North American organisation Dignitas, the esports vertical of New Meta Entertainment, has created a new platform, “_FE,” dedicated to championing opportunities and education for women in gaming.
_FE, led by Dignitas’ Vice President of Talent, Heather “sapphiRe” Garozzo, will launch several initiatives over the next three months designed to advance opportunities for women in gaming, from beginners to professionals and content creators.
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_FE initiatives will include educational, social, and competitive resources. These will be made available to beginner, amateur and professional female competitors and content creators. A community website will be launched that features female gaming content, a calendar of female gaming competitions, resources, announcements, and media coverage. In addition, _FE will host “industry town halls” to discuss matters that affect women in gaming.
Dignitas will also host complimentary, virtual education seminars for aspiring professional female gamers and streamers, as well as social media training, brand analysis, and more. TikTok star Herculyse and former World Champion Carolyn “artStar” Noquez will be featured _FE content creators.
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Garozza, who maintains the distinction of being named the only female in the Esports Insider Esports Hall of Fame, explained the need for a network like _FE in a release: “Despite a significant increase in female gamers, streamers and fans, there is still a lack of representation in media, on live streams and in competition. Through _FE we aim to ensure female gamers have the resources, role models and healthy community to empower themselves and cultivate their passion as competitors and content creators.”
Dignitas timed the announcement to coincide with Women’s Equality Day on August 26th. Further initiatives on the _FE platform will include live events, a dedicated Discord community, female and co-ed competitions, recruitment opportunities, and the creation of a female-focused gaming-centric clothing line.
Emmalee “EMUHLEET” Garrido, Founder and leader of Dignitas Fe, added: “As a young female gamer trying to find my place in the esports community, I didn’t have any females gaming role models to admire. Gaming has made a significant impact on my life and truly opened the world for me – from the more than 10 countries in which I’ve competed to the teammates from 4 countries and followers from over thirty countries throughout the globe as some of the most important relationships in my life. I’m proud that _FE will provide a platform for my team and I to share what I’ve learned over the years as top female competitors and inspire the next generation of female gamers.”
The first _FE virtual event will be a digital panel hosted live on September 30th, featuring female executives, athletes and creators from the gaming and entertainment spaces.
Esports Insider says: Festivals and all-girl teams are great ways to encourage women to get involved, but what happens when the match is over? It’s nice to see Dignitas take action that could potentially yield long-term results.