Esports industry looking to create ‘safe spaces’ for female gamers

RIYADH: The gaming and esports industry is considered one of the fastest-growing entertainment sectors globally, and especially in the Middle East.

With this increased popularity and participation and new initiatives designed to develop and enhance the industry, there is a growing awareness of the need to address some of the underlying historical issues with the sector, including inclusivity, sexism and sexual harassment.

During the inaugural Next World Forum in Riyadh last week, industry leaders and creators emphasized in particular the importance of creating safe and inclusive spaces for women.

Haya Al-Qadi, marketing manager with esports and gaming organization Galaxy Racer, told how her journey in competitive gaming began about 15 years ago playing Call of Duty with an otherwise all-male group of gamers. A lot has changed since then, she explained.

“Today it’s different because people don’t realize that there are more female mobile gamers than men and there’s a 50-50 split between console and PC gamers,” she said during a panel discussion.

“There’s no excuse that there aren’t enough tournaments for women, especially when it’s a mental game.”

Female gamers have often been forced to hide or “anonymize” their identity and conceal their gender because of the threat of online abuse and other dangers they might face in a male-dominated online-gaming field, she added.

“Here in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region, and even in North America, it’s still quite a taboo,” Al-Qadi told Arab News. “We’ve hosted a lot of discussions on how to embrace women in gaming, provide female-only tournaments, so that we can help them grow and accelerate.”

Carlos “Ocelote” Rodriguez, the founding CEO of G2 Esports, said: