Gamers: Queens playing in the big leagues

 A collage of female gamers in Kenya.

It can be challenging to enter the gaming industry, and it can be especially difficult for women.

So in honour of International Women's Day, we choose to recognise the gamers who are excelling and establishing a name for themselves in the field and beyond, proving that gaming transcends gender.

Sylvia Gathoni (Queen Arrow)

Famously known as Queen Arrow, Gathoni has broken barriers far and beyond. She began her competitive career with the Mortal Kombat XL tournament at the inaugural edition of the East African Gaming Convention and since then she has not looked back.

"I have been on the down low for a while since I am sitting my bar exams next week," she says.

"But just a recap of the last few months, I made the Forbes Under 30 list. In July, I was a gold medalist at the CANOC Esports Series in Guadeloupe."

Gathoni is also a public speaker in regard to gaming and esports.

"I have been to Rwanda for the Generation Connect Youth Summit, the UK for the Commonwealth Esports Forum, Saudi Arabia for the Next World Forum and South Africa for Africa Games Week. In October of last year, I became a Red Bull Athlete. This year, I made the Business Daily's Top 40 Under 40 Women's list."

Gathoni is also the brand ambassador for @PhilipsGamingEU new gaming line, Evnia.

Clara Mbithi (Chimpmunk~ssi)

Her moniker in the gaming world is Chimpmunk~ssi. She describes herself as a hardcore gamer, a professional gamer who sinks their teeth in any game to finish and learn everything about the game but unlike a professional gamer, she does not thrive in competitive environments but works with a sense of obsession.

Clara plays simulation games such as The Sims, Civilisation, and Rise of Empires and world builder games like Cities Skylines.

She started gaming ages ago. "I started gaming pretty early in my childhood. My dad got us a Sega Mega and I could not have enough of it. I game because it is my escape, I can explore and exercise my curiosity. For example, I have always loved architecture and the idea of building houses." she says.

"I cannot build infinite houses in real life but in The Sims, I can build Mansions to commercial buildings to tinnie tiny off-grid houses. With Cities Skylines, I can build an entire world."

 Clara Mbithi

Samantha Njeri (Someothergirl)

Samantha, popularly known as Someothergirl, is a gamer, content creator and streamer.

"I love playing games such as FIFA but I am currently focused on playing Apex Legends. I started off playing games with my siblings as a hobby but slowly graduated," she says.

She scoffs at the idea that gaming is a boys' thing and assures any upcoming female gamer that there is enough cake for everyone to get a piece.

"This stereotype is prevalent in society especially here in Kenya that it discourages ladies from gaming but like any skill, you learn. The best part about gaming is that there are different genres of games and they come with all sorts of learning curves," she says.

Someothergirl has showcased her prowess time and again as she had the opportunity to participate in a few tournaments including the Tusker Nexters and the qualifiers for the CommonWealth eSports Championships. However, she did not make it through the initial stages.

"I also represented Kenya in a FIFA Ultimate Team friendly against a fellow gamer girl from Ghana that I won. I become a Twitch Affiliate last year in September and I am a growing gaming content creator on TikTok with over a million views," she says.

 Samantha Njeri

Naomi (Adii White)

Her gaming tag, goes by Adii white and she majorly plays Apex Legend and she plays as Lifeline.

Apex Legends is an online multiplayer battle royale game featuring squads of three players using pre-made characters with distinctive abilities, called 'Legends'.

Naomi says gaming chose her and not the other way around, and reiterates that she is not a competitive person but plays for fun. As an alternative, she became a streamer on twitch and has already worked with some companies like @moviejabber.

"I used to watch my brother play and due to my curiosity I would learn a trick or two; I got hooked, but school came first. It was not until finishing high school that I went back to gaming.

The challenge that women go through in this industry is the fact that there were no opportunities a while back but some organisations have stepped up and have levelled the playground for both genders."