The collective earnings of the top 400 women in eSports barely add up to half of what the number one male player rakes in from gaming, it has been revealed.

The shocking figures were reported by vg247, using data from EsportsEarnings. It underlines the startling fact that tech industries are infamous for gender pay inequality, and it appears eSports is no different.

The highest earning male is Johan Sundstein – a Dota 2 player who has pocketed $6,889,591.79 from tournaments.

The top 400 women in eSports have, together, pulled in $3,030,000 – less than half Sundstein’s wealth.

Bleaker still is the revelation that the highest-earning female eSports star – Sasha ‘Scarlett’ Hostyn – has banked $333,456 through competitions. While such a tidy sum isn’t to be sniffed at, it will raise eyebrows among the gaming community where the prize money of the top male player overshadows Hostyn’s achievements by more than six million dollars.

The second highest earning female is Katherine ‘Mystik’ Gunn who has made $122,000 and is best-known for playing Halo: Reach. Again, while a sizeable sum, it is peanuts in comparison to the money earned by Sundstein.

Some factors need to be considered, however. For instance, Sundstein largely plays Dota 2 which often boasts the highest prize pools in eSports, whereas Hostyn plies her trade with the smaller money pots of StarCraft II.

Still, the figures make for uncomfortable reading. Especially when set to the narrative of MediaKix which points out that women make up 45% of US gamers.

Interested in reading more eSports-related stories? Discover more about the Razer co-founder committing $7 million to aid the development of the industry in Singapore.