“Women are struggling to be taken seriously in e-sports.

A reputable organization turns its male players into women and presents them as its 'CSGO women's team', gives them female names, hair and make-up ... Then they turn women in e-sports into a punchline. "

This is how the e-sports profile and commentator Frankie Ward responded to the e-sports giant Ninjas in Pajamas, NiPs, post that was posted on December 10 on the male Counter-Strike team's Twitter account.

A private person had made the pictures that NiP chose to share.

Arouses criticism

The post was widely circulated over the weekend and many critical voices were raised.

- Many people think that it's about girls not being able to take a joke.

It is actually part of a structure that many young girls get very upset about, says Lillie Klefelt, vice president of the non-profit association Female Legends, which works to make women and non-binaries feel welcome in e-sports.

- It would have been a different thing if at the same time they had fought hard to get more women into e-sports.

But not to work towards the problem but just get on with it - then it will be a problem.

Apologize

When SVT contacts NiP on Monday, they respond via email:

"Sometimes it goes too fast.

The tweet in question was an attempt to follow a reddit trend that spread quickly.

We understand that it is highly inappropriate in an already male-dominated e-sports climate and we apologize for it.

We are constantly trying to work for a more equal e-sports climate, and this was a step in the wrong direction, ”writes communications manager Anton Fagerhem.

"Counter-strike has always had problems"

Women who have practiced Counter-strike have always been extra vulnerable, according to Lillie Klefelt.

- Counter-strike has always had problems.

It is one of the worse games, from what we have heard from the girls within our organization, she says.

Why is it like that?

- Partly because it has been around for so long.

It's like ingrained already.

On the one hand, our experience within Female Legends is that more masculine coded games, harder topics, attract a harder jargon.

What do you want to see from the e-sports organizations?

- The first thing you have to do is create an organization where girls feel welcome.

Girls do not think they belong in the playing arena, most stop playing at the age of 12.

We need academy teams, bootcamps, LAN or whatever - opportunities to invite so that girls feel that they can actually join.