Computer manufacturer Lenovo and Power League Gaming (PLG) have announced an ongoing collaboration that aims to celebrate female gamers in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
Miss Esports is a platform launched by both companies that features local ambassadors to serve as role models and mentors to female gamers in the region.
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In a release detailing the collaboration, Lenovo cited Newzoo research that found 35% percent of gamers in MENA are female and both genders aged 18-24 are spending an average of eight hours per week on console gaming.
Miss Esports was launched earlier in 2020, the brands said, and its ambassadors have since established professional careers that include commentating and hosting shows. (Although pictured above, specific ambassadors were not named.) Miss Esports is now recruiting female gamers across MENA, who will each represent their localities and “work towards championing talent and competing.”
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In addition to sharing their personal experiences, ambassadors also provide information and networking opportunities related to video games, streaming and content creation.
Claire Carter, Marketing Director, Lenovo – Middle East and Africa, stated: “It’s crucial to ensure we’re creating inclusive environments, and this is something which has always been very close to our hearts at Lenovo. Miss Esports represents an evolution in our continued efforts to celebrate all gamers – in this instance, creating a safe and positive community in which we can nurture female talent. Our ultimate goal is to not require differentiating between male and female gamers in the future, but rather, having a shared platform where all gamers can compete and have access to the top gaming influencers.
“We have highly talented female gamers across the Middle East and Africa who are as ‘savage’ as their male counterparts and at Lenovo, we want to help unleash their ‘Stylish Outside, Savage Inside’ personas to inspire even more women to game!”
Esports Insider says: We are experiencing a boom in female-focused esports programs designed to attract more diversity to the industry. The British Esports Association’s Women in Esports campaign was launched in 2019, Dignitas launched “_FE” earlier this year and the University of Roehampton in London just started a ‘Women in Esports’ scholarship. As long as there are enough interested girls and women to sustain these programs, we may start to see the gender gap in esports close significantly.