- Women can't play with men. (mellow music)
Men don't wanna play with women.
People always assume we're bad at games, which is so goofy,
like in the U.S., 45% of gamers are women.
(computer beeping) (upbeat music)
Hi, I'm Nicole Lapointe Jameson,
CEO of eSports organization, Evil Geniuses.
And I'm here to answer your questions
about eSports and being a woman in the gaming industry.
And let's dive into it!
(computer beeping)
To be a woman in eSports can be tough.
Gaming meets the anonymity of the internet
and creates a space where there is toxicity,
there is misogyny.
Gaming culture as a whole has a lot of stereotypes,
proved to be false, but the fact that
that's still a cultural norm creates systemic issues.
(computer beeping)
I consider myself really privileged because I'm
in a position of relative power, but I take that seriously
because I know I have the opportunity
to change the cultural norms of this space,
not just who we hire and how we show up
but also how we train and create a positive network effect
of who we partner with, who can sponsor us,
what tournaments and leagues we participate in,
I take the responsibility seriously, because
if no one takes the charge, as the gaming industry has seen
for many years, it doesn't happen organically.
(computer beeping) (upbeat music)
So Evil Geniuses, we've leaned
into the cheekiness of our brand name.
We like being bold, we like being sassy
and we like standing up for inclusivity
and bringing the best of the best talent,
no matter where they come from or who they are to the fold.
So we've had a lot of firsts.
First mixed gender roster
in a first-person shooter,
first and ultimate fighting game champion,
who is a non-binary free individual,
some of the first transgender streamers,
we have the probably the widest breadth
of represented races, religions,
and LGBTQ representation of many eSports organizations.
We are the inclusive kickass org.
(computer beeping) (upbeat music)
So despite being in a privileged position of a woman
in the eSports space, the internet is still the internet.
I get everything from the, "You should smile more" in photos
to the very misogynistic insults.
People tend to struggle with the fact
that I am also a woman of color in the space.
A lot of people cannot fathom that someone
and a woman of color taking a stance
around the importance of diversity
and inclusion in a business is more
than just a little wave, happy flag marketing play.
It is a critical cultural norm that needs to happen.
All of us at EG, we've been unashamed in being thoughtful
and intentional around the audiences we bring
with us and the why.
(computer beeping)
For all those other fellow women gamers
who have maybe felt like gaming isn't for women
or it's socially isolating or it's nerdy or dorky
or not a lucrative or real career path, stop.
That's totally not the case!
There's a wide breadth of opportunities in gaming.
You don't need to be a pro gamer to work in gaming.
You can be a really savvy digital marketer.
You can be an amazing film producer.
You can be a great salesperson.
You can love sports.
If you have an interest in the space,
I would always encourage you to keep being bold,
to be unapologetic and to not be afraid
to stretch for opportunities.
It's very important for more women to come
into the gaming space,
because the space can't continue to thrive and grow
if it only can speak to
and capture a small audience of what it could be.
(computer beeping) (mellow music)
What's interesting about how women are represented
in games is that, if you're not overtly feminine,
you get a lot of flak, which is ridiculous
and so I've loved the realistic game developers
that realize the breadth of what a woman is and can be
and reflecting that in their game.
Not everyone looks one way or has one body shape
and having greater opportunity for people to find
that someone looks or feels like them
or a storyline resonates with them
in gaming is so important.
This is getting better over time,
though there's still a lot of room to grow.
Even from non-gender representation,
body types, orientation, hair, lot of growing still needed.
(computer beeping)
I was one of the first women CEOs
in gaming, and that was exciting
and I hope that is not exciting anymore going forward.
Gaming is like music, like fashion.
It is a broad and sweeping part of culture
and so, showcasing how eSports isn't just Caucasian
or Asian male sport,
it's actually for a lot of different people is important
and that's what excites me
and I'm excited to see and be part of that journey.