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In this special series of in-depth articles, Esports News UK, in collaboration with the betting partner GGBET UK, delves into the stories, moments, and personalities that have left a lasting impression on the past, present, and future of the UK esports scene.
In this article, Hannah Marie lists, in her opinion, five of the most impactful women in esports around the world.
Intelligent, influential, and integral to the fabric of esports, women have been building a better industry since the dawn of competitive video games. However, widespread appreciation for their contributions has not always been vocalised, publicised, or celebrated.
Women face many additional challenges to reach the top of the esports ecosystem, several of which have been experienced by those listed below. Whether it be sexism and misogyny, higher standards to meet before reaching acceptance, or female-specific health challenges, the industry must continue to work to break down these barriers and welcome the wealth of experience that women have to offer.
From League of Legends to Counter-Strike and from the gaming chair to the analyst desk, here are five talented women who every esports fan should know. After all, they greatly contributed – and continue to contribute – to the communities we know and love.
Christine ‘potter’ Chi
History is full of firsts, but few can claim to have as many firsts as Christine ‘potter’ Chi (pictured, top). Her achievements span both Counter-Strike and Valorant, from competitive play and coaching to broadcast talent. In 2005, she began competing in women’s Counter-Strike at the age of 19. By 2012, the American had won the Women’s Electronic Sports World Cup five times. She retired from competitive Counter-Strike in 2018 after winning a total of nine qualifiers and tournaments, including six Electronic Sports World Cup Women’s titles and the World Electronic Sports Games 2018 Female Counter-Strike title.
After retiring from professional play, she became a member of the Counter-Strike broadcast team until 2020. However, she could be kept out of the gaming chair for long. In 2020, she became an active Valorant pro, playing for Evil Geniuses through 2021 and becoming a member of the first mixed-gender Valorant roster in the game’s history. She then moved to become their head coach, where she quickly became the first woman to win an international Valorant match as a coach towards the end of the 2021 season.
If you thought Christine’s list of ‘firsts’ ended there, you would be sorely mistaken. In August 2023, she became the first female coach to win a major esports championship, coaching Evil Geniuses to become the 2023 Valorant Champions. That same year, she won both the Esports Coach of the Year Award from the Esports Awards and Best 2023 Esports Coach by the Game Awards – the first woman to win both of these titles. Her ability to grow and develop a roster, from what was considered one of the worst in pro Valorant, to world champions, will be respected for years to come.
Jorien ‘Sheever’ van der Heijden
True strength is often found in hardship, and the queen of Dota, Jorien ‘Sheever’ van der Heijden, can overcome the toughest of battles.
She began her journey into esports from a village in the Netherlands, jostling for time on a PC shared with her siblings. Her passion for games grew and evolved as she successfully completed her education and began a sales career, but when Dota’s beta keys were released, she found her home. From 2012, she became involved in casting, presenting, and interviewing on Dota broadcasts, and is known for her humour and infectious personality.
Sheever is woven into the fabric of Dota’s history, having earned immense respect amongst fans for her in-depth knowledge and acute understanding of the game. However, 2017 brought the biggest challenge any person can face: cancer.
She recalled her sister telling her after receiving the diagnosis: “You’ve allowed people to be there during your good times – when you were at your best – why not allow them to also be there for you when you are at your worst, and when you are heading for bad times.”
So, Sheever shared every step of her journey with the Dota 2 community. Her blog, which is still available to read at sheevergaming.com, detailed the process of being diagnosed with breast cancer, beginning treatment, chemotherapy, reconstructive surgery, and the support that she received during this time. From comments on stream to Dota’s Reddit admins adding a pink flair to any posts mentioning her name in the text, gamers worldwide rallied to be by her side in whatever way they could.
To survive cancer is a fight in itself, but to maintain such honesty, vulnerability, and determination to remain present in the esports community is a feat that should never be underestimated. Even in the midst of her treatment, she returned to the desk for The International 2017. Sheever demonstrated the strength that women in esports possess, even through the most difficult of challenges. She continues to be a core member of the Dota 2 community and maintains a strong presence on all major Dota broadcasts, including the recent ESL One Birmingham 2024. Her cancer is in remission, and long may her presence in esports continue.
Stephanie ‘MissHarvey’ Harvey
Former professional Counter-Strike player, game developer, and advocate Stephanie ‘MissHarvey’ Harvey has changed the landscape for women in esports and gaming, relentlessly campaigning to appreciate and invest in women within video game culture. She entered the esports scene in the early 2000s, and would go on to be a five-time world champion in women’s Counter-Strike. However, her achievements as a professional player are only the beginning of her story.
Canadian Stephanie Harvey has founded, managed, and guided multiple organisations within the gaming space, many of which are directly related to the support and advocation of women in esports. In 2011, she founded the women’s Counter-Strike team ‘UBINITED’, sponsored by her then-employer Ubisoft. The team went on to win the Electronic Sports World Cup Women’s Counter-Strike title that same year. She also co-founded the organisation ‘Missclicks’ in 2013, an online community dedicated to supporting and uplifting geeks and gamers alike through its online content and shows. Their YouTube channel included board game, Dungeons and Dragons, and Podcast content, among much more, and platformed the diversity found within geek culture. She also founded ELEVEY, a digital citizenship brand that raises funds and awareness for charities tackling issues such as cyberbullying and promotes healthy online interactions.
Her strong activism and pioneering of inclusivity landed her on the Forbes 30 under 30 list in 2013 and the BBC’s 100 Women list in 2016. She currently continues her work within the esports and gaming space as the Chief Culture Officer at FlyQuest, a spokesperson for DreamHack Montreal, and a contributor to the International Olympic Committee’s Esports Group.
Frankie Ward
Presenter, host, advocate, interviewer, gamer, producer, and mother – is there anything Frankie Ward cannot do? In 2015, Frankie was producing coverage of the League of Legends Worlds Quarter Finals for the BBC when her eyes opened to the prospect of making gaming her career. Beginning her time in the esports limelight as an occasional on-stage relief for hosts as they took their breaks, it quickly became apparent that she had an extraordinary ability to engage a crowd.
Since becoming a full-time host in 2018, it is almost easier to list the esports titles that she hasn’t worked in. Frankie has become one of the most recognisable faces in UK esports, with her curly hair bouncing into frame on screens around the globe. From being told by a former BBC coworker that her personality was “too much” (per this NME interview) to her character being beloved by gamers everywhere, she proves that to be bold is to be brilliant.
Frankie strongly advocates for inclusion and appreciation of diversity, which continued after she became a mother in 2021. As a British woman in a chaotic, pressured, and highly public position in the esports industry, there is no easy way to juggle career and motherhood. Nevertheless, Frankie has both maintained her presence on stage and continued to be vocal about diversity and inclusion, regardless of where life takes her.
She has also been very open about the extreme challenges that accompany pregnancy and motherhood. For example, it is not advisable to fly in the more advanced stages of pregnancy. This forced Frankie to give up certain international opportunities for her and her unborn daughter’s safety. The physical and mental demands of pregnancy and childbirth must also be balanced. Her openness about these experiences, seen in Frankie’s 2022 interview with Esports News UK, is vital to creating a better understanding of supporting women within their esports careers.
Ashley Kang
One of the most recognisable journalists and interviewers in esports, Ashley Kang has become a League of Legends icon. Before launching her esports career, Ashley had no experience in the world of journalism. In 2018, she quit her job as a software developer in New Zealand, moving to South Korea to cover the LCK League of Legends circuit.
Her insightful, respectful, and intelligent interview style and talented eye for content has landed her prominent roles on broadcast and beyond. In 2022, she published an article on Ashley Kang’s personal Medium page detailing her meticulous process for preparing and executing interviews. The article takes a deep dive into how she develops such an informed and empathetic approach to her interviews, contributing to the quality of her journalistic output.
Through her content and various platforms, Ashley Kang has made critical contributions to uniting the League of Legends community around the world, making information about different regions accessible to all. Her content platform, Korizon Esports, regularly publishes video interviews with professional players in various languages, bringing the lives of pro players closer to fans than ever before. The Korizon Esports and Korizon Daily YouTube channels have a total of 89.53k subscribers, alongside Ashley’s own 10.6k channel.
Her contributions towards raising the bar for journalistic quality and efforts to unite the League of Legends community have not gone unrecognised. She won the coveted title of Esports Content Creator of the Year in 2021 from the Esports Awards, and proceeded to also win Esports Journalist of the Year in 2022.
Of course, there are many other impactful women in esports than could ever be put into writing. Every effort made to make esports a better space, no matter how big or small, should be celebrated.
For those who may be learning about Christine Chi, Jorien van der Heijden, Stephanie Harvey, Frankie Ward, or Ashley Kang for the first time, please follow their ventures in the future. If you knew these women and their contributions before reading, continue to celebrate and appreciate them and the many other women in esports.
Gaming and esports are for everyone, and every positive drop adds to a tidal wave of change.
For more, see our article on the history of women’s esports in the UK here. Stay tuned for more articles powered by GGBET UK, and see even more UK esports history content here:
Hannah is a writer specialising in the esports, gaming, and technology sectors. Working for companies such as Lionscreed Esports, Esports Insider, and SideQuest Hub she has developed a love for wider esports and Apex Legends, although it may never surpass her drive to passionately beat her friends in every game of Mariokart. You may have seen her at various esports and gaming events, including ESI London, EGX, Discover: Esports and many League of Legends watch parties.
