Educational Initiatives: Encouraging Girls and Young Women in Esports

In the gaming world, there’s always been a gender gap. However, that gap is closing quickly. In 2023, around 43% of gamers in the United States were female. Across the world, women and girls make up a sizable slice of the gaming community. In fact, there are approximately 1.39 billion of them. It’s understandable then that you’d expect to see more women being represented in esports. However, beyond a few rare expectations, professional gaming remains a male-dominated space. Fortunately, there are plenty of exciting initiatives underway to introduce more girls to gaming and female talent to the rosters of world-class esports teams.

So why are women so poorly represented? The problem isn’t even consigned to esports, with a major gender disparity when it comes to behind-the-scenes roles. A 2021 survey of game developers found that only 30% identified as female. While that’s an increase on the 17% who responded in 2017, it’s only a small step in the right direction.

One possible explanation as to why women haven’t got a crack at the whip yet is outdated gender stereotypes are being brought into play. For the same reason that male kindergarteners refuse to let girls join in their soccer games, so too do male gamers put up walls to restrict access to female players. Without getting the chance to cut their teeth playing cooperative games and very few female role models to speak of, girl gamers have a tall mountain to climb and nothing to grab onto.

One of the easiest ways to entice girls toward careers in video games and esports is to inspire them during their school years. Since the National Federation of State High School Associations accepted competitive video gaming as a sport, more than 8,600 American schools have created their own teams. While these adolescent rosters are fairly male dominated, they present an early opportunity for girls looking to get in on the action.

Many curriculums are also using video games and esports as a way to incentivize progressing with STEM subjects at higher education. This and other initiatives seem to be working, with the number of females working in STEM rising to 27% in recent years.

The National Association of College eSports (NACE) is the largest association focused on collegiate esports in the USA. With 170 member schools and counting, it’s helped 5,000 student-athletes get a head start in the industry. Several campuses even have their own training complexes, including the University of Berkley’s Cal Esports Community Center.

The number of colleges offering esports programs is growing, with Maryville University being one of the most prestigious. It earned the Esports Colleague Program of the Year award in 2021, while its League of Legends team are four-time National Champions.

For skilled youngsters keen to turn a love of gaming into a career, these collegiate programs are the stepping stone they need. There are even inclusive initiatives to help women into the industry, with the US-based gaming network thegameHERs unveiling a women-only collegiate league in 2021.

You’ll find female gamers active across all major esports titles, but Rocket League seems to be particularly popular with women and girls. In an esports context, Rocket League has also inspired some of the most successful female team rosters of all time. In 2023, G2 Luna and Resolve WCB were given the chance to showcase their skills on the world stage with an invite to Olympic Esports Week.

While they’d only play an exhibition show match, it was a long overdue showcase of the mettle that female gamers can bring to the table. More importantly, it provided the next generation of female gamers with the role models that are key to encouraging girls into esports careers. Want to check in Resolve or G2 Luna: Find all the latest team updates at www.1337pro.com/en/rocket-league.