Advancing Inclusivity in the Gaming Industry: Takeaways from the Esports Business Summit

This gender disparity in esports is not just confined to earnings it extends to the physical presence of women in gaming spaces An alarming example of this is the conversion of women39s bathrooms into men39s facilities at some tournaments reflecting a widespread perception that women do not belong in the esports worldConsidering these disparities the Esports Business Summit EBS held in Las Vegas Nevada from October 22 to 24 2023 highlighted diversity equity and inclusion DEI as a critical theme EBS serves as a conference that brings together all facets of the esports industry to facilitate education networking inspiration and dealmakingThe closing keynote session quotNext Steps in Building Diversity Equity and Inclusion in Gamingquot focused on what companies can do to foster a more equitable esports space Moderated by Malcolm Coley Chief Technology Officer and Founder of Futures First Gaming the panel featured two pioneering women in the gaming world Angela Roseboro Chief Esports Officer Roseboro Group and Former Chief Diversity Officer at Riot Games and Amber Dalton Senior Director of Global Events at Twitch The previous night Roseboro and Dalton were honored with EBS39s most prestigious award being named two of the 2023 LuminariesquotI didnamp8217t even think to ask for a seat I just took one and sat downquot said Dalton of her start in gaming As CoFounder and Board President of the PMS Clan an allwomen gaming organization Dalton emphasized the importance of representation and the need for spaces where women39s voices and presence are celebrated within the gaming communityRoseboro with an impressive 30year background in HR and leadership roles spotlighted the importance of organizational culture She stressed that culture is not a mere buzzword but is in fact the very personality of a companyHer tenure at Riot Games which began in 2019 commenced with a disheartened workforce Roseboro39s approach was to actively listen to her team and apply changes Within the first month she implemented consistent processes and changed the Code of Conduct to help recharge and rebuild the culture Within weeks she saw the transformative power of actively listening to her team39s concerns and acting upon themquotI told the team amp8216Iamp8217m here as a human not just a leaderamp8217 and that made all the differencequot said RoseboroThe conversation then turned to the subject of diversity and inclusivity initiatives within the gaming industry which sometimes come across as performative Angela stressed the need for authentic representation and highlighted how diversity should be viewed as an opportunity for growth rather than a problem to be fixed She encouraged organizations to engage in the conversation without fear learn from their mistakes and grant grace to those attempting to create a culture of inclusionquotIamp8217d rather try and get things wrong than not try at allquot said Dalton echoing the sentiments She noted that the fear of saying the wrong thing often hinders progressBoth speakers underlined the importance of creating a culture of inclusion that allows for mistakes fosters open dialogues and encourages mutual understandingquotCreate a culture that allows for mistakes and gracequot said RoseboroThe discussion also delved into the barriers that people of color face in the gaming industry including limited access and the necessity for hardware as well as the importance of representation on gaming teams To highlight this Coley drew attention to the absence of black and brown faces as well as women featured at the Fortnite ChampionshipRoseboro noted the issue of access especially in PC gaming where the hardware required can be a significant financial burden easily costing thousands of dollars Additionally many people lack access to the internet further limiting their opportunities in the gaming worldFor women one of the biggest barriers is still harassment Often women will mute their mics to avoid sexual harassment Hearing comments like amp8220Go make me a sandwichamp8221 is not uncommonquotWe have to have places where women can be identified and represented without harassmentquot stated ColeyTo combat harassment effectively the panelists called for companies to take reported violations more seriously and establish connections so that a violation in one game is treated as a violation in all gamesDespite a 150 yearoveryear growth in women39s esports viewership and the expansion of opportunities for underrepresented individuals through new tournament series there is still much work to be done By fostering authentic representation encouraging open dialogue and actively seeking diversity the gaming industry can create a more inclusive and equitable future for all gamersPosted at MediaVillage through the Thought Leadership selfpublishing platformClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views 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Advancing Inclusivity in the Gaming Industry: Takeaways from the Esports Business Summit

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Brandie Feuer

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Advancing Inclusivity in the Gaming Industry: Takeaways from the Esports Business Summit

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