Women in eSports Who Are Making History
As eSports continues to gain popularity and expand its reach, women are increasingly playing a pivotal role in shaping the industry’s future. From competitive gamers to content creators, women are making history and paving the way for a more inclusive gaming community.
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Some influential women in esports are breaking ground for participation as players, producers, commentators, and executives. Here are some women who are establishing a name for themselves in the esports industry and beyond, proving that gaming transcends gender.
Sasha Hostyn’ Scarlett’
Canada’s own Sasha is a Brave star player who competes in Starcraft 2. Scarlett is her gamer tag; however, she goes by both names. Sasha also uses Banelings and Mutaliks in addition to Zerglings when she plays. She participated in almost 230 tournaments, winning approximately $420,000.
Then, just 17 years old, Sasha started playing video games in early 2011. She got her start by competing in events open only to women. In 2011, Sasha made history by being the first person to win back-to-back NESL Iron Lady titles. She entered numerous competitions the next year and consistently performed well, earning medals each.
Sasha triumphed over several more seasoned competitors in the fourth season of the IGN Pro League, held in Las Vegas. Currently, she is the only woman among the world’s top 500 gamers. Sasha has made it into the top 400 highest-paid gamers in the world.
Li Xiaomeng ‘Liooon’
Li Xiaomeng is a Chinese Hearthstone player. Liooon is her gamer ID, the name by which she is most commonly addressed. She started playing competitively at the start of 2018 and finished second during the WESG Asia-Pacific Finals.
In 2019, she made headlines when she became the first female player to clinch the Blizzcon Esports championship. She led the international grandmasters’ tournament for Hearthstone. She won $200,000 by sweeping the finals against Brian Easton, commonly known as “bloody face,” when she was just 23 years old. After the victory, she gave a speech to inspire other women to join in on the fun of the sports competition. As a result of this momentous feat, she was named ESPN’s 2019 Moment of the Year.
Katherine Gunn ‘Mystik’
Katherine Gunn, a gamer from the United States, is also known by her gamer ID name Mystik and her nickname Kat. She has earned a reputation as a multi-talented gamer of the highest order. Her greatest victory was in 2010 when Katherine won the World Cyber Gamer Ultimate Gamer Halo Reach event. She won $100,000 as the tournament’s champion despite being only 22 years old.
The Guinness World Record organisation recognised Katherine as the top-earning female gamer in 2015. Although Sasha Hostyn has since eclipsed her earnings, Katherine is still the highest-paid female gamer by a wide margin (over $120,000). Katherine has monetised her gaming time with more than just Halo Reach; she’s also dabbled in Call of Duty: Warzone and Dead or Alive 4. Katherine is a busy person who has interests outside of esports. She now often broadcasts on Twitch and is the founder of her cosplay squad, Less Than 3(LTR).
Conclusion
There is still a long way to go before women in the gaming industry are given the credit they deserve. Even though women now make up more than half of gamers, they are constantly told they are not “genuine” gamers, and their level of geekiness is questioned.
Nonetheless, women have historically played crucial roles in the computer and gaming industries. Those highlighted above are only a few of the many who have made significant contributions to the esport sector and the industry’s evolution.
Image source: MLG