Esports wasn't originally divided by gender, as there were no reasons for that. Men's, women's, and even mixed teams appeared in the esports arena. Over time, women participated in tournaments less and less but often worked as casters in studios.
At the same time, men's teams played at the major tournaments and topped the game leaderboards. However, the tournament operators gradually promoted the development of women's esports and managed to create a small ecosystem with professional teams and top tournaments in some disciplines. This material will be devoted to women's professional CS:GO.
Does gender divide esports?
Theoretically, there are no premises for dividing competitions into male and female ones. Boys and girls play at the same servers and can unite in clans. Why was CS:GO divided by gender?
When esports was gaining popularity, girls didn't pay much attention to it. Boys did not only have fun but also competed with each other. They are motivated to develop their game and become the best and are willing to spend part of their lives on that, putting aside real-life development, creating a family, and career growth. On the contrary, girls prioritize real life, making video games just a hobby. Even in the lowest CS:GO or Dota 2 levels, a girl is not for carrying the game but for chatting and relaxing.
Does gender impact talent for playing games? Scientists researched this field, concluding that girls and boys had the same abilities to fulfill their esports potential. However, girls face more difficulties at an early stage when trying to understand the game's peculiarities, while boys grasp the basics easier. Perhaps, this is why women are not interested in figuring out the CS:GO, and Dota 2 details, and few girls get to the tournament stage.
Women's rosters usually don't advance to the tournaments because of their losses during qualifiers. They find it difficult to cut tier-3 teams in the regions. In 2019, girls from Besiktas Esports only once played among men's teams at DreamHack Rotterdam. Then the organizers decided to create some hype and provide a tournament slot to the women's Intel Challenge Katowice 2019 winners. After winning ten rounds in three maps, the team left the tournament.
By 2022, the difference in skill and team cooperation between men's and women's CS:GO teams are huge, and therefore, we rarely see the latter at major tournaments. Nevertheless, girls got more involved in the game's competitive nature. They get good results at local events, and renowned organizations sign the most successful rosters.
In which CS:GO tournaments do girls play?
Girls have a separate tournament system. Until 2022, organizers paid little attention to developing women's CS esports. Not-so-famous tournament operators hosted events with $1,000-2,000 prize funds. DreamHack, ESL, and ESWC occasionally held big championships with $50,000-100,000 prize funds. It was a far cry from big esports involving all the teams.
Were girls' tournaments systematic? Was there any tournament hierarchy? Does women's esports have seasons? According to Liquipedia, some events were constantly organized, and the athletes used them to train. For example, there was an 8-team women's CS:GO tournament in Katowice from 2016 to 2019 with a $30,000 prize fund and the usual tournament. WESG organized girls' competitions in the regions: a winner could get $60,000.
The main problem of women's CS:GO tournaments is a lack of real competition. Girls assemble into teams to have a good time, but no more than eight teams participate in the regional qualifiers. Weekly tournaments with low prize funds don't motivate them to build new strong teams. Therefore, few organizations want to cooperate with women's rosters.
In 2021, ESL decided to attract girls' attention and created the ESL Impact Circuit for women's esports development. Throughout the year, the tournament operator will organize two seasons, in spring and in fall, with regional qualifiers and a LAN event for the strongest teams from all over the world. For additional support in the regions, Cash Cups are held twice a month as a fast cup for professionals.
Who can you support in women's CS:GO?
In the last couple of years, world-class organizations have become interested in women's esports. It has boot camps like men's esports, and the players are paid. All top rosters have coaches (mostly men who have played at a tier-3 level and haven't achieved much success in their professional careers). The main struggle during the events is between South American, North American, and European teams. ESL Impact League Season 1 featured South Africa and Oceania teams, but they failed to impose their opponents' fight for top places.
Nigma Galaxy dominates the European arena. The European organization signed the roster in November 2021, and this year, the girls have taken high places at the tournaments, bringing glory to their tag. In the spring, the organization wasn't allowed to participate in the ESL Cash Cup in their region due to their wins. In the summer, the roster won ESL Impact Valencia and ESL Impact League 1, earning $100,000. The roster consists of five girls, three of whom have Russian citizenship and a coach.
Much of the team's success is due to its leader, Ksenia "vilga" Klyuenkova. The Russian athlete was a CS 1.6 fan, earned over 20 CS:GO trophies with different teams, and was the best player of 2017, according to the HLTV rating. Ksenia has a lot of experience playing at a high level and even tried to assemble a roster that could win a major. Judging by its last results, vilga's team no longer feels its competitors and is preparing to confront the world of men.
It's amazing to see so many girls actively reacting to what ESL will bring to us next year. Hopefully, it will be consistent, and other orgs will join them, so we will see more and more girls coming to play CS:GO competitively. The scene would bloom and develop!!
FURIA Esports has become the undisputed favorite in South America. The organization purchased the women's roster in 2020, and in two years, the team earned over $100,000. The team is head and shoulders above its competitors and has only lost once in the women's tournament finals. It happened last year. ESL's decision to create the leagues and international competitions gave it a strong opponent: Nigma Galaxy. FURIA Esports lost to it in two international finals and took second place. The Brazilians will try to take revenge for their summer losses this fall.
The team's success is due to the incredible play of the captain, Olga "olga" Rodrigues. She demonstrates fantastic statistics at every tournament. Her stats exceed many male players: 90 damage per round guarantees an average of 0.76 kills (she will be effective in three rounds out of four). In 2022, Olga's HLTV rating was from 1.25 to 1.83.
In North America, the Counter Logic Gaming Red team stands out. The organization failed to consolidate itself in the men's CS:GO, but the girls have been successful at domestic and international tournaments since 2015. The team won the WESG and Copenhagen Games and reached the top at the DreamHack and ESL tournaments. In 2022, the women's team from North America was indestructible at domestic tournaments but didn't withstand competition with FURIA Esports and Nigma Galaxy.
Which organizations have joined women's CS:GO?
In spring, world-renowned tags entered the first ESL Impact for girls. Natus Vincere, GODSENT, and BIG Equipa fought for the LAN slots in Europe. BIG Equipa caught a break and played at ESL Impact League 1 along with Nigma Galaxy.
In South America, the women's MIBR roster has competed against FURIA Esports for two years. The Infamous team should, in fact, also play here, but the Peruvian girls play in North America.
On August 17, Evil Geniuses decided to support women's esports. The North American roster with big Dota 2 and CS:GO history has assembled its women's roster and will start the ESL Impact League 2 Season 2 at the group stage.
Does female CS:GO have a future?
Women's esports was less popular, but elite tournament operators entered the arena in the last few years and created conditions for women's CS:GO development. There has been a demand for women's roster from this year. What else does the scene lack to stand in line with men?
We must admit that women's tournament broadcasts won't be full of sophisticated highlights. Girls will need much time and effort to stand in line with s1mple, ZywOo, or NiKo. However, men's and women's forms and skills in traditional sports also differ greatly, but the audience loves watching both men's and women's volleyball. Women have different energy levels, emotions, and a different mindset at LAN events. But they have the same motivation: to become the best.
The introduction of advertising and popularization of women's tournament broadcasts will greatly contribute to competitive scene promotion. Unfortunately, now the community can easily find information on top-level esports events but won't notice a women's LAN event. Advertisements will make female athletes more recognizable, and women's tournament broadcasts will become more watched.
Despite all the challenges, girls' esports is developing. In the example of CS:GO, one can see the interest of tournament operators and organizations. We want to believe that soon the community will discuss ladies' achievements as often as other esports news.
