There are no female esports players in the world’s top 300 earners, and only a small fraction of the millions being won in competitions around the world is going to women, according to a 2021 BBC article. This is just one of the examples showing that esports is still a male dominated industry. A group of University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa students, however, is hoping to change that.
Women of UH Esports (Women of UHE) was founded as an organization within the award-winning UH Mānoa esports program by UH Esports Player Support Coordinator Madeline Gilbert in 2022. Gilbert said the main goal of Women of UHE is to support women and all marginalized genders in esports, making sure that they have equal opportunities to play and potentially earn a future career in the gaming industry. In 2022, global esports market revenue was valued at more than $1.38 billion and is forecast to grow to as much as $1.87 billion in 2025.
“It’s always felt like a good environment to be in and I think that carries out with our players as well,” Gilbert said. “They’ve always been super happy to support our Women of UHE program, especially our other Valorant teams that are in our UH Esports program. …It’s been a really nice environment to create this program in.”
Women of UHE picked up momentum in fall 2023, gaining dozens of members and establishing Women of UHE Valorant teams as part of the UH Esports program. Thanks in large part to Women of UHE, the UH Esports program features one of the larger cohorts of women in collegiate esports in the nation. Gilbert said that they have also established connections with other marginalized gender groups in Hawaiʻi and across the world.
“Women of UHE has really changed the tenor of our program,” said UH Esports Program Director Nyle Sky Kauweloa. “Having women at the forefront of their own initiative has been incredibly inviting for other marginalized genders to come into our space itself. I think that’s really important because this is a space for the entire student body of UH. We want folks that identify inclusively to come into UH Esports and to understand that not only do they have a place to hang out, game and socialize, but they have a location to create.”
‘A wonderful team experience’
Paris Walker Nissen, a sophomore sociology major, and Camille Castro, a sophomore pre-nursing major, are both part of Women of UHE.
“All the girls are really, really lovely,” said Walker Nissen. “It has been a wonderful team experience, a wonderful coaching experience. I could not have been more happy with the way that it’s gone. I think it’s a really well built program.”
Castro said that the best part has been the matches and scrimmages between players.
“It’s pretty friendly. We get to try out a lot of things. It’s very playful, but it can get a little competitive and that’s the best part of it,” Castro said.
Women of UHE’s future
Members of Women of UHE hope to see the program continue to grow and become more competitive, possibly even joining a program called “Game Changers,” a Valorant gaming league that creates new opportunities and exposure for women and other marginalized genders.
“If you join, there is a community here for you,” Gilbert said. “There are a lot of really friendly people. We keep a kind environment going around and so you’ll make friends, you’ll find people that you like.”
For more about Women of UHE, visit the organization’s Discord page.
UH Esports receives funding from the Academy for Creative Media System. Visit the UH Esports team’s X and Discord pages. More stories on UH’s esports program.
—By Marc Arakaki
