Cyberbullying and the pay gap are just two of the hurdles facing female gamers, but that isn’t holding them back

Women in eSports: 'Ignore the stereotypes and do what you want'

The day begins with a breakfast rich in protein and carbohydrates, followed by a workout designed to sharpen the reflexes and mental stamina. Next is an intense, eight-hour training session with the team in preparation for a forthcoming tournament.

This is the typical day in a life of a woman who plays computer games in front of live audiences and millions of people online for a living. Stephanie Harvey, also known by her gamer name MissHarvey, is one of them. “It’s an amazing experience,” she says. “I travel the world, I game, I do what I love.”

Women face additional obstacles to overcome about the validity of a career in eSports Carleigh Morgan

Esports, which is organised, competitive computer gaming, is a fast-growing industry, with global revenues estimated to reach £1bn by 2020. Professional gamers earn money from championship winnings, sponsorships and live-streaming games; those with regular viewers can partner with streaming sites, earning fees for attracting subscribers. Others might ask for donations or receive tips in online currency from viewers.

Los Angeles-based Harvey, who is part of an all-woman team specialising in the first-person shooter game Counter Strike, is sponsored by Intel and says she makes money from multiple sources, including streaming and speaking gigs.

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.

Discussing this data, Dominic Sacco, content director for the British Esports Association (BEA), says eSports is “more inclusive” than some other traditional sports, but there is a lack of women competing in top-tier tournaments.

Another reason for the pay disparity is that the typical gamer and audience is still perceived as predominantly male, so advertisers target that demographic, says says Carleigh Morgan, an academic adviser for the BEA. According to a report from market intelligence provider SuperData, eSports audiences are 85% male.

While the gaming community considers eSports a meritocracy, Morgan says this is not always the case. “It’s women who have additional obstacles to overcome, regarding both global and local expectations about the validity of a career in eSports and their legitimacy as female gamers.

“It can be wearying to be confronted with a volley of verbal abuse and questions about one’s gender as a handicap every time one logs on to a server to play.”

This experience rings true for Harvey: “I’d say the worst [part of the job] is cyberbullying.” Whenever she’s streaming a game online, someone usually makes a misogynist joke in the comments section, she says.

To make gaming more welcoming for women and minorities, Harvey set up online community and streaming site called MissCliks. “We try to be inclusive and teach before banning [those who post offensive comments], and most of the time the chat stays pretty clean,” she says.



Several other organisations in eSports are working to plug the gender gap. AnyKey is a US-based organisation that promotes diversity in eSports by organising worldwide competitions with its partners Intel and the Electronic Sports League. Meanwhile, Skylla, a series of tournaments that welcomes up-and-coming players, has open qualifiers for women’s teams.

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New careers for women

While the pro gamers steal the limelight, eSports offers other career paths for women, such as games developers, event organisers and commentators. Jorien van der Heijden, also known as Sheever, is making her name as a games analyst, interviewer and host. She says the perks of the job are “the hype of an event, the players, their ups and downs, the halls or stadiums full of people with the same passion”. She began streaming herself playing as an amateur in 2011, which led to professional commentating gigs. But her success hasn’t come without hurdles, including enduring internet trolls, sexist jokes and maintaining a stable income between events.

Higher education can provide a fertile ground for women gamers to start building eSports careers. In the US, several universities offer eSports scholarships for women. In the UK, Josh Williams says the National University Esports League he founded lacks women, but he has seen the numbers growing. “University, to a certain extent, helps to foster that environment that is more welcoming and encouraging to female players.”

Natacha Jones, president of the University of Manchester eSports society wants to work as an eSports events organiser when she graduates next year. She plans to gain event management experience by volunteering at contests such as the student-organised gaming festival King of the North. She is also looking out for graduate jobs with games developers, such as Riot Games or Blizzard.

Jones is undeterred by sexism in the industry. “I would encourage women to ignore the stereotypes and do what they want,” she says. “It might be daunting entering a male-dominated scene, but see it as an opportunity.”

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