International Women's Day Blog
The impact gaming has had on our generation is unquestionable. While there are so many positives with gaming and esports, there can also be a bias, stereotype and discrimination on what a typical ‘gamer’ should be. But our stance is clear: gaming of any variety is for everyone!
This International Women’s Day, we are celebrating some of Horizon’s female creators’ incredible career achievements and the impact they’ve had in the gaming space and beyond. By smashing ceilings within the industry, they’re helping to raise awareness against bias and taking action for equality.
Collectively we can all #BreakTheBias.
We sat down with a few of our Horizon Union creators who continue to inspire the next generation and better our industry. Hear what they had to say in our Q&A:
Sharese has been with Horizon for 3 months, and recently took part in Twitch's #WomensHistoryMonth campaign. We couldn't be more proud of her.
As someone who continues to empower other women, we sat down with her to chat about our industry.
Q: What is one thing you know now that you wish you knew earlier about the gaming and esports industry?
That gaming is for everyone & anyone. What you play doesn’t define who you are! Enjoying a game comes from your own desires and imagination.
Q: What inspired you to pursue a career in gaming and esports? What were the challenges you faced as a woman in a male-dominated industry?
There has always been a stigma against women not being good enough to play games or be able to “take a joke” in lobbies. Over the years this has gotten better but still isn’t where it should be.
I pursued a career in the gaming industry because I wanted to lead by example on showing people women can play the EXACT same games, compete & kick ass just as well as men can.
Q: What is some of the advice you share with younger women who are pursuing a career in content creation, gaming?
Get out there and make your mark! There is still so much work to be done to boost this industry and there is room for everyone to sit at the table. Gaming creation is one of the most rewarding and challenging careers you can come across, but my god it’s worth it.
Q: Are there any female creators / leaders who inspired you growing up?
I never had anyone to look up to who looked like me; being a black female, I struggled in numerous areas trying to fit in. I had white males in front of me. No women, no black people. That's where I stepped up. I’m here to be an example to little boys and girls who look like me to prove ANYONE can do this.
You will probably recognise Nushi from her streams of Apex Legends, but fun fact: she also studied psychology and only started streaming during the pandemic! So as someone who is new to the space, we sat with her to get her take on the industry.
Q. What inspired you to pursue a career in gaming and esports?
I enjoy talking and listening to people. Make them feel special. When Covid started I had a lot of time on my hands. I enjoyed gaming and people were telling me that I might like to stream because they thought I’d be a good streamer. I’ve studied psychology, so I think that streaming a game is a perfect combination of being with people while enjoying a game.
Q. What were the challenges you faced as a woman in a male-dominated industry?
DMs, DMs, DMs. It’s tough because you don’t want to be arrogant and not respond to someone's DM, but also whenever you respond to it, it feels like you’re opening a door to a never-ending conversation. Overall I have been lucky with the community I have. They are really respectful towards me and I barely have any trolls. What I did learn along the way is that you have to be clear to people (men in my situation) that get close to you. Tell them what your intentions are, even though it might be an awkward situation. I had a really bad stalker a year ago which could have been prevented if the wider gaming community was better at understanding boundaries and respecting women.
Q.What is some of the advice you share with younger women who are pursuing a career in content creation, gaming?
Start networking. Stay true to yourself. Stay away from drama. You don’t have to respond to every DM.
Q. Are there any female creators / leaders who inspired you growing up?
Not really someone in particular. I watched people on stream and was certain I could do it too!
Next up in our International Women's Day celebration is the incredible Keera who is a popular content creator who you will often find streaming a variety of games or just chatting with her community on Twitch.
Q. What inspired you to pursue a career in gaming and esports?
I wish I had known sooner about the opportunities that the gaming/esports industry has to offer. Growing up pursuing a career in gaming wasn't something I ever heard of. Even to this day it's still not talked about a lot within society. Now that I've learned so much it's important for me to spread that knowledge and help represent the industry!
Q. What were the challenges you faced as a woman in a male-dominated industry?
I've always had a passion for gaming since I was a little girl but once I discovered Twitch I was completely inspired by watching other talented creators! Just the idea of being able to create a community where others can fit in and be themselves excited me the most! Being a woman in a male dominated industry is difficult because there is still little representation, sexism, and false stereotypes. It can be very challenging to deal with especially when you're treated unequally.
Q. What is some of the advice you share with younger women who are pursuing a career in content creation, gaming?
My advice to younger women pursuing a career in content creation is to never let anyone steal your light! You can do anything you put your mind and heart into. Dreams come true when desire is put into action, so it's important to give it your all and do what makes you happy!
Q. Are there any female creators / leaders who inspired you growing up?
It wasn't until a couple years ago that I discovered such influential female content creators such as Pokimane, Valkyrae, Alexiaraye, Kittyplays but the biggest influencer of them all being my very own mother. Being a gamer herself she has supported me since the very beginning and has inspired me in so many ways.
Our final creator Tempy spends her time as a master of SMITE, and we believe her journey sends a powerful message to other women within gaming and content creation.
Q. What is one thing you know now that you wish you knew earlier about the gaming and esports industry?
I wish I had accepted earlier on that no matter how hard you try as a creator, not everyone is going to like you, especially when you are a woman in such a male-dominated space as the gaming community. As people, and especially as women, we are encouraged to seek the validation and approval of others, and it's easy to tie your self-image to that approval. But by focusing on being the best version of yourself that you can be, and building a loving support network of fellow streamers and members of the Twitch community, you can equip yourself to handle the more difficult sides of the streaming experience.
Q. What inspired you to pursue a career in gaming and esports? What were the challenges you faced as a woman in a male-dominated industry?
I was inspired by my love of gaming and my desire to foster a community that shared my values. At the time that I started streaming, the gaming community was still dealing with the aftereffects of Gamergate, and I saw how badly people like me needed protected spaces within the gaming community.
It was especially difficult at the beginning when these big conversations around women's experiences were only just gaining speed, and early on, I didn't always have the confidence to stand up for myself. It can be hard to deal with the sexism and harassment that come with being a woman on Twitch, but luckily we as streamers get to determine the standards to which we hold our communities, and that makes everything easier.
Q. What is some of the advice you share with younger women who are pursuing a career in content creation, gaming?
I think it's most important to build up your sense of self-worth and value. When you have a low image of yourself, it's so easy for this career path to tear you down even further. It's not quite the same as building a "thick skin" – it's ok to feel hurt by hurtful things – but you need a stable image of who you are and what you are worth in order to succeed despite the best efforts of stinky gamer jerks who don't want you in the community at all.
Q. Are there any female creators / leaders who inspired you growing up?
Early in my career as a streamer, I was so inspired by people like Anita Sarkeesian and Zoe Quinn who were bold enough to start the conversation about the ways in which games and gaming culture can be alienating to women. If it weren't for their bravery, I do not know that I would have had the strength to start streaming, with the state of the community back then. The women who have spoken out against misogyny and harassment in gaming have so shaped the community for the last 10 years, that it is almost unrecognisable, in the best way.
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We can’t thank these incredible women enough for sharing their inspirational stories with us. Horizon will continue to create an environment where the world is free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination, and champion a diverse and inclusive world within gaming and esports.
We will continue to celebrate women’s achievements in the industry and together forge equality for women in gaming.