The world of competitive video gaming, or esports, has exploded in popularity and profitability in recent years. But it remains a male-dominated industry. Female forces in esports make up about 46% of esports participants, and there’s a major push in 2024 to empower the female force within the esports community.
The State of Women in Esports
To understand the landscape for women in esports, let’s look at some key stats:
- Only about 15% of esports players globally are female
- At the professional level, that number drops to just 5%
- 84% of women say they’ve witnessed sexism while gaming online
- 63% of women in esports conceal their gender to avoid harassment
- Just 7% of esports organizations have a female CEO
While gaming itself has reached near gender parity, competitive esports remains a hostile environment for many aspiring female gamers.
Why Empowering Female Forces in Esports Matters
With esports revenue expected to top $4.3 Billion in 2024, now is the time to tap into the full talent pool by supporting women gamers. Benefits include:
- Opportunity – Esports offers new career paths and income streams for skilled gamers. Women deserve an equal shot.
- Innovation – More diversity fosters new strategies, styles, and ideas that enhance gaming.
- Economic impact – Expanding women’s participation exponentially grows the market size.
- Representation – Visibility encourages more girls to embrace gaming and develop skills from a young age.
- Equity – Gaming should be a level playing field. Excluding women damages esports’ credibility.
Empowering female esports participants creates positive ripple effects across the industry and community.
Steps Organizations Can Take in 2024
For real change to happen in 2024, esports organizations across teams, leagues, publishers, events, and brands need to take action:
Implement Codes of Conduct
- Create clear anti-harassment and anti-discrimination policies for online and live events
- Ban racist/sexist hate speech in chat channels, forums, and broadcasts
- Set expected standards of behavior for professionals and players
Foster Inclusive Cultures
- Recruit more women into leadership, coaching, broadcasting, and playing roles
- Offer bias training and diversity education for staff and contractors
- Support employee resource groups and mentorship initiatives for women
Spotlight Women’s Contributions
- Feature accomplished female players, casters, and community figures
- Provide equal esports coverage and awards recognition for females
- Promote women’s events and leagues to expand participation
Support Work/Life Balance
- Offer flexible work and practice schedules to accommodate family needs
- Provide childcare stipends for travel to competitions and events
- Adjust rules to support pregnancy and parental leave
Cultivate Pipeline of Future Talent
- Sponsor all-girls gaming teams and clubs starting at the youth level
- Create partnerships with women’s colleges and associations
- Offer esports scholarships earmarked for female players
Tips for Parents to Support Daughters in Gaming
Parents play a pivotal role in nurturing girls’ affinity and skills in gaming from an early age:
- Encourage play time with all types of video games to build skills
- Be involved – ask about their games, watch them play, play together
- Coach good sportsmanship just as with traditional sports
- Foster their interests with gaming books, camps, and family trips
- Be their advocate if others question their gaming pursuits
- Provide access to devices, internet, and subscriptions so they can progress
- Connect them with other girl gamers for community and confidence
Proactive support from parents helps girls gain competency and passion for gaming from the start.
How Brands Can Champion Women in Esports
Brands sponsoring teams, leagues, and events have marketing muscle that can encourage women’s advancement in esports when leveraged intentionally:
- Feature female gamers in esports advertising and content
- ** Sponsor empowerment initiatives** like girls gaming workshops
- Demand inclusive team rosters in sponsorship contract provisions
- Advocate for women’s interests behind-the-scenes
- Partner with streamers and influencers to expand the female fanbase
- Support charitable efforts that introduce girls to esports
Brands should use their platform and resources to spotlight, celebrate, and advocate for women in the esports ecosystem.
Tips for Women Gamers Looking to Go Pro
For aspiring female esports gamers, here are tips to hone skills and break into professional play:
- Commit to regular practice with drills and competitive play
- Analyze the pros – study strategies, decision-making, and play styles
- Find a coach or mentor who can provide feedback and training
- Build a powerful PC setup designed for competitive gaming
- Join amateur teams – gain experience collaborating and competing
- Stream gameplay online to build your reputation and fanbase
- Enter tournaments – qualify for larger events and get noticed
- Network and make connections – find coaches, sponsors, and tryouts
- Develop professional habits around sleep, nutrition, fitness, and mental focus
- Believe in your potential – tune out the naysayers and stereotypes
With dedication and perseverance, women can pave their path to the professional stage.
Promising Startups Strengthening Women in Esports
Exciting startups are recognizing and seizing the opportunities to better serve female esports participants:
- XY Gaming – All-women esports tournament platform
- Gaming Ladies – Portal for women gamers to connect, learn and play
- Glow Up Gaming – Production company spotlighting diverse voices
- Women of Esports – Professional network elevating women
- Galaxy Racer – Esports team investing in female talent
- Dignitas – High-profile team recruiting women players
- Misscliks – Female gaming live stream community
The vibrant innovation demonstrates the changing landscape for women in esports.
Conclusion
While women continue to fight an uphill battle, 2023 looks to be a landmark year for empowering the female force in esports. By implementing more inclusive policies, taking purposeful action to support women, and leveraging their influence, organizations and brands can transform esports into a more diverse, equitable, and profitable industry for all. Parents can nurture tomorrow’s talent, while women pursuing professional gaming have expanding opportunities. There is momentum behind women in esports in 2023.
FAQs
What are some popular esports games among female players?
Some popular esports titles with strong female participation include Fortnite, CounterStrike: Global Offensive, Overwatch, Hearthstone, and Mario Kart. Mobile games like Clash of Clans are also popular.
What steps can women gamers take to avoid harassment?
Strategies include using gender-neutral gamer tags, avoiding voice chat with strangers, building friends lists with positive players, and proactively muting, reporting, and blocking toxic behavior.
What training regimens help aspiring professional female gamers improve?
In addition to in-game practice, women hoping to go pro should incorporate fitness training for stamina, hand and wrist exercises for endurance, and mental exercises for focus. Eating healthy food and getting adequate sleep is also key.
What are examples of women who have achieved success in esports?
Pioneers like Katherine Gunn, Stephanie Harvey, Se-Yeon Park, and Scarlett have proven women can excel in esports. Today top female pros include Chiquita Evans, Rumay Wang, and Caster Soe Gschwind.
How can I support women in esports if I don’t game myself?
There are many ways non-gamers can provide advocacy and allyship – calling out misogyny when you see it, championing women’s teams and events, encouraging the girls in your life, and being an informed voice for inclusion.
What streaming platforms showcase women gamers I can follow?
Top sites like Twitch, YouTube Gaming, and Facebook Gaming make it easy to find and subscribe to talented female streamers across esports, speedrunning, FPS games, RPGs, retro titles, and more. Discover new favorites!
