Despite esports growing at a mercurial rate in India, it remains a largely male dominated industry. Unlike most sports, esports doesn’t have separate categories for men and women and both can compete with or against each other based on merit and skill for the highest honours. Having more female participation in the industry not only ensures greater diversity but also paves the way for girls to pursue a career in esports in the future.
Godlike Girls is a female BGMI team consisting of a six member squad: Parul ‘Alpha’ Sharma (leader), Nancy ‘Clutchy’ Singh, Mannat ‘Evil’ Kudyar, Khushveen ‘Rebel’ Kaur, Aastha ‘Scar’ and Antra ‘GodLAntraà’ Tyagi. In this exclusive interview, team leader Parul ‘Alpha’ Sharma speaks about pursuing a career in esports, responsibilities as leader of Godlike Girls, encouraging more females to pursue a career in the industry, overcoming challenges, memorable achievements and future goals.
Q 1) Since there are comparatively fewer female esports athletes in India, what inspired you to pursue this field as a career option?
Esports is one of the few sports that does not require separate categories for men and women. Everyone can compete against each other equally. You can play at the highest level regardless of your gender if you have the skill.
Q 2) What are your various responsibilities as the leader of the Godlike Girls team?
As the leader of the girl’s team, my responsibilities include
1. Formulating and implementing tactics in the game
2. Analysing how the team can improve after matches
3. Organising team activities
4. Making sure that my teammates are at their mental and physical best
5. Give equal opportunities to all the players
Q 3) What must be done to encourage more females to take up esports as a career option? Do you think that esports is a lucrative industry for female gamers in India?
In recent years, esports in India has been growing rapidly, making it a lucrative industry for gamers. Conducting more large-scale tournaments for female gamers is something that would definitely encourage upcoming female gamers.
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Q 4) As a professional esports athlete, what are the various challenges that you have faced in your journey so far? How did you overcome them?
One of the major challenges I faced in my career was to convince my parents that I wanted to pursue esports professionally. Eventually, I managed to convince them once they saw the prospects for gamers. Another challenge was the lack of opportunities. GodLike played a crucial role in helping me overcome that challenge.
Q 5) How has the experience been at Godlike so far? What are some of your most memorable achievements with the team?
The experience at GodLike has been immense. They have helped us in providing the right infrastructure and opportunities. Through GodLike, our team has received the recognition we deserve. The most memorable achievement has been the first tournament we won under the GodLike banner. We showed everyone that we could repay the faith GodLike has put into us.
Q 6) What are your goals, both as an esports athlete and as a leader of Godlike Girls? How do you plan to achieve them?
Our goal is to represent India just like the GodLike Boys team did recently. Winning more tournaments will always remain a primary objective. The plan to achieve these goals is simple – give your 100%.
