People who are involve in esports frequently get weary of comparisons to regular sports. But the rapidly growing world of competitive gaming may frequently serve as a model for those more traditional sports to follow.
Although groups have start programs in the hopes of fostering a more diverse gaming environment, the industry as a whole is still heavily dominate by men.
Esport
The Valorous Game Changers program, which aims to provide underrepresented women a platform to compete and develop into professional gamers, is an illustration of this.
Approximately 12 million people check in to Valorant, a first-person shooting game created by Riot Games (of League of Legends renown).
Alongside the primary competition, the Game Changers series seeks to develop underrepresented talent in a secure setting free from potential harassment.
Vera Wienken, Senior Brand Manager at Riot Games, says the program has already been a success after working closely on its introduction.
She told CNN Sport that having genuine community representation among professional esports athletes, coaches, and management is crucial to her organization.
“As a result, we established Game Changers, and we sincerely hope to see esports as a whole become more diverse in the future.”
You don’t have to sing it in front of everyone,
Women’s participation in Valorant and esports in general, according to Wienken, depends on representation.
Since Valorant is a relatively new game, Wienken believes that its structure and plot make it accessible to a wider range of players.
According to Wienken, the characters you can play as, for instance, don’t always fit into gender stereotypes, which makes the game more approachable.
When questioned about why fewer women are still drawn to the field than men, she responded, “There aren’t enough role models.
We would like to see these female professional athletes serve as role models for others and share their paths and stories so that women may discover their entry points. This is already occurring, which is great.
Yinsu Collins, the valiant EMEA host, is one of many esports professionals who have experienced online harassment, but she claims she has become accustomed to it and has a thick skin.
