need to have something to watch in order to invest in player's success.At this point women don't have the chance to compete in major tournaments because there are none organized due to the lower visibility and awareness with eSports viewers compared to the male side.
eSports scolarships
Universities in the United States and in other countries in the world offer scolarships to girls/woomen and if the amount of scolarships that are given rises then the female presence is gonna be bigger as well.
Support from game developers
Support from the game developers is really necessary because they are the people who should organize tournaments for female players as well.If the game is popular enough then the female audience is gonna realize that there is a huge potential in gaming and that people actually make a living of that.
The obstacles that women experience in eSports
The biggest obstacle that female gamers experience in general is the harassment.Whenever female gamers stream which is part of the job they experience cyber bullying or internet trolling. People tend to make jokes and ask for nude photos which is absolutely rude.The only way to make the streaming experience better is by banning those who do not follow the rules.Some studies have shown that viewers on Twitch are interested only about the physical appearance and relationships when watching female streamers
Potential jobs in eSports
eSports is a huge industry which means you don't really have to be a professional eSports player to earn money.There are various of jobs which can give you a great salary such as :
- eSports Content Editor
- eSports Video Editor
- Director of eSports strategy and operations
- Graphics Designer
- Data Manager
- Coach
- Caster
- Analyst
Recognizable female eSports teams
- Team Dignitas
- Team CLG Red
- Team Secret
- Team Property
and others
Conclusion :
eSports is growing rapidly which means that now is the best time to get involved and start achieving your passions.It may not be easy but if you dedicate enough time then it for sure is possible.One of the reasons why I think that most of the games don't combine both female and male in eSports together is because of the way most of the sports work.Lets take soccer as an example.There are female leagues and male leagues separately.Should eSports be considered as a sport ? That's another topic that I could cover in another article but until then have a good day and night.
Sources:
Polygon
TheGuardian
Kotaku
VentureBeat
Thanks for reading everyone . I really appreciate the support.
great content!
Thank you for the kind words = ) Stay tuned for more.