Tricia Sugita, CEO of FlyQuest, with a fan. Now, she’s a leading figure in the fight for equality in gaming. Tricia Sugita, CEO of League of Legends esports specialist FlyQuest–who’s taking part in the charity poker tournament–has experienced harassment throughout her career going back to her early Starcraft II days, which perpetuated as she became an interviewer and host of major esports events. “I sometimes have to show less of my personality,” Liu explains, “which both discourages men from being disrespectful, but also prevents them from overfolding just to be ‘courteous,’ when I actually welcome the competition.” It would be an ironic situation: because she’s a woman, she found herself holding back in order to play poker on the same terms as her male counterparts. Liu, whose winnings put her among the top-20 all-time female poker professionals, says that during her career, she’s given herself the “best possible chance of having mostly positive gaming experiences” by joining public games anonymously in esports, or “maintaining a no-nonsense demeanor at the poker table” when she’s there in person. Xuan Liu and Alexandra “Doc” Chauran–who now work as instructors for the organization–will feature as commentators, and both are no strangers to misogynistic experiences, despite repeatedly proving they deserve a place at both real-life and virtual card tables. “We’re thrilled to partner with the women of esports to not only raise awareness for why we need an inclusive gaming environment, but also to create a path for more women to be leaders, period.” “Like esports, many women are hesitant to get involved with poker due to the longstanding negative connotations of the game, including a sexist culture,” said Erin Lydon, managing director and GM of Poker Powher. The two-day event, which will stream live on Team Liquid’s Twitch channel, will see some of the industry’s most talented esports athletes compete at the table, including TeamLiquid League of Legends star Fasffy, Team Dignitas esports hall of famer Heather “SapphiRe” Garozzo, G2 head of talent Britanni Johnson, and CEO of Evil Geniuses Nicole LaPointe Jameson.īrokered by Poker Powher–a women-led company that aims to teach one million women how to play the world’s best card game, as well as its transferrable lessons for life and the workplace–the competition will emphasize the importance of female representation in both esports and poker: two environments where women face discrimination on a regular basis.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |