‘Sexist’ Riot Games expands esports programme for women in midst of ongoing harassment claims
League Championship Series Game Changers. (Riot Games)
Riot Games is expanding their esports programme for women and marginalised genders.
The Valorant Game Changers tournament was launched in February to provide a safe and inclusive environment for Valorant players.
Now Riot are expanding it into the League Championship Series Game Changers for League of Legends players.
The aim is to create a diverse and inclusive professional ecosystem that will act as both scouting and training ground for non-male esports players to transition into amateur and professional leagues.
To begin with, Riot will select 10 skilled female players who will be divided into two teams.
For two weeks they will gain access to LCS coaching and receive advice from guest speakers on how to advance their careers.
At the end of the two weeks they will compete in a best-of-five match streamed live on the Riot Twitch channel and League of Legends esports YouTube channel.
“We understand this process can be daunting to do alone, and we’re excited to host this event that will act both as a training and scouting ground to provide women with more paths into the esports scene,” reads a statement from Riot.
“They will learn the fundamentals of becoming a pro, practice their skills, scrim against internal and external teams, and work with coaches and analysts to gain insight on how they can improve, covering topics such as Life of a Pro and Mental Resilience, to better equip them to transition into the next step of their esports career.”
Players can apply by filling out an online application that closes in the first week of September. Applicants must be residents in the United States or Canada and be 13 or older.
This initiative is in stark contrast to the internal allegations against Riot Games of sexual harassment, similar to those of Activision Blizzard which is also facing a probe into alleged workplace sexual harassment and discrimination.
Riot was recently accused of delaying the investigation against them.
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