Overwatch team Toronto Defiant will be having their Women in Gaming event on March 19.
The participating panelists will address issues that women face as gamers, the current state of women in esports and more.
Fran’s love for Overwatch
One of the panelists will be Francine “Fran” Vo, who is an Overwatch streamer and a content creator for Toronto Defiant.
Fran first signed on to become the team’s latest content creator on Feb. 1. According to an announcement, the partnership involves Fran participating in Toronto Defiant events and creating original content alongside the 2021 Overwatch League season. Fran’s involvement also includes regularly livestreaming on Toronto Defiant’s official Twitch channel.
In the past, Fran organized tier-2 and tier-3 community tournaments for Overwatch players. One of her events, known as Fran’s Overwatch Community Cup, had a total of 112 participating teams.
In terms of her advice for women who are looking to enter the esports and gaming industry, it’s: “Know your worth.”
Fran was also featured in the Toronto Defiant’s latest YouTube video, which introduced the women who help create the team. In addition to Fran, the Toronto Defiant has Angeli “Aug-Cat” Pineda as its videographer and editor, Bridget “Jaggins” Jackson as the design lead at OverActive Media and Megan “Scarlet” Teare as a community manager.
Noukky’s pivotal roles as general manager
Ysabel “Noukky” Müller is another Women in Gaming panelist. Noukky is the general manager of London Spitfire and British Hurricane. On top of that, she also works with Cloud9’s Valorant White as its team manager.
In 2020, Noukky competed and took first place alongside her teammates in the Rally for Representation tournament, which supported the women and other marginalized genders in the esports community.
As for her advice to others ahead of the Women in Gaming panel, she noted that “it’s super important to do your thing and not let others talk you down.” Noukky added how it’s important to be confident in what one can do while surrounding oneself with a good set of mentors who acknowledge hard work.
Soe’s encouraging advice
A host, commentator, analyst and interviewer, Salome “Soe” Gschwind Penski will join the upcoming panel as well. A couple of her favorite games of all time include Pokémon Blue and Red along with Quake III.
To her, the esports industry can be tough regardless of gender. However, the key is to keep going despite discouraging hurdles.
“Ask for feedback from your peers, ask for feedback from the people who hired you as well as the ones who did not,” she also noted over the Toronto Defiant introduction tweet.
Bedford’s involvement in Call of Duty
Katie Bedford, known as an esports personality, will be the final participant of Toronto Defiant’s Women in Gaming event. Previously, she was a host for the Call of Duty World League. She was also a 2019 finalist for the Esports Awards’ Host of the Year award.
Currently, she streams on Twitch and plays a variety of games. These include Call of Duty and League of Legends.
Toronto Defiant’s Women in Gaming panel will be hosted by Marissa Roberto and begin on March 19 at 6:30 PM EST. The event can be watched on the team’s YouTube channel.
