A recent study in the US revealed that of the 31.4 million game fans, only 30% are women. As a full-time streamer on Twitch, Autumn rhodes has made a name for itself in the world of male dominated gaming. This Toronto-based streamer, who started playing with her father at a young age, talks about her experiences in an industry that isn’t always open to the fair sex.

1. How did you get to eSports?

I started playing video games at a very young age thanks to my father and brother, and since then I have never been able to stop. When I was introduced to the world of eSports, I was amazed at how everything worked. Being a very competitive person, I decided it was time to take my love of video games to the next level, and when I discovered Twitch.tv and all the incredible possibilities that were in front of me.

2. What exactly do you do in the field of eSports?

I am a full-time streamer on Twitch. I play games like CS: GO, CoD, LoL and many more. I spend hours and hours a day playing these games, always practicing, and always trying to be the best that I can be. I have played competitively in many games and always have a great time doing it.

3. What do you think of women in eSports, specifically in your region?

I think the women involved in esports in my region, which is Toronto, give us all a good name. They know how difficult it can be in this industry as a woman, and they work hard to maintain their image not only as a serious competitive player, but as a woman who can play as well as any man. Because Toronto has such a high population, there is a lot of competition in the world of eSports.

4. What have been some of your experiences of being in a field that has been dominated by men?

Some of my experiences in this field have not always been good, but other times they have been fantastic. I remember being at the Cineplex World Gaming CoD tournament last year, and when I walked into the movies, the men were amazed why I was there. The man I faced was so terrified because he had never had to play against a girl before and didn’t know what to expect; It made him so nervous. Meanwhile, other men in the tournament thought that because I am a woman, they would easily defeat me because there is no way I can be good at any game. Being in an industry where they tell us “we can’t play video games because we are women” is really disappointing in today’s society. There are so many men who hate women who are involved in the gaming industry, and I don’t know if this is because society has taught people that ONLY children can play video games or if some of them are too ignorant to realize. that our sex has absolutely nothing to do with our ability to be good at something.

5. What do you like most about being part of the eSports community?

What I like most about being part of the eSports community is how well we understand each other. It’s a great feeling to go to competitions and events and have a lot in common with everyone. We can all relate in one way or another.

6. What is the hardest part of being in eSports?

The hardest part of being in eSports as a woman is how so many men look at us. They rarely take us seriously and it’s quite annoying because we’ve worked as hard as they or harder to get to where we are in the gaming industry.

7. Why do you think it is so important for women to be represented in eSports?

I think it is very important that there are more women represented in eSports because we need to break the stereotype that it is only a man’s world. MANY women avoid the gaming industry due to the fact that many are harassed and intimidated for showing interest in games. It’s good to see that people are finally starting to shed light on this topic and talk about it.

8. What are your hopes for women in esports?

My hope for women in esports is that someday men will not judge us for being part of the gaming community and that they will realize that we can play just as well and even better than they do. I can say that in the last two years more and more people are opening up to women in the world of games, which is a great relief because it is not fair to women like me, who spend so much time and dedication to games competitive. just shut down because society says we can’t be good at games.