By Nurin Najmina Zaidi
GOMBAK, 2 May 2021: Men are always represented in the gaming industry, yet, women can also be successful as gaming is not only limited to one gender.
A speaker, under the stage name Seraphelle, who is an entrepreneur and also a gaming content creator, told a live talk on empowering women on e-sport held by the GamesMY Esports.
Seraphelle first talked about her motivation to perform a live show where she used to play games when she was a child and sometimes she likes to share her achievement with other people.
Her friends used to join her live show and later on strangers started to join as well and donate to her. Eventually, her channel started to grow. Other than playing games for fun, gaming also helps her to get income.
“I really like the gaming industry. If things go well, I hope one day, I’m financially strong enough to contribute to the community. If someday, I become a good enough influencer, I will probably have a talk about the positivity of gaming and hold an event where we can train people who want to be involved in the gaming industry.”
Explaining the benefits of gaming, Seraphelle said other than gaining income, gaming can also shape people’s character. For instance, she said, to become a pro-player, people have to be patient as gaining the skills takes time. Plus, it can also boost our charisma and self-confidence.
She further mentioned that the gaming industry is more than just playing games. By creating interesting content, it allows people to have more careers in the gaming industry.
“You don’t have to be a pro-player or a performer in the gaming industry. You can always be the host that can hold a tournament, influencer, organiser, or even a graphic designer. The point is that there are so many vicinities in the gaming industry.”
On the challenges faced by a woman in the gaming industry, Seraphelle shared being a wife with three sons, it is a real challenge for her to divide her time.
She added, “As a streamer, I have to entertain the viewers. Which means that I have to follow their time. If I want to play games, usually I play it at night because that is when most people are free during that time.”
However, other times, her streaming schedule often clashes with another schedule that she already had planned with her family.
Not only that, she also cannot be herself or carefree all the time during the live show as she is a mother. Hence, she has to be a good role model to her children.
She also admitted that being a woman in the gaming industry is hard as there will always be toxic players who label women as weak or emotional.
In addition, society’s perception of women is that women have to do the house chores and not wasting time with gaming. Seraphelle was grateful that she had a good support system and her friends and family accepted it as well.
She also advised the new generation that even if they do not get support from their friends or family, people can try to find a community that supports them as long as they do not give up.
However, people’s negative mindsets towards e-sport still exist despite the fact that gaming can also be a good thing. Seraphelle provided the solutions to curb the problem.
“The haters will always be there no matter what. We can change other people’s mindsets. But if the toxicity or negativity towards gaming is too high, the least we can do is to ignore it,” she replied.
While the stigmatisation of women involved in the gaming industry still stands, Seraphelle explained that it is possible for women to be chosen as pro-players of the world regardless of their gender as long as they have the skills.
The talk on E-sport on Facebook live ended at around 2.00 pm on Saturday (1 May) and continued at 3.00 pm with a game tournament of Mobile Legends.***