Hafsa Fathima on the increasing tribe of female gamers who are finding a niche in the world of video gaming.

Zerah Gonsalves was 17 when she joined a group of friends at a local café in Chennai, switched on a PC, sat down with them to play a game of Counter Strike, and was, to put it lightly, consumed by the world of gaming. “I was hooked almost instantly,” she says. “I was naturally drawn to the excitement and competition and was one of those kids who fought over console games with my elder sister and cousins.” Zerah, or Angela, the codename she’s known by in the gaming community in India, quickly became one of their most well-known members. The last few years have seen her participating in tournaments across the country, like the Taiwan Cup and Video Game Fest, both playing competitively and hosting events. One of the many women who game in what’s usually presumed to be a male-dominated field, she and others are combating stereotypes, shrugging off labels and proving that they’re the norm, not the exception.

The world of video gaming in India has quickly gained momentum over the years, with people transitioning from the usual childhood classics like Mario to spending hours hunched over a PS2, engaged in intense rounds of Call of Duty. There are two ways to play — on a computer, known as PC/LAN, or on a basic console system like the Xbox. “It’s growing, slowly but definitely,” believes Shagufta Iqbal. “Tournaments have inspired a lot of people here to become more serious about gaming, with Indian teams participating at an international level.”

According to the Internet Advertising Bureau, women make up 52 per cent of gamers, a statistic that trumps the visual of the lone, female gamer. “People think a lot of things,” believes another gamer, Chitra. “They also think that gaming is something kids or teenagers do, but over half the gaming population is 30 or over. The impressions about it are mostly due to media misrepresentation or pop-culture tropes.”

“There are numerous perceptions that are far from the actual facts,” adds Shalini Selvarajan. “From small villages to big cities, nearly everyone has Internet access these days, which means everyone is playing games. I’ve always known plenty of women who play games — mobile, console and PC — and it’s never been a big deal to us.”

Issues like sexism and misogyny are complex ones that do come up, but vary with experience. “It’s hard, because there are people who will belittle you for no reason, and try to instigate you,” says Zehra. Chitra, however, has had a more positive experience. “The LAN group I play with is entirely guys, and they’ve never once treated me differently because I was a girl — they haven’t belittled me for it; neither have they humoured me or gone easy on me for it. I honestly don’t think it matters to a single one of them that I’m female,” she says.

The connotations of the term “female gamer” is also a point of debate, with players worried that it might continue to perpetuate stereotypes. “A person who plays games regardless of gender, age or race is just a person who plays games,” believes Shalini.

There’s a vibrant, exciting scene brewing in the gaming world, with tournaments like GameGod Games Arena happening in December in Bangalore, and the awaiting of releases of new games with bated breath. “Gaming’s had the best impact on my life,” says Shagufta, “And I don’t think I’ll ever stop.”