A step towards inclusivity in gaming

A lot has been said about making esports more inclusive, but it wasn’t until 2022 that we finally started seeing notable changes. And while the industry still has a long way to go before it reaches the desirable state where female and non-binary people have the same opportunities as male players, it’s good to see that things are slowly moving in the right direction. But is it even enough to get there? 

One of the most recent examples of progression in this regard can be the initiative of the Brazilian esports organization MIBR, which has launched a new talent platform named WIBR (Women in Brazil). The goal of the platform is to create career opportunities in gaming and esports for women and non-binary people.

WIBR to help women and non-binary people find jobs in gaming

Through its collaboration with an impressive list of partners, which includes the likes of Riot Games, Ubisoft, Monster, and Logitech, among others, WIBR aims to help talented professionals with starting their careers in the gaming space. This includes promoting jobs in various areas such as marketing, media, finance, commercial, legal, and development. 

While professionals can register for free to be included in the platform’s talent pool, WIBR’s partnered companies have reportedly committed to prioritizing WIBR when looking for talent within gaming-related positions. Moreover, any company looking for talent can access the database for free, although with less information available compared to partners. According to MIBR, the initiative expects to register 8,000 professionals to its talent pool within the first year of its existence.

MIBR CEO, Roberta Coelho, spoke on the announcement:

“We were born and raised hearing that games are for boys. This is a cultural belief that we need to change. WIBR arrives to help with this change. We want more girls looking at this universe as a career possibility and companies looking at girls as great assets to work in this area. 

Until WIBR emerged, teams and brands were looking for women with an interest in games and esports within social networks like Twitter, in an unprofessional way and at the mercy of judgments, filters, and prejudices. WIBR arrives to create a connection network and boost women’s careers in this fast-growing gaming environment.”

Companies need to do more than hire

While it is good that organizations are moving towards supporting inclusivity in gaming and esports, this doesn’t necessarily mean the same opportunities for everyone. Even though some companies might have committed to prioritizing MIBR’s talent pool, only time will tell whether they will act accordingly. 

Furthermore, giving a job to someone is one thing, but how are they treated in that job is something completely different. Sadly, toxic company culture, sexism, and discrimination are a reality for numerous gaming giants, among which most notoriously known is Blizzard. It’s not just Blizzard though. New controversies and allegations continue to emerge in 2022, with Riot and Nintendo being at the forefront, and certainly not for the first time.

We have seen this countless times, but until gaming companies prove otherwise, their commitments remain just empty words.

Header: MIBR