Women in Esports Panel Recap – Running an esports tournament

Bryony-Hope

5 min read | 20 Jul 2021

Last week, we hosted the first Women in Esports panel hosted by Emily ‘Perkz’ Perkins, with guests Jasmine ‘Veracity’ Kanuga (Freelance host, caster, and tournament admin) and Stacey Holbrook (Regional Esports Manager at EGL). The topic of discussion was about running an esports tournament, and what it entails to work in tournament operations.

You can watch the full stream back on our YouTube channel, or check out some of the highlights below. 

First off, Jasmine and Stacey gave a brief introduction to themselves and their work, before moving into how they actually got started within esports.

Each individuals’ journey into the industry is different, but perseverance is key to ensuring that you can achieve what you strive to do. This is exactly what both Jasmine and Stacey showcase through their intro stories. 
Within esports, volunteering is a very common way to get yourself known, as well as getting experience. Jasmine spoke about how she started volunteering in esports, and then used that to develop her freelance career. In terms of actually organising and running an esports tournament, there are challenges that come with the process. However, it is important not to focus on the negatives, and ensure that you are as prepared as possible to do your role within the tournament.

Stacey discussed the most important thing to overcome when being involved in tournament running, and how this relates to player experience.
As with any role in esports, there are common misconceptions about what actually goes into being a tournament admin. Both Jasmine and Stacey have experienced these things first-hand, and spoke about their thoughts on these perceptions.
Some of these misconceptions also link to the representation of women within the esports industry, and how they can be deemed to not know what they’re doing in a male-dominated industry.

However, individuals like Jasmine and Stacey are just a few women in esports that showcase their talents and encourage others to get involved too. To do this, they both overcame the initial judgement put on them from others in the industry, and developed their confidence to rise up in their role.This transcends into a wide range of careers, and isn’t exclusive to esports. Emily, a physics teacher, talks about the representation of women in the scientific fields and how that can correlate across various industries. On top of all of this, making sure you are flexible is one of the most important things to consider when going into esports. Jasmine has worked in various different roles throughout her esports career so far, and this has opened up doors for various opportunities. The more you can get involved in during your time in a role, the more skills you can develop that can help you out in future endeavours – which is reflected in self-development. 

Jasmine gives her advice on getting into esports, and how you can develop your work through different experiences. 
The full panel is available now to watch on our YouTube channel, and be sure to follow Emily, Jasmine and Stacey on their socials to see more of their esports journey!

Interested in keeping up to date with more Women in Esports content? Make sure you drop us a follow across our BEA social media channels and join our very own Women in Esports Discord server.

Want to see a specific topic covered in a future panel? Drop us a message in our discord server, or contact us on Twitter with your ideas!