Women in the professional gaming industry is thankfully on the rise. Slowly, but surely. As the popularity and coverage of esports becomes larger so do the dreams of gamers wanting to make a career out of it. But for some women it’s more difficult to break out into the industry, with sexism and discrimination in an environment that is known for typically being extremely welcoming to “outsiders”.
I got the opportunity to chat with Jaycie ‘Gillyweed’ Gluck, one of the most recognizable women in Heroes of the Storm, about how far the industry has come and what needs to be done for it to continue to excel.
Natus Vincere released a pretty controversial article about women in esports recently then they immediately took it down and issued an apology, what are you opinions about the piece?
It was weird. It seemed to be someone's opinion on the subject that they were throwing out as fact. It didn't present research to support the writer's points. It felt like something that was not fully thought through on a subject that is heated in gaming and needs to be thought through and researched. It really surprised me that something like that would come from a large gaming organization like Na'Vi.
All of it was pretty frustrating, but the most so for me was the part talking about how females in gaming are more emotional than male players. Regardless of if that's actually true (no evidence was presented to support that), there's no evidence that emotion has anything to do with performance in esports. There are so many examples of highly emotional male players and teams of male players in esports who are still successful.
Na'Vi's response after the outrage of the article was also disappointing. They tweeted they were sorry if they hurt anyone's feelings, which is such a non-apology. They also said they were going to avoid the topic in the future. It would be great if they would devote resources to provide a more informed stance on the topic for the community. But I can understand wanting to avoid the subject after messing up on it as they did.
So the fact that women are scarce in esports is obviously evident, that’s no secret. Why do you think that is?
Well first, I'm of the opinion that there isn't one thing that we fix and instantly we have equal representation of women and men in esports. Growing up, I was playing video games at a really early age because of my brothers. But in school, it was hard for me to find other girls who played them, and often felt discouraged from playing them in order to fit in.
I'm of the opinion that there isn't one thing that we fix and instantly we have equal representation of women and men in esports.
This has been a constant, even through and out of college I didn't have girl friends who played them, and I would tell my friends after work that I was going to hang out with my family when really I was going home because I had a WoW raid scheduled. This is obviously just my personal experience; I'm sure many girls my age didn't have the same issues, but generally I think it was more acceptable and social for boys to play games.
This is changing a lot. More women play mobile games than men do. They don't necessarily consider themselves gamers, but that's still changing their perception of gaming in general. Kids of both genders are gaming much earlier in their lives, so I think naturally we will see more women in esports. But I also think there are things we can do to make that go faster and be easier for the women who do want to get into it. Having female role models in the scene is big, because women can say, "if she's doing it, maybe I can do it, too." That's one reason I love Blizzard so much - they have a ton of female employees.
Also, having a support system is key. Streaming or being in the public eye when the public is overwhelmingly male is not always the easiest for women. Having others to commiserate with and supporters to "keep up the good fight" in Twitch chat and on social media helps a bunch. I have amazing friends and fans who keep supporting me in this way, and that is the primary reason why I've been able to continue casting through the last year.
So what else can be done to alleviate the balance? What do you think the community, gaming organizations, even average viewers could do?
Well, it's a really complex issue and not one solution. There was a whole panel at TwitchCon dedicated to it, featuring a lot of people who have way more experience in gaming than I have. But I do think its solution won't be immediate.
Personally, I'm hoping that someday I'll be able to see far more women working and playing in esports and know I helped to create some small part of that.
Personally, I'm hoping that someday, however many years from now, I'll be able to see far more women working and playing in esports and know I helped to create some small part of that.
The biggest thing I can say, at least for communities, is to speak up. Trolls are very vocal, and we need positive people to be just as vocal.
What influence do you hope to have on other females wanting to be in the industry?
In my time in esports, if I would be able to influence even one person who's considering getting into esports that way, that would be pretty amazing.
Also, I'm here as a potential support system. If you have questions or need my help in some way, I'll do my best to help. And that goes for anyone - not just women. I know how hard it is to get into eSports. If I can help with that, I will. I'm also a part of Misscliks, which supports women trying to get into the gaming and the esports scene more. If they want to learn more about it, they can definitely contact us.
Gillyweed is a Twitch partner, Heroes of the Storm caster, and co-host of Eye of the Storm and Table Flippin on Misscliks. She can be seen regularly casting pro-tournaments, conducting interviews at live events and making friends wherever she goes.
