Another Up Hill Battle

I have recently explored the exploding industry of esports. An industry that sells out Madison Square Garden and the Staples Centre for League of Legends matches; and just created Overwatch professional league modelled after traditional sports leagues like the NBA and MLS. However, like traditional sports I find myself asking: Where are all the women?

At the latest IeSF Summit in Korea the organizer of the 2017 GirlGamer Festival, spoke out about the success and excitement of an all female event. Despite the success and viewership, brands had trouble backing this event, apparently not seeing the value of an all female tournament. An article in the Guardian last spring reported the same struggles that female athletes in traditional sports face: Is there a legitimate career to be had? This article also reported that female gamers are subject to cyberbullying and verbal abuse on a daily basis. In 2016, Maria “Remi” Creveling was the first female to be on a League of Legends team, and the nonstop harassment she faced caused her to quit and delete all her social accounts. The Overwatch League is about to kick off its first season in December, and despite a strong female fanbase and participation, no females are on the teams yet.

Esports claims that it is a meritocracy community - it is ability above all that will get gamers to the next level - but female gamers face the same struggles that have marked traditional sports athletes for years. With many fans hiding behind an online personality, the cyberbullying that is happening is out of control and women seem to fall victim to most of it. However, recent reports claim Riot Games, creator of League of Legends, is working to change this.

I still find myself questioning how a sport that is breaking barriers can fall into the same trap. In all sports women deserve just as much opportunity and credit as men. What is it going to take to make productive change? My hope is that as eSports makes a push to become an Olympic sport the female gamers will get the respect and voice they deserve.