[2021] VCT Game Changers Announcement

Originally posted by Bacon8or777

I'm not trying to be offensive or ignorant, I am legitimately curious. Why do women need their own league in an esport?

In real sports it makes total sense for men's and women's league due to the physical differences and athletic ability. But in an esport that isn't a factor. So what's the reasoning behind this?

Is it purely because woman face so much hate and injustice, even in the professional level? If that's the case, is our community really that shallow?

Edit: cool, thanks everyone for the insight. It seems like this new league will so nothing but good things for the pro scene for everyone.

Originally posted by razortwinky

Just a question - are there any initiatives to deal with sexism in-game? I came across this post yesterday and even despite all the support the OP received from this subreddit, she still stated she was going to quit the game due to harrassment.

It just made me sad to see someone unable to enjoy a game because of their gender. Speaking from experience, women at the top level have an easier time combating harrassment than newcomers, so while a new league is great for the scene overall, there is still the underlying issue at hand. Women new to the game are being driven away by the toxicity of other male players. Would love to see a zero-tolerance approach to this, honestly. I have a female friend who has been recording all of the harrassment she receives in-game to create a compilation of what it's like to be a woman in this environment. It's depressing that these clips even exist, but I hope it can open the community's eyes to how toxicity is just decimating the female player population.

Originally posted by breadandbutterlol

I think the reason is: at the same skill level, it's more difficult for someone to succeed competitively as a female player.

When a female player starts playing the game, every day they receive more harassment than other players exclusively because of their voice, even at radiant level.

When a female player thinks about competing seriously, they're less likely to make that decision: There's less representation for serious females competitors (before C9 White in Valorant).

There's more risk looking for teams: What if I'm harassed? Can I feel safe in a team environment, when it's very likely that I'm playing with four boys? Do I need to live in team house physically? Will I feel welcomed? Will the team/org not pick me up because they don't want to deal with these issues? Will my skills be not acknowledged because I'm a female talent?

Of course, the female players with skills will shine no matter what. But every story of success comes from long time of practice and looking for opportunities, and there are so many more reasons to give up. The ones we see in main scene today pulled through from disproportional difficulties than their male peers. The male players rarely have to think about these things. But these little moments, compounded together, make up an experience that marginalize female players, and encourage fewer of them to stay in the scene.

If we recognize the disproportional difficulty for female players to compete, it becomes obvious that co-ed teams won't happen overnight. Fair competition is not a reality right now. Then spotlighting on marginalized groups and offering them opportunities to enter the main scene is a temporary but great solution, until a point when we can call it a fair competition.