The Overwatch League finally welcomes its first pro gamer in the roster! And the professional gamer is no stranger: Kim “Geguri” Se-yeon, the best Zarya player in the world, has already made headlines before.
When the Overwatch League started and the teams were hiring their players, there was already the first controversy: Not a single female player was included. And to this day, there is not a woman among the pros in any roster.
The first woman of the Overwatch League was also the first woman of the APEX
However, a video has now surfaced in a Reddit post, in which the well-known player Kim “Geguri” Se-yeon announces that she will be joining an Overwatch League team. Which one, she did not reveal yet – only that it is a “foreign” team. So she will probably not join the roster of Seoul Dynasty. Speculation suggests that she will be joining New York Excelsior.
Geguri already caused a stir a few months ago. Back then, she became the first female player to be signed to a pro team for the Overwatch APEX. However, the APEX has now been discontinued in favor of the Overwatch League. It makes sense that Geguri can now take the position of the first pro gamer in the Overwatch League.
She first gained recognition for her strong plays as Zarya. She is considered one of the best Zarya players in the world and had been suspected of hacking in an official tournament. This incident led two other pro gamers to permanently leave the competitive scene at that time.
The problem for women – and the role model in Geguri
The fact that no women have participated in the Overwatch League so far is not due to Blizzard or the esports being generally sexist. As reported by Invenglobal, there are simply not enough female players worldwide who have managed to keep up so far.
Particularly in a tournament like the Overwatch League, this is a problem. Due to the high investment costs, team owners must ensure that their investment pays off. Moreover, many teams or players had already been successful together before, which is a significant advantage for each new team.
Geguri also did not have much success in the APEX. Her team, the ROX Orcas, finished only 13th-15th with a score of 0:3 in the fourth season of the APEX. Not the best conditions to be considered as the only professional player for the Overwatch League.
Nevertheless, Geguri has now made it into the roster of one of the official teams – and is certainly a role model for many women to recognize and utilize their talent. As reported by Invenglobal, female players are often not promoted. With Geguri’s success, this might change now.
