Features correspondent
Professional female video gamer Shan Chen used to encounter men who didn’t think she could play – now she leaves those opponents in the dust. In the video above, Danny Vincent discovers what life is like for a gifted female e-sports team in China.
E-sports – or professional, competitive video game-playing – is a booming industry worldwide. Last year, it produced nearly $500 million in revenue, and that number could reach billions more in just a couple years.
Nowhere else is the industry taking off faster than in China, which has long been a global hotspot for competitive video gaming. “E-athletes” quit jobs and drop out of school to pursue their dream of fame and fortune as famous gamers.
But for China’s up-and-coming wave of professional gamers, there are some who are facing roadblocks: female players. Despite hours of training, women face sexism in the form of fewer opportunities and fewer earnings than their male counterparts.
BBC video journalist Danny Vincent talked to members of an all-female team of players in Shanghai – Shan Chen and Ding Ding – capturing their emotion about the sacrifices they’ve faced, and their jubilation when they win in a tournament.
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