Meet Emsy, an Esports competitor hoping to bring more women into gaming

“It may be the online Wild West, but we’re very fortunate to have countless gaming events happening across the country and the world on any given weekend,” says Garozzo. “There are university and high school programs. There are a lot of opportunities to contribute to the game space.” The opportunity to build something bigger and more meaningful led Heather to found Raidiant, a broadcast, events and content platform working to improve the conditions of women in games and sports through education, experiences and inspirational stories. “I want to introduce competitive gaming to every gaming community and hopefully they too will choose to either compete or work in esports.”

“‘Female gamers’ are as diverse and massive an audience as ‘adults 18+,'” said Erin Schendle, founding partner at Climbing Vine Media, a gaming-focused media agency that has worked with female gamers as the industry changed. . With the influx of interest comes a delicate balancing act of what makes sense for the community. “Gamers especially appreciate – and actually need – agile authenticity. They’ll sniff, shout and reject brands and messages they ‘don’t get,’ just as much as they’ll latch onto and pledge loyalty to the brands and products they love.” Schendle, along with Climbing Vine co-founders Rachel Alexander and Sonya Artz, worked with major brands, influencers and communities in the space to identify opportunities that truly connect with and honor the diverse backgrounds and preferences of the massive gaming community, rather than defaults. to outdated and less inclusive stereotypes.

More resources and role models drive more potential competitors into the field, and new faces in the competitive landscape encourage a diverse audience and support system. While some channels and guilds have been breeding grounds for exclusion and misogyny, the reverse is also true – inclusive and supportive communities have been around and growing for some time, a welcome change from when Emsy first started. “The biggest thing I wish existed when I was younger was just the sheer amount of servers and ways to make friends from similar games that exist now on apps like Discord,” she says.

While progress has been made, the industry still has a ways to go, with asymmetric representation looking all the stronger alongside explosive growth in other competitive sports such as women’s basketball. Beyond inclusive communities, sustainable diversity in gaming comes down to the entire ecosystem – community management, programming and advertising and brand offerings. “Supporting women in a variety of games who have achieved successful careers in gaming has a great bonding effect,” says Emsy. When women are treated as fully legitimate competitors in sports – with sponsorships, visibility and public exposure – they are one step closer to being recognized as more than an exception or a niche.