With the announcement that the GIRLGAMER Esports Festival would be a part of Vivid Sydney at Chatswood’s Vivid Ideas program, we had a chat with Darren Kwan, President of the Australian Esports league and Australian Esports Association about all things GIRLGAMER, the future of esports and the role female gamers have to play in that evolution.
What was the genesis for the GIRLGAMER esports festival?
GIRLGAMER Festival had its first event in Macau back in 2017. It was created to give women and young girls the same opportunity in esports as men.
Our team worked with the first edition of the festival and were motivated to bring it over to Australia. We saw a need for a platform in Australia that presented leading and role model women in our industry to empower young girls to explore a career in tech, gaming and esports.
We have been working in close collaboration with the global team to ensure this is a fantastic and inspiring experience for all. We’re very excited to be hosting GIRLGAMER in Sydney this year!
What kind of response did you receive from the community?
The response from the community has been overwhelmingly positive! In less than 24 hours we received over 150 registrations for players, cosplayers, casters and volunteers. We are so happy that the community to welcoming GIRLGAMER with open arms.
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Why choose Vivid as the platform to present the festival?
Vivid is a celebration of culture, tech and design and is also one of the largest programs promoted by DNSW that activates the entirety of Sydney. Something we saw was a perfect fit to get message of GIRLGAMER out there.
The festival is said to celebrate the achievements of women in gaming, esports and industry – what are some of the biggest achievements in your eyes?
Being able to bring over such an amazing festival is a huge achievement in itself. However, having the government’s support through VIVID Sydney in Chatswood is a remarkable acknowledgment of the talent and credibility of these young girls. The emails I have received from young women and girls who are so grateful for this opportunity make it all worth it.
Esports is obviously growing at an incredibly rapid rate – what do you see in its future and the role that female gamers play in that evolution?
Well, in a couple of years it’s my hope that GIRLGAMER festival will no longer be needed due to the growing number of female players and leaders in the industry. The whole goal of GIRLGAMER is to give females the same opportunity as males so we hope to see an even playing field in the future of esports.
How do we specifically grow esports in Australia and remove some of the stigma that still exists from traditional sports fans?
Growing esports in Australia is a challenge that must be met through the collaborative action of the community, players, tournament organisers, game publishers, institutions (schools, university) and government.
This is due to the complexity of such a rapidly rising activity outpacing the ability for government, institutions and media to respond and keep up.
I think the more media covers events such as GIRLGAMER to show any of the few remaining people who are unfamiliar with esports that the players are rightfully athletes skilled in their profession like any other.
The two-day GIRLGAMER festival runs Sunday 9th and Monday 10th of June. For more details and tickets, click here.
