A woman competitor recollects competing for “a case of Red Bull” in the past. Now, teams compete over a prize money of £15,000.
Report by Mickey Carroll, Science and Technology Correspondent
The first professional gaming tournament for women kick starts in the UK this Saturday.
Four professional gaming teams will compete with each other playing the first-person shooter game Valorant, which happens to be the most popular game in women’s esports leagues.
This is a historic moment for Europe’s best teams competing in the UK for the first time. The organizers hope this will encourage more female participation in gaming.
“The more people realize gaming can be enjoyed by anyone, regardless of their background, the more confident they’ll become and the enjoyment will increase,” expressed host and streamer Meg ‘Megsoundslikeegg’ Gardner.
The players will be competing over the course of two days at London‘s Red Bull Gaming Sphere for a prize pool of £15,000.
Michaela ‘mimi’ Lintrup, globally recognized as one of the best Valorant players who’s been gaming professionally since she turned 18, said: “In the past, gaming wasn’t as big as it is now.”
The 26-year-old from Denmark added: “We played for a case of Red Bull or something similar, not for cash prizes. I played simply because I loved it and I was passionate about it.”
But times have changed.
Last year, more than 28 million hours of professional women’s esports were watched by fans, according to Esports Charts. These competitions are usually live-streamed on platforms like Twitch, TikTok, and YouTube.
These numbers do not even include viewers from China, where esports are so popular that more people watched them than traditional sports at the 2023 Asian Games.
In the world of esports, where people competitively play a variety of video games, there are leagues, awards, and a massive fan following, much like any other sport.
Karmine Corp team member, French player Mathilde ‘Nelo’ Beltoise, commented on the extreme fan following in France.
“The craze for Karmine Corp is so huge, it’s impossible to step out without being recognized. Karmine Corp jerseys are omnipresent on the streets,” she said.
The immense popularity of her team in France made Beltoise’s parents, both teachers, accept and appreciate her professional gaming career.
“Sometimes, their students wear a Karmine Corp jersey and ask, ‘Is that you?’ They have now fully embraced it,” she added.
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Being a professional gamer entails not only the exciting aspects like international travel and live game streaming but also following a regular 9 to 5 work schedule.
“We put in our training hours from Monday to Friday and include Sundays as well when we have an upcoming tournament,” said Lintrup.
“Our day consists of four 50-minute games, after each we spend about 10 minutes discussing and improving on any errors. Then we spend about an hour and a half going over the theory.”
As the in-game leader of G2 Gozen, Lintrup’s role is comparable to the captain of a football team.
She said: “After practice, I usually stream or review, which means I watch our games again and note the mistakes. As a captain, I have to put in some extra work. I love it that way.”
A fellow competitor from Britain, Sarah ‘sarah’ Ahmed is just 18 years old and hails from Derby. She’s been playing professionally for half a year and credits her brother for her initial interest in gaming.
According to her, “When I was 16, I got my first PC which opened up the world of gaming for me, just like it did for my brother.”
Currently, she is touring the world for competitions, with her recent feat being in Turkey at the inaugural mixed-gender tournament. She shares how she discovered the thriving women’s gaming community on Valorant.
“Growing up, I didn’t have friends who were into gaming, so it was an individual pastime. It was difficult to make female friends.
“When I became aware of the vast community of women gamers out there, I was eager to become a part of it.”
Valorant soared in popularity during one of the lockdowns triggered by COVID, leading to an uptick in the number of video game players. Host Meg Gardner believes its popularity among women is due to its rich storytelling.
She explained: “Valorant is great when it comes to inclusivity. It features numerous female characters in roles that aren’t relegated to mere support, but positions of strength in the game. People prefer to play as these characters.”
The Red Bull Instalock tournament will be live-streamed on Twitch starting 12 pm UK time on Saturday and Sunday.