An Amateur Tournament for Egirls? Think Again!

After a grueling battle between Bren Esports and Pacific Pink in FSL Elite DOTA 2 2019, two former teammates started hugging each other. Photo Credits: FSL DOTA 2 Facebook Page

“Ang bobo mo naman maglaro ng DOTA, magluto ka na lang tutal babae ka lang eh!”

They are oftentimes sexually harassed, maligned, overlooked, even treated like egirls, a term closely associated with women who are known for having a strong social media presence. These are the women in the Philippine esports industry.

And the harassment doesn’t end there. Some of my peers received private messages for them to go live naked. Some would attend gaming conventions or cosplaying events, only for them to be perverted by men.

Recently, two of the most recognizable figures in DOTA 2’s shoutcasting history namely Toby “TobiWan” Dawson and Grant “GranDGranT” Harris were accused of raping female DOTA 2 fans. For the majority of men, women in the Philippine esports scene are viewed as Tiktok and Instagram eye candies.

When a female gamer goes online on Twitch or Facebook, people would focus more on the physical appearance of the streamer more than her actual skill and gameplay as the popular belief that women are just casual gamers remain rampant.

I’ve even formulated the same impression during my first taste of esports shoutcasting back in 2017 when I was invited for the Female DOTA 2 SEA League (FSL). The league was categorized under the amateur level in the DOTA 2 client. Since this is an amateur tournament, I never expected godlike mechanical skills that would rival the most accomplished professional players like Dendi, Arteezy, Miracle, or Sumail, nor do I expect an intense locker room drama.

However my initial perception was wrong, as there were players who viewed the game as if they’re playing in the biggest spectacles in DOTA 2. There were teams that weren't treated like amateurs as they had sponsors, a bootcamp, a head coach/analyst, and a team manager. One of them was Pacific Pink.

The Pacific Pink roster from 2017. From left to right, Sherry, Ligaya, Jaina, and Inma.

When I first met Pacific Pink back in 2017, they were extremely thrilled as this was the first time that they’ve experienced a formal interview. It didn’t matter if their story never landed on any of the famous publications in the Philippines as the opportunity to be featured was already a milestone. I would never forget Jaina’s story on how she ended up in the female esports scene.

When my mother found out that I dropped out of college to focus on my dream of being a professional DOTA 2 player, she grew frustrated and immediately sent me to the United Arab Emirates to work. I was able to find a job, but I spent the majority of my time abroad playing DOTA. Seeing my relentless passion for the game, she decided that it was best for me to return to the Philippines to pursue my goal.

Her teammates shared their own struggles as well. Inma, Pacific Pink’s offlaner, recounted the cruel treatment from her parents.

I was told to quit gaming because my parents believed that there was no future in this industry. They never thought of switching to fiber connection since they worry that the internet speed will worsen my addiction. It was frustrating to play online games with a DSL connection as I would oftentimes get kicked out of the lobby due to connection issues. This didn’t stop me though as I kept on grinding.

Their stories overwhelmed me to the point where my curiosity for the scene broadened. I recalled my very first shoutcast of an FSL game which featured Where to Feed and I wanted to hear from them. Sadly, I never got the chance to personally meet them since they’re based in Mindanao but I did manage to converse with their captain, Cakurie. Unlike Jaina and Inma, Cakurie never had the opportunity to experience the privilege of being a full-time DOTA 2 player. Her team isn’t as properly funded as Pacific Pink, forcing her teammates to work in desk jobs or finish their collegiate education. She recalled the sacrifices that she had to endure.

Everyday I’d go to work exhausted as I normally spend 3 to 4 hours per day sleeping. When I arrive home, I’d spend the rest of my time attending to the needs of my family as well as playing and studying the current strategies in DOTA 2. There were times when I would file my vacation leaves to practice or compete in tournaments.

Even though the FSL is filled with the inspiring stories of women struggling to show their love and passion for the game amidst the harsh realities, there were some teams who would defile the value of the league by traversing the dark path through piloting, which is the use of an illegal substitute player. I witnessed an infamous case back in 2018 when I was shoutcasting a game which drew a lot of controversy as it caused a public uproar on Facebook. The two teams exchanged ad hominems on the tournament’s official Facebook page, which even drew the attention of esports personalities and professional DOTA 2 players from the Philippines. One of the players tried to convince me that she was innocent by giving me her personal stats on a certain in-game character. Upon investigating the situation, I realized that the stats she submitted didn’t come from her, but from a famous DOTA 2 player named Jerax. Eventually, photos resurfaced on social media regarding men playing their DOTA accounts. The case was solved and the team that was guilty received a plethora of hate comments and threats online. They admitted their faults and pleaded for the administrators to take down these comments, but they ignored their requests as justice needed to be served. This forced the administrators to introduce the webcam system in order to lessen these unwanted incidents.

I tried to evaluate why teams are fanatically motivated to accomplish the desired outcome even though the situation is already bleak to begin with. DOTA’s developer, Valve, never poured any ounce of cash in any of the female DOTA tournaments, as they heavily focused more on shelling out their millions of dollars on their premier esports tournaments, a stark contrast to the SGD500 prize pool coming from the FSL organizers. Questions regarding sustainability about female esports teams in the Philippines are everywhere for even the top tier teams that are heavily sponsored would shut down as seen from the cases of TNC Amazons and ArkAngel. Viewers won’t even flood the streams as they’re blinded by the idea that women are just casual gamers with no potential to burst into the professional scene.

From all of the stories as well as the controversies involved, I realized that the FSL isn’t treated like an amateur tournament. What began as an avenue to unite female DOTA 2 players in the SEA region during the early days of the game’s development is now an advocacy, hoping that the day will come where Valve will finally open their senses in recognizing the sacrifices of every female DOTA 2 player. And it doesn’t only end there, as the FSL began incorporating other titles like League of Legends, Mobile Legends, Arena of Valor, and most recently Valorant.

It cannot be denied that the esports scene is booming. From the deafening sounds of the crowd in the Mall of Asia Arena during the Manila Major that silenced every European football stadium, to the birth of The Nationals, the very first franchise based esports league in the Philippines, to that major milestone where esports was finally introduced as a medal event during the 2019 SEA Games. Not even the COVID-19 crisis was strong enough to halt the momentum as tournaments such as the Mobile Legends Professional League, Philippine Pro Gaming League, and the inaugural FIBA esports tournament managed to push through while the Philippine Basketball Association and Philippine Football League were forced to wait for additional directives from higher authorities.

However in order to maximize the potential of the industry, such actions must be taken where barriers must be broken in order to create a healthy ecosystem where men and women can thrive as equals.

These competitors don’t enjoy being called egirls or female gamers, but rather as gamers. And most importantly they are women who have a voice that demand a high degree of respect from the community.