The gaming industry is a financial behemoth bringing in a reported £124.1 billion in revenues last year. One of the beneficiaries of the growth in the industry has been competitive gaming and streaming which have both grown at a phenomenal rate in recent years.
Traditionally (and incorrectly) when we think of gaming, our minds usually conjure up images of young men and teenager’s furiously bashing buttons in front of a screen. However, the current gaming landscape couldn’t be further away from that stereotype if it tried.
Instead of being a pursuit for kids and young adults, gaming tends to be something that is enjoyed by slightly older players. The average age of a gamer in the US for example is 35 and it’s not just males that play either, 45% of the market is in fact made up of female players.
In this article we pay homage to that fact by highlighting some of the brightest and most popular names in female gaming. If you feel like we have missed anyone, be sure to let us know in the comments section.
#5 Victoria Coren Mitchell
If you recognise the name, you may be surprised to see a TV host on this list, but Coren Mitchell isn’t included here for her exploits of QI or Have I Got News For You.
Instead, we have included her because of her flawless poker career that saw her inducted into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame in 2016.
After starting out playing poker online, Coren Mitchell moved into the big time when she became the first woman to win an event on the European Poker Tour. In 2006, she became the first person of any gender to win two ETP titles when she won £500,000 at the EPT in London.
Since then, she has won dozens more tournaments and featured as an expert commentator on a number of events.
With the attitudes towards gambling becoming more positive, there has been an increase in the number of females in the UK playing casino games online. More women prefer to play their favourite casino games via a mobile phone, this is mainly due to the smaller screen, so they feel more secure and private. Studies have found that women are more likely to opt for slot games rather than classic table casino games when playing online as the games are quick and convenient. However, with women like Victoria Coren Mitchell taking the poker world by storm, we hope to see more talented female gamblers take part in global tournaments and competitions.
#4 Marjorie “Kasumi Chan” Bartell
Marjorie Bartell first broke onto the scene when she took a massive win over Sarah Harrison in the Championship Gaming Series Dead or Alive. In doing so she won $55,000 and became an overnight gaming sensation.
That was only her second professional tournament after having competed the year before in 2006 and finishing as runner-up. What really puts Bartell on this list though isn’t her record of achievements, it is the nature of them.
Firstly, she competed in 2 tournaments, finishing second and then first but secondly, she appears to have disappeared off the face of the earth ever since. Currently she ranks as the 312th best Dead or Alive player in her country.
Could she be operating under a pseudonym and still reaping the benefits of her mid noughties prize money? Who knows? What we do know though, is that statistically speaking, she is one of the most successful gamers of all-time.
#3 Katherine “Mystik” Gunn
Born in 1988 in California, Gunn began playing video games at an early age before joining the female gaming clan PMS. After an acrimonious falling out with the clan, Gunn travelled to Las Vegas in 2006 for a gaming tournament where she met a number of players that would form part of her later clan.
Her first official tournament outing came in 2007 when she finished second in the Championship Gaming Series World Finals. Over the next 10 years she would compete in a number of tournaments, most famously starring in the final season of the WCG Ultimate Gamer reality TV show in which she won $100,000.
Gunn’s most successful titles were World of Warcraft and Dead or Alive. Now you can find her on YouTube playing a number of differing games.
#2 Sasha “Scarlett” Hostyn
In terms of career winnings, Sasha Hostyn is the most successful female gamer of all-time having raked in a staggering amount in prize money throughout her time on the scene.
Unlike the two previous entries on this list, Hostyn steered clear from Dead or Alive and instead chose to focus solely on the incredibly competitive Starcraft.
In 2012, with no sponsor or financial backing behind her, Hostyn entered the Playhem “Sponsor Me” Tournament which she won. That victory gifted her an all-expenses trip to IPL 4 in Las Vegas which is where she made her name as a leading gamer.
Following on from that appearance she went on to win in South Korea and has consistently found herself ranked amongst the top Starcraft players in the world.
#1 Loserfruit
Rounding off this list we turn our attentions from poker and competitive gaming to Twitch streaming.
When it comes to gaming, the ‘sweats’ who win at all costs aren’t always the most popular, sometimes people prefer to watch more light-hearted players.
That isn’t to say that Loserfruit isn’t an incredibly talented and hardworking gamer (which she most certainly is), but it is to say that she is also incredibly engaging and entertaining. The Australian streamer predominantly plays Fortnite and has racked up a following of 2.5 million.
Her streams have proved so popular that Epic Games bestowed the honour upon her of releasing a Loserfruit skin in-game. In recent years the Australian streamer has broadened her horizons and can now be found on Twitch streaming other titles such as Call of Duty.