On Wednesday 17th November, Roehampton Esports held their first Women in Esports Conference in sponsorship with Zowie, Women in Games, HyperX, Sweet Cabin & London Esports. This event was an important step towards highlighting the importance of Women in the Esports industry and tackling the hostile imbalance.
During my final year at Roehampton, I organised the first women in esports community night to provide an equitable opportunity for girls to access the arena and adapt to new equipment and environment. The community night had a positive outcome for an inclusive environment, but there was a comment by a male student “Why can’t I come in and play? That’s sexist!!”. This is an example of the negativity we aim to confront within the esports programme.
“Why can’t I come in and play? That’s sexist!!“
Therefore, I wanted to expand from community nights within the arena, to hold the Women in Esports Conference within Roehampton. I found it vital to create an opportunity on this scale for current scholars and students to gain further insights into the industry. Another key aim of the conference was to raise awareness on how esports impacts mental health and how we can tackle the stereotypes, toxicity and harassment that women in esports are frequently subjected to.
I also offered opportunities for current students studying degrees that correlate with esports sectors to take part in the event. This included hiring photography students to capture the event using what their courses had taught them and allow them to gain experience in a more professional capacity.
“It really was an amazing opportunity to be able to capture so many people who support and stand for women, not only in esports but also in general. It was great hearing everyone’s views and thoughts about it as it helped to teach others what tons of women go through within esports careers”
Photography Student, Dana Sanchez
Captured by Jonas Kontautas.
Panels & Guest Speakers
- WIGJ educational Partnerships & Scholarships
- Jonas Kontautas – Ex Roehampton Programme Coordinator – Head of Creative at Resolve
- Jack Fenton – Head of Esports at Warwick University
- Julia Cwierz – Paralegal at Morgan Sports Law – First Esports Scholarship Recipient
- Education into Esports & University Tournaments
- Becky Wright – NSE Social & Community Manager
- Elise Dennis – Semi-pro player for N20 – Falmouth Valorant captain
- Jack Fenton – Head of Esports at Warwick University
- Kat Emery – Vice President of Warwick Esports
- Amy Coates – NUEL Women’s and Non-Binary Valorant Product Manager
- Careers in the esports industry
- Harrison Barber Scargill – Valorant Observer – Ex GUILD Community Manager
- Harry “DocDa” Evans – League of Legends & Valorant Caster
- Nathan Edmonds – Social Media Manager (Ex EXCEL) – Founder of Sweet Cabin UK
- Alex Porter – GamerSensei Valorant Coach
- Evie Gaffney – Graphic Designer for EXCEL
- Confronting Toxicity and Harassment
- Chantel Parsons – Women in Esports Scholar
- Vivian Huang – Partnerships Coordinator at London Esports – Vice President of UCL Gaming Society
- Christel Karim – Twitch Streamer
“The women in esports conference was very insightful. As a women in esports scholar, I could relate and sympathise with a lot of what was said. It’s very important to have more events like this as more and more people can become educated and hopefully the gap between men and women in esports can slowly get smaller.”
Women in Esports Scholar, Lily ‘ContinuedX’ Jahan
For my first event on such a large scale, I am proud of the outcome of the Women in Esports Conference. From the initial proposal to sponsorships to liaising with guests, I was given the chance to organise an event I felt was a necessity and to watch it happen on the day was such a big achievement. There is definitely room for improvements, ranging from scheduling to initial communications, but for the first in-person esports event post-COVID for Roehampton Esports, it was a great milestone. A possible annual event and potentially on a larger scale? It would definitely be great to see.
Click the button to head to the Flickr album with photos provided by Jonas Kontautas:
What is the Women in Esports scholarship?
The Women in Esports scholarship was introduced to Roehampton University in September 2020, awarding £1,500 a year. The scholarship, first of its kind in Europe, aims to improve diversity and inclusivity in the esports industry and provide an array of opportunities including a mentorship scheme, allowing students to connect with senior industry figures. Scholars also receive access:
- Roehampton Esports Arena – a dedicated space equipped with Zowie peripherals (including 240hz monitors)
- Content Creation facility – available for aspiring casters, streamers and production teams
- A Casual play room – equipped with HyperX peripherals including Cloud Alpha headsets and Alloy Elite 2 keyboards
That is a brief overview of what the scholarship is but for me the scholarship was a key to kicking off my esports career and gave me a platform to explore content creation, via Twitch, and social & event management. Without the scholarship, I would not have received the opportunities I have had and I want to ensure current and future Women in Esports scholars are able to grasp the same opportunities via connecting them with industry individuals and events.
Cavade 