Earlier this month, UK Valorant player Anna ‘Sylva’ Bruce-Doig finished third in the Valorant Game Changers EMEA Contenders esports tournament – and came close to winning it all.
The former Excel Esports and Wave player reached the upper bracket final with Cardboard Rex (also featuring ex-Excel players) and fell 2-1 to eventual winners Mad Lions Laurë, before losing to Howl Midnight in the lower bracket final to finish third. Dom Sacco caught up with Sylva to ask about the run, her time in esports so far and what’s next.
Hi Sylva! Please tell us a bit about yourself and your background.
My name is Anna ‘Sylva’ Bruce-Doig, I’m 20 years old and I have been competing in Valorant esports for three years, since before Game Changers even started, and sports in general since I was 12 in secondary school, playing for my school and county.
How did you get into esports?
During my time competing in school/county basketball between year 7-11, I was still discovering myself and my identity which only properly surfaced after secondary school. So after coming out as a transwoman, I found it difficult to continue to compete in physical sports, as society is harsh when it comes to this topic on who can compete in sports.
However, I was really into Overwatch and its esports from as early as the first World Cup, but wasn’t good enough to go anywhere in Overwatch. It wasn’t until I started college when Valorant was released in 2020, it took me a while to get into the game but later I met someone who is VERY well known nowadays: Noia.
She was the person that actually inspired me to invest more time and get into the competitive side of Valorant since there was talk of a Riot official female scene in the works. I found something that replaced that passion to compete in basketball and wanted to compete in the Game Changers scene. It was the perfect opportunity to find myself as a person and competitor.
Please reflect on Contenders and the time with your team, and their performances. You came close to winning.
After a really tough year for me, going from qualifying to the main stage in Open Quals to a rough downhill spiral to unfortunate demotion, Contenders was the last chance I had to really show my ability and play with the core teammates I’ve grown with as a player for the majority of my career.
It was a tournament I could play with a lot less pressure to perform from anything other than my own expectations. Myself and my team had full confidence we could smash through the whole bracket, but still never underestimated any of our opponents. Of course we were devastated that we couldn’t finish the tournament how we started, however, I think we performed well despite not winning, each of us still gave it our all.
I never expected to have so many people watching and supporting the Cardboard Rex / ex-Excel girls; I love them all, they each have been great friends/teammates, always helping, looking out for each other, lifting each other up and I treasure every moment/memory. It makes me believe in myself and not think I’m a failure at every setback.
What are your aims and ambitions in esports?
I aim to be one of if the best, if not the best, flex players in Valorant, starting with GC and then working my way to the big leagues.
“After coming out as a transwoman, I found it difficult to continue to compete in physical sports, as society is harsh when it comes to this topic on who can compete in sports. Through Valorant I found something that replaced that passion to compete in basketball, and wanted to compete in the Game Changers scene. It was the perfect opportunity to find myself as a person and competitor.”
Sylva
Do you have any comments on women’s esports, the state of it and perhaps the importance of Game Changers?
Women’s esports is incredible, it simply lacks proper investment from bigger parties. I believe it could be 10x as big as it is now with the proper support system and some more time to develop.
Game Changers and Valorant in general has the biggest female player base in any esport; to me it has been insanely important for myself identity, sense of belonging and overall well-being. It makes the biggest difference being comfortable in myself when it has been one of the toughest struggles in my life so far.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Just a simple thank you to my parents for letting me do what I love to do, my good friends who got me into the scene and kept me going: Noia, Reaction and Jademwah and finally my lovely girlfriend Addi, who’s been with me through the thick and thin this entire year (these are their IGNs).
Thanks for your time Sylva!
Related content: Women’s CS and Valorant Interview with Winteriio and Ne0kai at Insomnia 71
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
