A look into the talented female CSGO esports scene
CSGO is filled with fantastic talents of all kinds and its female player base deserves to be recognised. Know more about this scene here at Gamdom.
A look into the talented female CSGO esports scene
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is one of the most high-skill games that you will see in the esports scene. With the recent announcement of ESL Gaming’s #GGFORALL initiative, their female player base has started to gain some recognition.
When you look at CSGO, you might envision its esports scene to revolve around the male player base. In more ways than one, that is true but this new campaign that ESL just launched is promising. Female esports players have faced tons of challenges in the past and it’s uplifting to see that a company like ESL is truly showing support to women.
In the esports industry, you can see female-centric tournaments are being held which is a huge positive. This is because the esports scene is evolving with the likes of Valorant’s Game Changers initiative to give women the platform that they needed to showcase their ability to play at a high level. Now, female CSGO teams are getting the spotlight it deserves and as you will learn, these women have earned that.
The scene is filled with talented players
While male players do make up the majority of the scene, people should not forget that there are some stellar female talents out there as well. Unfortunately, some of them have struggled with being recognised. Visibility is an issue that female players have peak but with the advent of ESL’s female circuit, this can change.
When you look back at the history of female CSGO players, you can see that the European squad Team Originem was filled with the best players in the female scene. They were signed by XSET but most of the team eventually moved to Valorant because of COVID-19’s impact on the CSGO scene.
Despite their exits, there are still many female CSGO stars in the scene. Here are some of the best female players in the world.
Mounira ‘GooseBreeder’ Dobie
As one of the most consistent players in the female CSGO scene, GooseBreeder has always been a top name in the scene. She has been a player for Counter Logic Gaming Red for a long while and she has been a proper star player for the squad.
- She is well-known for her rifling but her cerebral gameplay has helped her earn tons of tournament wins over the past few years. With this recent #GGFORALL campaign, you can expect GooseBreeder to be one of the top players moving forward too.
Anna ‘Ant1ka’ Ananikova
While she is not on a top team at the moment, you should expect that Ant1ka will be a huge signing for most professional CSGO teams because she is a stellar AWPer. Alongside her prowess on the sniper rifle, she can also serve as a solid rifler for any team.
Ksenia ‘vilga’ Klyuenkova
Currently playing for Nigma Galaxy Female, vilga has been awesome for a long time in the CS scene. She has been around since CS 1.6 and she has always been an elite entry fragger. It is one of the most challenging roles in CSGO but she manages to find gaps in the enemy team. If you are looking for an explosive star player, vilga should be at the top of most fans’ lists because she is an amazing fragger.
Female players can compete at a high level
There is a misconception that female gamers cannot be on the same level as their male counterparts. That should not be the case because some players might even be better than people know. Former female CSGO superstar turned Valorant pro Julia ‘juliano’ Kiran was known as the best female player in the world back in the late 2010s. She knew that she was as good as the top stars in the CSGO scene but she faced problems joining a team.
Some female CSGO teams were filled with talented players but the lack of big opportunities was a huge struggle for them since they couldn’t showcase their talent in a professional setting.
The esports scene is primed for positive changes
If you have been keeping up with the female esports scene, you would see that they haven’t been given the same opportunities that the men have received. With ESL’s #GGFORALL circuit, you can expect the sentiment around a female CSGO circuit will be normalised. It will be the proof that people are looking for in a female esports scene.
ESL’s senior vice president (SVP) for People and Culture Roberta Hernandez released a statement during the #GGFORALL announcement that resonated with tons of players in the CSGO world. This is a good sign for people who are asking ‘what teams are still in the CSGO esports scene?’ because this might be a way back for orgs like XSET who took a chance on supporting Juliano’s team in the past.
Back in #GGFORALL’s launch in December 2021, Hernandez said, ‘By providing an infrastructure equal to their male counterparts, we are thrilled to create more visibility and opportunities for women in the esports space, as well as to support them in their professional development and to help make their dreams come true. This is only the first part of a number of #GGFORALL initiatives we are currently working on and we can’t wait to tell you more about what is yet to come’.
She makes a good point because this circuit will be crucial for the success of women in esports. Valorant’s Game Changers has been a resounding success and CSGO needs this as well so the esports scene can grow even bigger.
ESL’s leagues will have a prize pool of $150,000 and there will be two finals at DreamHack Dallas in June 2022 and DreamHack Winter in November 2022. Alongside these two big leagues, there are two standalone events in the circuit with the first event being held in July 2022 at DreamHack Valencia.
ESEA Matchmaking will also have tournaments
ESL also has its own matchmaking service for CSGO that has long been a staple of the scene. While it is mostly seen as a league for high-skilled male players, it has become viable for women as well as there will be ESL Cash Cups for female teams. They can compete twice a month for a share of the $4,000 prize pool which is huge considering that it will happen 24 times a year.
ESL Gaming’s CSGO general manager Brian Krämer and Product Manager Charlie Sirc released a joint statement that emphasised the gravity of the support for female players.
They said, ‘At ESL Gaming we truly believe in a world where everybody can be somebody, so going back to the grassroots level and creating an all-new ecosystem to ensure ambitious women CS:GO players are given equal chance to compete against CSGO major teams is a great step forward. With a great lineup of events for next year already, we are super excited to develop this new product further in 2022 and beyond’.
Inclusivity will lead to a bigger esports scene
The women’s leagues have been launched because female players need a safe space and comfortable environment to compete. Executive president of Valorant Anna Donlon talked about this when Riot Games launched their Game Changers initiative.
Donlon said that competing in the traditional video game circuits was a daunting task for women. This is seen in the Valorant scene itself in March 2022 when prominent Valorant streamer and former CSGO pro Jason 'jasonR' Ruchelski was seen intentionally dodging games every time a woman ends up on his team.
That should not be the case because the only factor that should matter in high ELO matches is how they play. If that is the case for a prominent streamer, it likely happens in regular matchmaking as well with women in both Valorant and CSGO.
With more inclusivity happening in the esports scene, you should expect that more women will be encouraged to showcase their skills in a competitive setting. Thankfully, ESL’s circuit has cemented a concrete platform for women so they can thrive and create a better future for the scene. If more women are encouraged, you can expect them to compete with the men in the traditional circuit sooner rather than later because of this new scene.
CSGO will keep growing
If you’ve seen the history of Counter-Strike over the past two decades, you will realise that this game will find its way to remain in the upper echelon of esports. It is one of the most recognisable games in the world and CSGO will just keep improving with time. Hopefully, this new evolution in the CSGO esports scene is just the start of the game becoming a top game again. It is also likely that this scene can get even bigger with the help of esports betting platforms like Gamdom.
The signs point to a positive outcome for CSGO because ESL is crafting a healthy environment for women and this can have a trickle-down effect on the fans who just want to watch more top-tier CS tournaments. Thankfully, a large chunk of the fan base has already shown their support and hopefully, it will continue to grow in a way that women are included in the top tier tournaments.
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Words: Pocholo Magsino
