Percentage of women pro gamers is 5% according to a rough estimate, but overall 60% of women aged between 18-29 play games regularly. This is quite a low number compared to their male counterparts which take up about 95% of the pro gamer community.
According to a Pew Internet & American Life Project research from 2008, 65 percent of males and 35 percent of women describe themselves as everyday gamers among teenagers. This tendency was seen to be greater among the younger age groups.
The survey discovered that while adult men are much more likely to play console games than adult women, they are equally likely to play on other platforms as well. Even in this sector, the percentages are trending in the right direction: in 2012, Nintendo estimated that half of its users were women, and a 2015 Pew poll indicated that more American women (42%) than males (37%) owned video game consoles.
According to Variety, female engagement grew with age (61 percent of women and 57 percent of males aged 45 to 54 participated in daily gaming 2013).
ESL and other organisations are taking note and moving forward by forming women’s leagues to include women in esports by providing a non-toxic environment (sorry guys but we are pretty toxic when it comes to women gamers). Let’s take a look at the top of the food chain among professional women gamers by statistics.
#5 Nina “Nina” Qual – $86,777.33
Nina "Nina" Qual, formerly known as "puCK," is a 31-year-old American. Qual is a member of PSISTORM Gaming and has a total of $86,777 in earnings from 166 tournaments.
From 2013 through 2020, the StarCraft II expert has won more than $5,000 per year, with 2016 being her most successful year. She finished 3rd-4th at the Gold Series International in Shanghai, China that year.
#4 Rumay "Hafu" Wang – $90,066.67
Rumay "Hafu" Wang is an American Twitch streamer who made $90,066.67 from 2008 to 2022 while being inactive from time to time. Wang is most recognised for her involvement in the video games — World of Warcraft, Bloodline Champions, and Hearthstone.
While she still plays in tournaments occasionally, she now concentrates mostly on growing her Twitch channel, which already has over 1.3 million followers, implying that she generates far more money than the other female gamers on this list.
#3 Katherine “Mystik” Gunn – $122,550
Katherine “Mystik” Gunn was far from a prolific esports player, earning money from seven tournaments across 13 years, but she still managed to pick up $122,550 in prize money, in addition to earning a salary. The bulk of Gunn’s winnings stem from winning the WCG Ultimate Gamer Season 2, which carried a $100,000 top prize. It was a major achievement as the competition saw more than 20 games played, with Gunn beating them all.
Gunn rarely competes professionally these days but is still an avid gamer who regularly streams on her popular Twitch channel.
#2 Xiomeng “Liooon” Li – $240,510.00
Xiomeng "Liooon" Li of China has earned $240,510 in prize money despite only competing in a few Hearthstone events between 2018 and 2020. In 2018, the future superstar finished second in two Hearthstone events, earning a total of $13,200.
Li then went on to win the Hearthstone GrandMasters 2019 in Anaheim, California. The competition was accessible to both male and female players, and Li won the $200,000 first-place award. This gamer has a bright future ahead of h.er
#1 Sasha "Scarlett" Hostyn – $423,939.86
Sasha has the most esports victories of any female player. From 233 events dating back to 2011, the 27-year-old Canadian has won more than $415,000 in prize money.
At the 2012 StarCraft II World Championship Series: North American Championship, Hostyn made a name for herself. The competition had a $60,000 prize pool, with Hostyn taking home $24,000 when she was proclaimed winner after defeating Daniel "ViBE" Scherlong in the final.
The StarCraft II expert has dozens of awards in the four-figure range and a few in the five-figure range. $50,000 is Hostyn’s largest haul, her reward for being crowned champion of the Intel Extreme Masters Season XII in PyeongChang in February 2018.
During her time playing StarCraft II, Hostyn has been called "the queen of StarCraft II", "Korean Kryptonite", and "The Queen of Blades".The New Yorker called her "the most accomplished woman in e-sports". She was the only Red Bull Battle Grounds 2014 finalist from a country other than South Korea. In 2014, Polygon named her one of 2014's 50 admirable gaming people, describing her as "one of the few women succeeding at the top level of the StarCraft II pro scene"
We here at Luckbox would like to see more women in the esports scene. The heart of the Luckbox team beats for an equal esports scene for all. If you are an avid esports fan visit Luckbox for the latest esports news and encounters, watch your favourite teams and bet on them.
