How high
can women go in esports?
“Mom I want to play video games for a living?” would have most parents laugh nervously before attempting to steer their teenage daughter into the general direction of textbooks, university options and a B-something degree. In recent years, however, this dream has become more of a reality with International esports superstars like Sasha Scarlet Hostyn and Katherine Mystik Gunn raking in $312 845 and $122 000 in winnings per tournament respectively. The richest game is Dota 2 (Defense of the Ancients 2), which has awarded $169.7 million in prize money to date.
As a traditionally male-dominated industry, women are now contending their positions on the local and International esports leaderboards going head to head with their male counterparts.
“Starting as a female player in a male-dominated and fiercely competitive environment has its evident challenges, but I believe that as with any industry you prove your worth based on your work ethic, abilities and skill set,” says Julia Robson. She started the first sponsored all-female CS:GO (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive) team in South Africa in 2017.
Julia
allocates on average eight hours per day to gaming, sharpening her skills in
Apex Legends and CS:GO on a Predator computer. She says having the correct
hardware is as important to any gamer with the assurance that a device can
handle gaming and maintain performance under prolonged hours of streaming.
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