"You have to create this segmentation to then encourage diversity. I see no other way to do it than to take the opposite view," says "Poachimpa", semi-professional player of Rocket League, a video game that combines two archetypes of masculinity: football and cars.

"Kayane", specialist in fighting games, "Scarlett", Canadian player of Starcraft II, or even "Karma", champion of Rocket League... Facing men, only a handful of players have managed to forge a prize list in major competitions.

"We count them on the fingers of one or two hands," laments Servane Fischer, esports manager at "Women in Games".

According to this association, which works for more diversity in the video game industry, women represent only 6% of esports competitors.

Main barrier: ambient sexism and cyber-harassment, of which they are victims and which deters more than one.

"Hostile Environment"

"Insults, I still live with them every day. One in three games, I get insulted. It plays on morale and it doesn't make you want to play too much", testifies Servane Fischer.

To escape it, more and more players prefer to participate in competitions reserved for women.

"In esports, we can say without problem that men and women are equal since there is no need for any particular physical capacity", analyzes Clément Coupart, alias "Rasmelthor".

"But it's an extremely hostile environment for women. It's always been a very masculine environment and some people don't like the intrusion of women into their sanctuary."

Last season, he took charge of a team of girls on Rocket League within the Atlantide Wave structure.

They play in WCBC, a women's championship supported by Psyonix, the game's publisher.

The level is certainly lower than that of the RLCS, the classic circuit, but for him, "the interest of doing a competition like that is also representativeness".

Because esport comes up against a vicious circle: as few women are present at the top level, few women think they have their place there, and therefore there are very few at the top level...

"It will take time to create models who will then create other models for women", continues "Poachimpa".

"By forcing representation, we will normalize the fact that there are women who play."

For her teammate at Atlantide Wave "Amphirae", these parallel competitions are "necessary": "You have to go through women's competitions so that other women want to play", she believes.

"Visibility"

Other players in the sector are also taking part in this movement.

Recognizing that esports can be "difficult" for women, Riot Games has created a women's circuit on the Valorant shooter in order to offer an environment "in which everyone can compete in complete safety", explains the American publisher on its website.

Objective: "to create new opportunities and give more visibility to women and other marginalized genders".

But for all those who participate, the goal of these leagues is that they end up becoming useless.

"Women's tournaments when there is real sincerity in the approach, it's a good thing, but it must remain temporary," said Servane Fischer.

"The idea is to progress so that you can then play mixed", explains "Rasmelthor".

“Eventually, I think we will get there”, wants to believe “Amphirae”.

© 2022 AFP