IeSF Reverses Controversial Tournament Layout Amid Feedback
Yesterday, it was discovered that Assembly 2014, a gaming e-Sports event in Finland, had barred females from entry into a competitive Hearthstone tournament. It was not because of the will or wishes of Assembly, but due to the good-intended, but badly thought out procedures by the governing e-Sports body hosting the tournament; the International e-Sports Federation.
Today, IeSF took to their Facebook page to answer for their behaviour by announcing that the previously-male-only tournaments will now by considered “Main Tournaments” that are open to players of all genders, while the female-only tournaments that host Starcraft II and Tekken Tag Tournament 2 will remain.
More from News
- Heroes of the Storm North America Spring Regional Recap
- No Man’s Sky Pre-orders Up Thursday…Or Not?
- MLB The Show 16 Highlights 40 Assorted Improvements
- Rock Band 4 May Come To PC Via Fig Campaign
- Play As Quiet In New Metal Gear Solid V DLC
“Our reason for maintaining events for women only is that we acknowledge the imporance [sic] of providing women with ample opportunities to compete in e-Sports, a currently male-dominated industry,” the IeSF representative stated. “Without efforts to improve female representation in e-Sports events, we can’t achieve true gender equality.
“However, we realize that hosting a ‘male-only’ competition is not the right way to go – as we stated, the industry is already male-dominated. The fact that a female-only competition is being held for the reason stated above doesn’t mean that there is a need to define the main competitions as ‘male-only’.
“Therefore, we have decided to remove ‘male-only’ competitions. This means the upcoming IeSF World Championship will host tournaments in 2 sections: an ‘open-for-all’ section which is open for all genders (replacing men-only competitions), and a female-only tournaments as stated previously.”
First off, good on IeSF to reverse their archaic layouts. When it comes to video games, especially like Hearthstone that don’t necessarily require twitch gameplay, the playing field for men and women is considerable more level than it would be in professional athletic sports, like basketball, football and hockey. Additionally, it allows a more passive and welcoming option for women just getting into the competitive scene to participate in female-only tournament, then move up into the all genders league of play once their skills improve enough.
However, it took the IeSF to receive massive backlash on social media to understand their wrongdoings in the matter. If it weren’t for the several media reports released yesterday discussing the matter, the IeSF would likely have kept business as usual going forward with this tournament, despite a concern from those in gaming in the days leading up to Assembly 2014. Thankfully, now that the issue has been dealt with, female competitors can put the past behind them and get in on the Hearthstone action.
—————————
Want to get the latest gaming news wherever you may be? Download the official Fansided App on the App Store or Google Play Market today to stay up-to-date on the latest news and rumors from GameSided without even being at a computer. You can also sign up for our newsletter below to get daily updates send straight to your e-mail. And don’t forget to connect with us on Twitter @Gamesideddotcom.
Looking to write about video games? Join us at GameSided! Contact me to apply or if you have any inquiries/tips: daniel.george@fansided.com.