“As a girl player, I was told 'you belong in the kitchen' – now I'm a pro at the Esports World Cup”
RIYADH: Team Falcon's Vega MENA players say their participation in the “Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Women's Invitational” at the Esports World Cup is an inspiration to young women in the region who aspire to become professional e-sports players.
Saudi Arabian club Team Falcons Vega MENA had a tough start at MWI on Thursday, being defeated in their matches by Russia's Victory Song Gamers, who top Group C, and Zino Lilies of Vietnam.
But with a $500,000 prize pool up for grabs, the largest in the history of women's esports, the team's stars say just being involved in such a prestigious tournament on the biggest platform around is success — and inspiration for others.
The tournament is played in front of more than 8,000 spectators at the SEF Arena on Boulevard Riyadh City, with millions of fans from around the world.
Velvet, a Team Falcons Vega MENA player from Giza, Egypt who has been pro for eight months, said: “I thought it was quite competitive. We could have done better, but it was just because we were nervous. We have the experience we need to continue more and learn how we can do much better in the future.
– The stage is huge. It's special to play on such a big stage – it's actually lovely. We'll take it to our graves. It's pretty good that we got here and we did our best in the first two games, even though we didn't even win.”
When asked if she ever really thought she would become a professional esports player, let alone play at the Esports World Cup, Velvet, whose real name is Hadeel Mahmoud, replied: “Never, never, never.
“I'm living the dream. I didn't think esports would go this viral and get this big and become a real paying job. I didn't even think of this as a professional thing.
“I always thought I'd go to do a regular 24/7 job. And it's so good that we can turn something fun into something you get paid for.”
Velvet, 21, hopes that girl players in Egypt, Saudi Arabia or wherever they are in the region will follow her example. “Yes, they can, they all can,” she added.
“I was once a girl who was not taken seriously by anyone, and everyone was down on me and said, 'oh, you're just a girl, you better not go on with things like that – the kitchen is where you belong ' and those kinds of comments.
“But that didn't stop me. I just kept going and I wanted to prove everyone wrong because I wanted to be an inspiration to the little girls and everyone around. So I'm just sending out a message that if I did it, they can do it. I play at the Esports World Cup, the biggest stage in the world.
“That's the way the world goes. You don't get there easily. You're going to get toxic comments and stuff, but that doesn't have to stop you from doing what you want. You just have to be patient and do your best and don't let any comments get you down .”
Teammate fvvn, also Egyptian, echoed her sentiments. “Growing up, I used to play games to pass the time doing something I really enjoyed and to make new friends,” said fvvn, real name Alaa Ayman.
“But I never thought I'd get the chance to play at a world-class tournament like this with people I love.
“I think women's eSports needs to be more accessible to girls and women around the Middle East – especially so that the prize pools can allow us to be more independent and learn from experiences like this.”
She added paid tribute to the fans in Riyadh. “The support we received was tremendous,” she said. “There were fans cheering us on everywhere, in the hotel and in the arena. Their support was the highlight of the tournament for us.”
MWI is a significant addition to the Esports World Cup, which started at Boulevard Riyadh City on July 3rd and runs until August 25th. The tournament reflects the growing presence of female players, who make up 48 percent of the 23.5 million gaming community in Saudi Arabia.
The Esports World Cup, which has a prize pool of $60 million, the largest in esports history, has a unique cross-game structure that pits the top clubs and players against each other in 22 global competitions in 21 leading games.
More than 1,500 players, representing over 60 nationalities, are battling it out in the Esports World Cup this summer. Week four contests taking place this week include “PUBG Mobile” and “Overwatch 2.”
