The atmosphere is electric. The drone of the keyboards, constant, only pierced by the shouts of joy from the victors. At the Poitiers Gamers Assembly, dozens of teams compete for victory in the flagship tournament of the weekend, in the game League of Legends.
But among them, there is a group different from the others: the French bees. You only have to take a quick glance at the teams in the hangar to realize: it is one of the rare all-female teams to participate in the mixed competitions of League of Legends in France.
“Viki”, “Lilith”, “Aly”, “Chubby Daddy” and “Kasane” are also one of the first women’s teams to be supervised by one of the largest structures in French esports, Vitality. And through their performance, they hope to be one of the engines to change the situation of esports in France.
A massive imbalance
The objective of this team: “to create a healthy environment”, explains its captain Viki. The practice of video games has been widely democratized over the years. Half of all casual gamers are now female gamers, according to figures from the Syndicate of Leisure Software Publishers.
But esports, or competitive gaming, is still a predominantly male practice. Women only make up 6% of professional gamers, all games combined, according to the Women in Games association.
“The audience that Riot Games was initially targeting [l’éditeur de League of Legends] was essentially masculine, stemming from older games of the same genre such as Point a EITHER warcraft“, explains Lilith, another member of the French bees. “Therefore, the competitions were also essentially masculine, and women had a difficult time taking advantage of it.”
An imbalance that is also explained by the toxic behaviors that women can be victims of in online games, on platforms like Twitch or on the internet in general.
Most of the larger teams in LOL therefore, they are composed exclusively of men. In South Korea, a leading e-sports country, the first woman to join a top division team in LOL joined her in… December 2022.
Create a safe environment for players.
To break the vicious cycle and encourage players to try their luck, Riot Games is starting to take matters into their own hands. The publisher will organize an all-female competition in French in the fall of 2023, the “Coupe des Étoiles”. A recipe tested and approved in another game from the publisher, valorant.
And French esports giants are also investing, like Vitality, supporting teams like the French Bees. “Playing for Vitality is a great source of pride, it’s like we’re representing PSG!” exclaims Viki. “So that also puts a lot of pressure on.”
But behind the creation of this women’s circuit, the objective of integrating the mixed circuit to compete with the best, regardless of gender, remains. “Currently there are not really women who can play at the same level as the best male players, but it is precisely because of the barriers that prevented them from starting,” Viki describes.
“Things are improving”
The movement is still in its infancy. French bees were created only a month and a half ago. After 3 days of competition, the team lost in the final of the amateur tree, the 3rd level of the competition.
But the result is not necessarily the most important thing. The main objective of these first weeks: to give the best of course, but above all “to get to know each other, play together and accumulate as much experience as possible”, explains Lilith. The team plans one competition a month until the Copa Estrella.
“You really have to see this as a long-term initiative,” explains his coach “Sac Nicholson.”
And there has already been progress in recent years. “A few years ago, for example, we saw very few women in LAN [les tournois comme la Gamers Assembly]”, says Viki. “Things are improving, people are more and more open-minded.
“There are women’s tournaments, associations that support us like Women in Games…”, lists Lilith. “And it should keep getting better. Anyway, I hope so, and I’ll be there for it!”
Source: BFM TV
