Esports: Londonderry girl gamers recognised for challenging stereotypes

Orlaith and Erin impressed Digital Schoolhouse judges with their take on what its like to be an all-girls team

"It is 18 or 19-year old men we are playing against - and then I bring in my little girls."

An all-girls team of gamers from a Londonderry secondary school are using their video game nous and know-how to challenge stereotypes in the male-dominated world of esports.

The St Mary's College team formed five years ago and membership is thriving.

Their pioneering story - as told by 13-year-old teammates Orlaith Henry and Erin Campbell - is to be shared with thousands of esports enthusiasts after the girls won a UK gaming industry journalism prize.

The Derry school believes its team is Northern Ireland's only all-girls esports team. This is what impressed the judges.

Orlaith and Erin wrote about "how we are an all-girls team and the competitions and opportunities we are getting," Orlaith told BBC Radio Foyle's The North West Today programme.

"Not a lot of people think girls can play video games," she said.

"I think they think it is more a wee boys' thing than a wee girls' thing, that's the opinions people have, it is really stupid. We are representing girls and playing video games".

The girls were named winners of the journalism prize at the Digital Schoolhouse event in London earlier this month. Their article will be published in the coming weeks by Esports News UK.

Digital Schoolhouse is a schools based initiative run by UK games industry trade body UKIE.

According to UKIE, women and girls make up 42% of gamers in the UK.

But at the elite level of esports - competitive video gaming - male players dominate in a hugely lucrative and growing market.

Hundreds of millions of people play and watch esports worldwide, with plenty of big brands involved in partnerships, and it was also showcased at the Commonwealth Games.

The St Marys pupils were named winners at a major esports event in London earlier this month

Erin is also adamant being a girl should not be a barrier when it comes to gaming.

"Gender doesn't have a part of it - anybody can do whatever they want to, as long as they have fun and enjoy what they doing it is fine," she said.

She joined St Mary's recently. Joining the team has been important, she said.

"I joined St Mary's at the start of 2022. The friends I have made there are already part of the school - and they started telling me about the after school club".

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Esports News UK editor and founder Dominic Sacco commended the girls' prize-winning journalism for being "engaging, well written, and with humour in there as well".

"All the entries were good, but this was different," he said.

"I think the angle, Northern Ireland's only all-girls esports team, was really interesting. It was fun to read".

English teacher Rebecca Poole says getting more girls involved will help "level the playing field"

He said there had been issues in esports with the number of women competing at the top level, but "more women are now coming to the fore".

"Esports is for all, we just need to get more women in these teams at the top level," he said.

St Mary's teacher Rebecca Poole hopes the pioneering gamers inspire other girls to get involved.

"We turn up to tournaments, and it still happens, it's 18 or 19-year old men we are playing against and then I bring in my little girls," she explained.

"We have that ongoing issue where we are not equally matched - it can be quite difficult for the girls going in but they still have a great time.

"We would love to see more girls competing," she continued.

As more girls get involved, she added, they will help "level the playing field".