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Cal Women in Gaming (a UC Berkeley student club) has been around for 2 years now; as one of its officers, I'd love to see more communities like ours.
For collegiate gaming leaders/educators, here's:
Why your school should have a women in gaming club! [1/12]
For collegiate gaming leaders/educators, here's:
Why your school should have a women in gaming club! [1/12]
First, what is a women in gaming club?
> Cal Women in Gaming (CWG) is run by an officer board of ~8 students. Our two co-presidents are paid hourly thanks to Cal Esports sponsors, the rest are unpaid.
> Our primary online social space is our 200-member Discord server. [2]
> Cal Women in Gaming (CWG) is run by an officer board of ~8 students. Our two co-presidents are paid hourly thanks to Cal Esports sponsors, the rest are unpaid.
> Our primary online social space is our 200-member Discord server. [2]
> Our officer board organizes social events, a one-on-one mentorship program, professional development workshops, and gaming industry networking events.
> We host at least one event a week, usually more.
> We're open to Cal students of all genders. [3]
> We host at least one event a week, usually more.
> We're open to Cal students of all genders. [3]
So, why are these clubs so important?
Many women on your college campus aren't comfortable joining your "general" gaming/esports organizations.
Spaces for students of marginalized genders provide a unique kind of support, which doesn't exist in those "general" clubs. [4]
Many women on your college campus aren't comfortable joining your "general" gaming/esports organizations. Spaces for students of marginalized genders provide a unique kind of support, which doesn't exist in those "general" clubs. [4]
Finding a community is a huge reason people get involved with collegiate gaming clubs.
In "general" spaces, making friends and fitting in takes a lot more effort for non-male students, for a few reasons. [5]
In "general" spaces, making friends and fitting in takes a lot more effort for non-male students, for a few reasons. [5]
Male students are a vast majority in most university gaming clubs. /This isn't inherently bad,/ but it can be intimidating for gender minority students; most of them already have negative experiences related to gaming + their gender by the time they come to college. [6]
Our club creates a space where students of marginalized genders feel supported. Within CWG, members can just exist as people who enjoy gaming, without constantly feeling the pressure of "representing" their gender or "proving" their skill/validity in our space. [7]
They can also find people who understand their struggles within the gaming industry and community at large.
It's tiring (and isolating) to always be responsible for explaining issues with representation in games, or why certain behavior/language is problematic. [8]
It's tiring (and isolating) to always be responsible for explaining issues with representation in games, or why certain behavior/language is problematic. [8]
In CWG, no single person has to constantly stick their neck out and put themselves in that position.
Thus:
women in gaming clubs serve needs that aren't addressed by "general" esports/gaming programs. [9]
Thus:
women in gaming clubs serve needs that aren't addressed by "general" esports/gaming programs. [9]
Even if your "general" club strives to be inclusive, organizations specifically created for marginalized genders have a completely different dynamic.
The idea that schools don't need this type of club because they have some women in their general spaces already is false. [10]
The idea that schools don't need this type of club because they have some women in their general spaces already is false. [10]
I used to think that too, but I now know that clubs like CWG are 100% necessary to grow collegiate gaming.
The majority of CWG members do NOT participate in ANY other gaming club on campus. CWG is simply the only one that creates an environment that they want to be in. [11]
The majority of CWG members do NOT participate in ANY other gaming club on campus. CWG is simply the only one that creates an environment that they want to be in. [11]
In conclusion,
If your school has a large gaming community, there are tons of students of marginalized genders that you're not seeing. Make space for them, and they'll show up! [12/12]
If your school has a large gaming community, there are tons of students of marginalized genders that you're not seeing. Make space for them, and they'll show up! [12/12]
That's all for this thread! Hope it's helpful, feel free to reply/DM with any questions!
I really want to see more collegiate women in gaming clubs. At Cal, we're super fortunate to have the resources to keep making CWG the best it can be. (S/O @CORSAIR)
I really want to see more collegiate women in gaming clubs. At Cal, we're super fortunate to have the resources to keep making CWG the best it can be. (S/O @CORSAIR)
If you're interested in starting a women in gaming club at your own university, but don't know how to begin, @thorontaur and i will be tweeting another thread soon^TM about exactly what our programming looks like.
in the meantime, drop us a follow at @CalWomenGaming ! :3
in the meantime, drop us a follow at @CalWomenGaming ! :3
also: i've used "women" + "marginalized genders" in this post so i want to clarify: i'm not saying being non-binary = being feminine, that's not true + when i say we're open to all genders i literally mean all regardless of expression; i know thats not reflected in our name tho
