Beyond would like to introduce its most recent partner – Contenders Legion
Making the moves to represent female and marginalised genders in gaming better, VCL/Contenders Legion aims to truly make gaming for everyone!
Now we all love games and gaming in general; however, there is no denying that it’s a heavily male-dominated industry in its casual and competitive aspects. This has left a sour taste in gamers’ mouths worldwide as the number of non-males who are gamers or working in the industry has skyrocketed in the past decade. Still, their level of representation doesn’t seem to have followed suit, the numbers have increased, but they’re still not where they should be.
The Online Experience.
People’s individual experiences online have improved in the past 9-10 years. However, there is no doubt that there is still an unacceptable amount of hate and harassment thrown at people daily. The most significant chunk of this harassment pie chart is aimed directly at females and those of marginalised genders.
If you’ve played a game with any kind of voice or text chat, there’s a very high chance that you have witnessed or even been on the receiving end of this needless harassment.
Gamers can be ruthless; if you do anything out of the ordinary, against the meta or just make a simple mistake, then you can probably expect some abuse being hurled your way real soon, and, if you’re a female, this abuse can often at times be far worse and in general, is aimed at your gender.
It’s 2022; this shouldn’t still be a thing.
The IRL Experience.
When it comes to working in the gaming industry, the percentage of male to female individuals who call it their job has started to even out; however, the weight is still on the male side.
We still see a disparity in senior roles in the gaming industry. Males hold more than 70% of senior roles; again, this has dropped, but that percentage needs to even out if everyone is to be represented correctly and in the way they deserve.
Enter stage right – Contenders Legion
Looking to make esports a more welcoming and inclusive space and offer opportunities and resources to F&MG players, VCL is genuinely out to balance the scales.
Backed by passion and years of expertise in the gaming industry, the Contenders Legion team is filled with innovative people whose focus is always on the next adventure and ensuring that the best experiences are delivered to all, regardless of gender, race, religion, colour or creed.
The first step VCL are taking to ensure these experiences are delivered is the Athena Series. The Athena Series is a tournament for women and marginalised genders within the EMEA region. These types of tournaments are massively important as they open eyes to F&MG players on a professional level and help to even out the gender ratio.
Currently, the professionals at the highest level are almost exclusively male. Getting F&MG players in the spotlight is so essential to deliver recognition in the competitive space and instil role models in the ever-growing younger generation audience.
As well as this, building this level of inclusivity will likely have a knock-on effect on the future of competitive and casual gaming. Boosting the confidence of those wanting to get into gaming and alleviating their niggling worries that if they make the slightest mistake, they could be met with a barrage of hate from teammates and opponents.
The importance of inclusivity
The mission VCL is on should be a focus for everyone. With the number of gamers growing with each passing day, feeling safe, welcome, and included is more important than ever. Games and their communities are more significant than they have ever been, and with that, so are the worries of those new to this world that are looking to get involved. In a perfect world, anyone could jump on their game of choice with complete confidence and zero fear.
We’re incredibly proud to be working with the Contenders Legion team. They share an outlook that we live by at Beyond. They are a team that works with an insurmountable passion and drive and will not stop until the gaming space is an open and accepting community for all. We can’t wait to see what they have planned!
To close it off
Video games are a lifestyle, an escape, an idea, and a passion. Above all this, video games are fun. Let’s work together to ensure that everyone can get in on it.
