ESports' inclusion as a medal event at the Hangzhou Asian Games was hailed as a landmark, but out of nearly 500 gamers for what is supposed to be a mixed-sex competition, just eight are women. Excited video-game fans thronged a shiny new arena in the Chinese city on Sunday as eSports made its debut at the Games as a medal event, seen as a major step toward Olympic status.
"Lots of competitions are pioneered by men, and then only after slowly expanding do they let women participate," Pan Yuxuan, a 25-year-old gaming enthusiast who was among the spectators, told AFP.The global video-game industry, along with the player community, has for years had a reputation of being a"boys' club".
Even when they make it to eSports' top ranks, women face assumptions of lower skill levels compared to male players, as in the case of star Overwatch player Kim"Geguri" Se-yeon. It's a mindset so pervasive that it is internalised by some women gamers despite lack of scientific evidence, with 18-year-old Zhu Lijing telling AFP that she thought"biologically men might be better than women in terms of their reflexes".
"When there are more and more women on stage, girls see that their eSports skills are actually quite good... and more and more will become athletes," Chen told AFP.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
India says China issued invalid visas to three Indian athletes for Asian GamesIndia on Friday strongly protested China's decision to issue invalid visas to some of its athletes for the Asian Games, India's foreign ministry said in a statement, a day before the competition begins in Hangzhou.
Read more »
'Fearless' Proteas confident of challenging for World Cup titleThe SA team have shown the ability to take games away from their opposition.
Read more »
Riveiro backs Pirates to bounce back against Stellies and reach MTN8 final'The difference between cup games and league games is clear ... there is nothing else after Sunday for one of the two teams,' said the Pirates head coach.
Read more »
Unity through sport: Springboks are more than just a team in 2023How SA's sporting landscape, from the Rugby World Cup to traditional games like morabaraba, fosters unity and shapes the nation's heritage.
Read more »
Arteta: Why I dropped Ramsdale for RayaArsenal manager Mikel Arteta has opened up on the decision to start David Raya ahead of Aaron Ramsdale in the past couple games.
Read more »
Cameroon goalie Andre Onana is ‘not perfect but good enough for Man United’Last season, Onana only conceded 36 goals in 41 games, keeping eight clean sheets in Inter Milan's 13-match Champions League run, which culminated in them losing 1-0 to Manchester City in the final.
Read more »