It’s about time to see a shift in the esports scene as women prove they can perform as well. VALORANT emerged as a platform for females in esports after bearing the highest number of female professional teams. Currently, they have 36 competing teams in the league through the Valorant’s Game Changers program. This sets the new standards for inclusivity and competitive excellence in professional gaming of female Valorant esports.
Eyes on These Women
It takes viewership numbers to change the trajectory of women’s VALORANT esports scene. Over the years, they showed remarkable growth, particularly in the VCT 2023 Game Changers Championship. It marked the league’s history for being the most-watched women’s VALORANT tournament ever, with peak viewership of 293,000. Indeed, it was a significant leap of viewers from the previous year’s 239,000.
Besides this achievement, the tournament also maintains strong engagement that averages 124,000 viewers throughout its duration. This serves as a huge recognition for the female Valorant esports scene. But beyond the numbers, it also represents the broader shift of the esports ecosystem.
The VCT 2023 Game Changers Championship spreads coverage across 140 channels, including popular female content creators. Kyedae and Tarik were among the streamers that gave spotlight and acknowledgement of the tournament on their platforms. With this, they proved that women’s competitive Valorant also appeals in the mainstream.
Women’s Excellence
A vibrant competitive landscape welcomes audiences in the women’s esports scene with their dominating high-level gameplay. Gender is no excuse for players to not exhibit their impeccable mechanical skills along with their game sense. Among the organizations, Shopify Rebellion and Team Liquid Brazil rise as strong performers in the tournaments.
Besides this achievement, the tournament also maintains strong engagement that averages 124,000 viewers throughout its duration. It represents that more people are tuning in to the female competitive tournaments. Thus, it translated to a broadening shift of the esports ecosystem, easing up to female players.
As of 2024, the Game Changers Championship commenced in the prestigious stages of the Riot Games Arena in Berlin. It will be the second time that the country is hosting the championship for Game Changers circuit after 2021. Like the previous tournaments, the prize pool maintains a generous $500,000.
This time, they attracted major sponsors, including HyperX, Red Bull, MasterCard, and Omen by HP. These names alone showed how far the female Valorant Esports scene has come when it comes to commercial viability.
Beyond the Barriers
The industry may be harsh. Game Changers proved to be the most successful inclusive program for female players of Riot Games’ Valorant. Beyond the viewership metrics, the tournament opened discussion to address the traditional barriers that women face in esports. It disrupts gender stereotypes in esports gaming by maintaining inclusivity in VALORANT as a platform for gamers.
With this, it helped female talent in the scene to flourish and further their playing career. More women found themselves encouraged to pursue professional gaming despite the notion of being a male-dominated career.
As this continues, hopefully there are more opportunities to come for the female Valorant esports scene that further their growth. With proper support and sustainable infrastructure, women esports can thrive and attract audiences as well.
Conclusion
Girls can also run the game. Valorant takes a big step in providing female Valorant Esports players with a recognized platform to showcase their talent. Hopefully, many other major league titles follow suit Valorant to broaden the available platform for women in esports. Their visibility in the mainstream may serve as encouragement for women to pursue their esports dreams. Moreover, may it be an opportunity to turn these viewership numbers into their dedicated supporters.
