Why are there no female pro players in Call of Duty?
So recently, I watched a video by League of Legends Youtuber “Nicolai” titled “Why Is There No FEMALE PLAYERS In Pro League of Legends?” and it really got me thinking, why are there no female players in pro Call of Duty?
1. Females are the minority
When you look at the numbers, professional players or players at a high skill level make up a very small percentage of the overall Call of Duty community as is the case with many games. It is extremely hard to get to that level of play, only a handful of people out of the entire player base end up making it. Females in the CoD community and especially those who are actually competing are very limited in numbers, which makes the chances of there being a female professional player even less likely.
As in most cases regardless of gender, it can be intimidating and hard to find your way into the competitive scene if you don’t already know someone that is involved themselves. Which leads onto the second point of my list.
2. Harassment and Abuse
I know from personal experience as do many other female players that abuse is very a prominent part of competing. Although most of us have developed a thick skin as most people do in esports, it can be very off putting to receive a daily barrage of abuse for something that you cannot control or change — your gender. This leads many female players to retreat into their own bubble to avoid this kind of toxicity which can include female-only teams, female-only tournaments and leagues etc.
Players become reliant and comfortable in these environments and become very reluctant to branch out from them in fear of having a similar experience again. This becomes especially noticeable when you are successful in these tournaments. If you could compete in a specific circle and win money for it, would you leave?
3. Female-only tournaments/Leagues
Female-only tournaments have always been a controversial subject in esports. They seem to have a huge cons and pros list, on one hand they help female players get into the scene without being harassed but on the other hand they hinder the skill progression of the female scene itself.
Female exclusive tournaments reward people for being the best of a small minority rather than celebrating and rewarding being the best overall. Despite the huge controversies of the subject, the ultimate goal is to get more people included and have fun even if it means that most female players segregate themselves from the rest of the community. However in the end it all comes down to if the players are having fun or not.
4. Lack of Participation in the CWL structure
Although tournament organisers such as the Female Pro League attract a lot of female teams and players into their tournaments/leagues this participation unfortunately does not transfer to CWL sanctioned events and tournaments.
While many players and teams still play at CWL events again it is a much smaller amount than the ones shown in the FPL and it’s rare to see a female team playing or doing well in a 2000 series tournament.
Although Call of Duty currently does not have a ‘Path to Pro’ similar the one that the Overwatch League has, the closest we have at present is the Pro point system. Pro points give teams seeding for events and certain online tournaments yet female participation is scarce.
Overall in order to see a Female in a Pro position we need to encourage more girls to join the majority and play the system that is currently set out. This isn’t to say that female only leagues should be abandoned but it should be used as a stepping stone for players rather than a permanent fixture.
