Women making a career in Esports

Sylvia Gathoni is a well-known figure in the gaming community. Known as Queen Arrow in gaming circles, Gathoni is a player for Nibble Africa, a Red Bull Player and a brand ambassador for the Philips Evnia gaming monitor.

Gathoni plays Tekken professionally and took part in this year’s EVO in Las Vegas USA.

“EVO is basically the Olympics of fighting games. I got to play Tekken and gauge my progress among some of the best Tekken players in the world. It showed me that I am on the right track in regards to my progress in becoming one of the best Tekken players in the world,” she says.

Gathoni is just one among many women playing Esports competitively, and the numbers are growing.

The global gaming industry is worth more than the music and movie industry combined. Gaming is estimated to be worth $347 billion, with film at $90 billion and music $31.2.

But being a pro gamer is not easy.

“Being a pro is all about, to quote Terry Silver from Cobra Kai: Desire, discipline and devotion. You need to put in the time to perfect and get better at your craft. This will entail getting a coach as we all need help getting to where we want and need to be,” she says.

While gaming involves a lot of sitting and staring at a screen, Queen Arrow advocates for taking care of your physical and mental health.

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“You need to keep fit physically and mentally and treat your body as a temple. That means going to the gym and working out as well as reading widely. One also needs to set downtime to rest and unwind to avoid burnout,” she says.

SHIRLEY NDIRANGU (TINTO)

22-year-old Shirley Ndirangu has been professionally and competitively gaming for about one year and cannot believe the opportunities gaming has given her. Going by the moniker Tinto, her game of choice is FIFA and eFootball. She plays for E-Hub gamers.

“I make money from tournaments. I won second place in the world at the Afro-Arab Esports League 2023,” she says.

Her most memorable gaming moment was before she started professionally. “My manager Solomon Kahiga had a gaming hub. He heard about the girl who plays against men and won. We started playing together and when he saw how good I was, he told me of an ongoing women’s tournament. I tried it out, won and took home the prize money. I won my first tournament,” she recalls.

On why eFootball and FIFA is not popular with women, Shirley believes it is because it has always been perceived as a male game. She also says from her experience at gaming hubs, many men are not welcoming.

FIFA and eFootball is for everyone because here I am and I am good at it,” she says.

“My parents at first were not okay with it. They did not understand and wanted me to stop. When they realised I was making money from it, they started giving me a bit more freedom.”

Shirley trains every weekday from Tuesday to Friday with the help of her manager Solomon Kahiga Sokka.

“To enable our youth to learn and go for this career, there should be more tournaments for both men and women and get rid of the registration fees. So many people would show up. A lot of young people want to participate, but the registration fee makes most opt out,” she says.

NAOMI (ADIIWHITE)

Naomi, also known as AdiiWhite, is a Twich Streamer, cosplayer and content creator for Movie Jabber. She got into gaming after her brother introduced her.

Naomi’s all-time favourite game is ‘Apex Legends’. She also enjoys first-person shooter games and action-adventure games like the ‘Last of Us’.

Streamers broadcast themselves playing video games in real time and her most memorable gaming moment was streaming for seven hours.

“I streamed and completed Titanfall 2 on Twitch for seven hours straight. I went to sleep that day at 6 a.m.,” she recalls.

Naomi finds the female gaming community in Kenya very supportive.

“Everyone is ready to support one another to help each other grow. If any opportunities for tournaments or events come around, we are ready to cheer each other on,” she says.

Gaming brings her fulfilment and gives her opportunities and friendships she cherishes.

She is working hard to be like Queen Arrow. “She worked hard to get to where she is and has given us hope that it’s not something impossible.”

She says there are many platforms to start with.

“The easiest is your phone there are some nice mobile games, like ‘Call of Duty Mobile’, ‘PUBG Mobile’ and even ‘Apex Legends Mobile’, and if you have a little bit of money then you can get yourself a console. The goal is to start,” she says.

 MARIA KIURU (MARIA KING)

Mary Kiuru, also known as Maria King, is part of the Kenya Dota Women’s Team, captain of the Kenya Valorant Women’s Team and representative of the FIFA/EA Sports FC women's gaming community.

“I remember when I won the Zetech eFootball tournament was gifted a cash prize and two trophies. That was the first tournament I attended and it gave me a lot of hope and motivation to push myself to achieve more and build a name for myself. I have also had the great opportunities to travel outside the country and represent the country in Turkey and Saudi Arabia,” she says.

She says the female gaming community is not big.

“Sometimes that is frustrating for organisers because they need good numbers to make tournaments work,”

Some challenges Maria has faced include a lack of funds and a lack of good representation.

“We are hoping for good community representation and better communication and integration from leaders. The community should also come together to create a better environment and scene for all of us,” she says.

 MAGDALENE MUMBI (BAMBINA)

Magdalene Mumbi, alias Bambina, was in the banking industry before making a switch to Esports.

She is this year’s team manager for the Global Esports Games taking place in Saudi Arabia. She will be managing four categories; eFootball, Dota 2, PubG Mobile and Street Fighter 6.

“The federation chose me for inclusivity and to empower women in Esports,” she says.

Mumbi remembers running to the gaming hub after her lectures to play FIFA.

“International gaming communities are seeing the potential and talent and you find some of our talented gamers being approached by international countries to represent them,” she says.

She decries a lack of cohesion among the gaming community.

“Hopefully by the end of the year, we’ll have curriculums to teach referees how to referee, coaches how to coach, athletes how to behave and conduct themselves. I’m hoping in the next one year we will have the stipulated rules and regulations to the industry,” she says.

Mumbi encourages those interested in gaming to go for it. 

“You can be an athlete, a shoutcaster, a referee, a streamer, you can money from YouTube or you can be a policy maker,” she says.