It's been close to 9 years since I formed my very first female team to compete in Dota tournaments, but the general view when it comes to female players have not improved much since; there often exists this atmosphere of contempt or skepticism, as well as a tendency for body-shaming and gender-based insults.
But in comparison, more and more girls nowadays know how to protect or stand up for themselves better, often choosing to voice out in the face of unjust treatment, and by doing that they send a loud and clear message to discourage the perpetrators, instead of staying silent in fear of offending people (what we were often taught to do), and as a result normalizing problematic behaviors such as sexual harassment or cyberbullying.
The numerous sexual harassment cases that've surfaced over the years in the esports scene were only the tip of the iceberg; each of the survivors displayed admirable courage in voicing out against bad actors in the scene, in spite of the power or influence the perpetrators might have, to share their harrowing stories with the rest of us. And with that they created opportunities for us to empathize and share in their experiences, which in turn allows the views and thinking of the community to evolve as a collective whole.
Every single voice matters. As time passes and people get more empathetic and vocal when it comes to such issues, slowly but surely, the scene will improve.
Hope to see the day where esports can finally be a safe space for women. ❤️
(Photo: Training session with my female team in Singapore, 2013)
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