The Black Collegiate Gaming Association (BCGA) and the Athena Alliance CLT celebrates Women’s History Month with the first ever produced Women of Color Esports Tournament, featuring NBA 2K22 (WNBA teams) and Valorant, and mixer during historic Women Got Game (WGG) Tour; honouring diverse female trailblazers who have broken barriers in the gaming and esports industry. The esports tournaments will take place in Charlotte, NC Saturday, 19 March from 2 pm – 6pm EST, followed by an industry mixer from 6 pm – 8 pm EST at Contender Esports on 8925 JM Keynes Drive in the University area.
The WGG Tour begins at the Contender Esports Arena in Charlotte, NC. The four-hour tournaments will also feature scholarships and prizes special thanks to our corporate partners: PlayStation, the LA Sparks, Bennett Thrasher, the Athena Alliance CLT, and Scopely. In addition, a mixer will be held connecting high school and collegiate women of colour across the country with Black, Latina, Asian, and Native American corporate partners and leaders in the gaming and esports industry, offering opportunities for internships, jobs, and mentorship. Along with the mixer will be food trucks, games, and prizes that all participants can enjoy. Highlighted during the evening mixer will be Keynote Speaker, Kimberly M. Starks, APR of Blue Scorpion Reputation Management, which is a PR firm specialising in the areas of video gaming, agribusiness, pet health and wellness, and government contracting.
The Athena Alliance CLT, an all female ran gaming organisation with a collective of women gamers and allies based in the Carolinas, is hosting, and will be live-streaming the event. Executive director Emi Vener identifies as Afro-Latina and has been a lifelong gamer shared,“Ideally, we would like to get to the point where there are mixed gender teams and even representation in esports. Until this happens, our women focused events are meant to bring visibility to young ladies and women in esports, and create opportunities for networking and upliftment.”
“More and more women of colour are making their way into the gaming industry and eSports industry. Research shows women comprise 30 per cent of Esports viewership, but make up less than 10 per cent of the gaming industry. There’s a major opportunity to address this gap; and I am excited to bring this event to the industry. As women continue to make more advances in tech and gaming, the Summit is long overdue. I hope that hosting during Women’s History Month inspires future trailblazers,” said BCGA founder and chair-woman Keshia Walker.
As the first and only African-American woman to own a collegiate Esports and gaming company, Walker, herself, is already making history.
“Black gamers and women of colour gamers are growing in numbers.The industry must grow and adjust to make room for this new demographic. During our National WGG Tour, we’ll cover the history of women of colour in gaming and esports. We’ll also have real conversations with diverse women of colour, corporate executives and successful entrepreneurs in the industry as they reflect on their careers and share insights with high school & college young women students interested in working in the gaming industry,” said Walker.