Discussing Representation, The*Gamehers community, the Coastline Esports Club's award nomination with The*Gamehers co-founder Rebecca Dixon!
You might have missed the exciting news for Coastline College! The school has been nominated by the*gamehers organization for being a rising star in the collegiate category. The*gamehers is an organization that is female led that specializes in supporting female gamers and its members of the LGBTQ+ community. Gamehers help female talent and organizations get their voices heard through its awards and support. We are thrilled and more than delighted to have been nominated for this award!
Girls and women in gaming has been a controversial topic for a long time - but the barriers are being broken down - as females can now have successful careers in gaming, esports, and streaming. According to the*gamehers, our school is being nominated for the following reason: “the collegiate organization who run a diverse, inclusive and caring community that uplifts the students within their group. This organization is comprised of more than 50% women and femme identifying folks and has shown tremendous growth within the last 12 months.” This is a big achievement for the Coastline College Esports program. The program was founded by our very own Katherine Amoukteh, Dana Emerson, and Stephanie Bridges. The esports club is headed by student and club president Shiela Do. She has been the club president for over the past year; leading the club in its activities. The school and the esports program are delighted to have been nominated for this award. The gameHERS vision lines up with the vision of the Esports club - to support all gamers, regardless of sex, age, or race!
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I wanted to take the opportunity with this nomination and to highlight this further for Coastline. I set up an interview with the co-founder of the*gamehers org to find out more about the organization, and how it impacts females in gaming! Here is the conversation that took place:
Rebecca, how did you get the idea to start the*gameHERS organization?
Rebecca: We wanted to create a safe space that honored, celebrated and amplified women in the gaming space. The colorful backgrounds of the four co-founders bring together various life experiences and skills, from toy inventing in gaming, community building, e-sports, race relations, and social justice. Through our ongoing work and conversations with so many women in the gaming space, we heard and saw the need for safe and celebratory spaces that honor and connect women, femme-identifying and non-binary gamers.
Why we created the*gameHERs
- 46% of gamers are women 2.7 BN gamers globally
- 74% of online multiplayer gamers have experienced SOME form of harassment
- 65% have experienced SEVERE harassment while playing games online, which includes physical threats, stalking and sustained harassment
- 53% reported being targeted based on their race, religion, ability, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or ethnicity
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For those of us who are unfamiliar with the*gameHERS what is your organization's ultimate goal?
Rebecca: The gameHERs is a media platform, social networking community and lifestyle brand for women who game and work in the gaming industry. Of the billions of gamers in the world, half are women. The majority of women experience harassment, hate and toxicity while gaming simply for being women. Because of this, many women gamers long for an easy way to find other women to meet and game with based on shared experiences. With our first of its kind women-led social networking and game matchmaking app, (launching Fall 2021), coupled with our community generated content, the*gameHERs amplifies women in the gaming space and enables them to easily and safely find other women to socialize and game with.
What do see for the future of women and girls involved with esports and gaming in general?
Rebecca: We hope to see much more representation of women in esports organizations within the next 10 years, and we plan to lead that charge. Right now, it is rare to see a woman on a professional esports team, but in 10 years, we believe women will take over the space. We’re hoping the The*gameHERs will be one reason why there is more representation of women in esports as well as less toxicity in gaming in the future. With the launch of our networking and matchmaking app and the continuation of The*GameHERs Awards annual event, we hope to to be a lasting presence of positivity and inclusivity for women for years to come.
For all the Coastline students who are working towards a professional career in esports, what advice would you give to them for breaking into the industry?
Network on twitter and LinkedIn; DM role models and ask them to help their organizations for even a few hours/week; join Esports groups on these social networks; get experience in any way possible; comment on social media posts from companies and people you would like to work with, and join the*gameHERs!
Do you have a favorite title that you play yourself?
Rebecca: Among Us with my two tween daughters!
In recent years most professional esports teams are male only with an occasional female player on the roster. Recently Complexity Gaming signed an all female Valorant Team, this is the first all female team for Complexity since 2003. What are your thoughts on this topic?
Rebecca: We support and are thrilled by any initiative that allows more women to get involved with esports/gaming in a positive way!
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At Coastline, we are thrilled to have been nominated for the award of "Rising Star- Collegiate Organization” What does your organization look for in nominees for this award?
Rebecca: The awards are completely community-nominated and voted, so while we did not have any input into the nominees, we are thrilled with the nomination of Coastline and all the colleges. We hope that this is just the beginning of a long celebration of Rising-Stars in the college space and a move towards positive opportunities for collegiate women in gaming.
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I see that the*gameHERS organization nominates females and LGBTQIA+ for various categories, can you tell our readers what some of those categories are and how can they vote for somebody they like?
Rebecca: We created the only awards show in gaming by women, for women called The GameHERs Awards. These awards recognize women in all aspects of gaming for their dedication to creating content, building communities, and empowering each other. There are 38 different awards and all categories can be found here. The nomination and regular voting period have ended, but the finalists will be announced soon and finalist-voting period begins on Oct 11th.
Where can Coastline students and faculty follow theGameHers social Media?
Rebecca: @thegamehers on all social (insta, fb, twitter, twitch, youtube)
When and where will the thegameHERs awards take place?
Rebecca: Nov 18, 7pm ET https://www.twitch.tv/thegamehers
How does the gameHERS organization support female college students who are interested in esports, streaming, content creation?
Rebecca: Our collegiate program includes a resource library, discord channel, events listings, code of conduct, chapter programs, mentorship and job opportunities, and upcoming live events!
This is a big nomination for the Coastline College Esports program and club! Girls, ladies, and members of the LGBTQ+ community have been a controversial topic within esports. As we can see the outlook is changing for the better and will continue to do so. Organizations like the*gamehers and Coastline College, are leveling the playing field with innovative, and progressive ways of thinking. The school is more than thrilled to have been nominated for this award!!! Dont forget, follow the Coastline esports club on our instagram and Twitter. We have ongoing events for all Coastline students to get involved! Stay tuned for more exciting events and news.
