Created by Gamers Club, the largest eSports platform in AL, competition is an opportunity to give a voice to the community and a way for brands to talk to the public.
When we talk about LGBTQIAP+ visibility, we realize that there is a long way to go in various sectors, be it the job market, advertising or even entertainment. Among so many areas, the gamer universe is one that is still in its infancy when it comes to representation. However, some movements and personalities have been looking for ways to change this reality.
In Esports, for example, we have seen personalities like Olga, Kami, Samira Close, Transcurecer and many others raising the flag of the LGBTQIAP+ community and giving voice to this audience that suffers daily prejudice. In addition to the names of electronic sports, there are also companies and movements that seek to bring the theme to the fore, as with Gamers Club.
As the largest e-sports platform in Latin America, with more than 2 million registered users, for some time now, the company realized that it had an important role to play in contributing to the LGBTQIAP+ community, as well as reinforcing its positioning in promoting equity both internally and externally in Esports scenarios. That’s how, after analyzing the scenario, she decided to create the Pride Cup – the championship with the greatest representation of the LGBTQIAP+ community -, as a way to seek the expansion of representation in the gamer universe.
“The Pride Cup made me meet wonderful people who have a lot in common with me, as well as making me feel comfortable so I don’t have to hide as I really am. I can confidently say that the Pride Cup changed my life, as I’ve been a gamer since I was a teenager and I started to believe that dreams could come true. Today, I feel very happy to be part of Gamers Club as an employee, because the experience I had in the championship was the same I had when I arrived at the company that also provides me with a work environment comfortable. Gamers Club really cares about the inclusion of minorities”, says Leona ‘LeLe’ Souza, Frontend Software Engineer and Diversity Committee participant.
Over the years, the Pride Cup, which reaches its 4th edition in June, has shown itself not only as a way to give voice to the LGBTQIAP+ community, but also as an opportunity for brands to talk to this audience, mainly due to the lack of diversity in the way of portraying the Brazilian gamer. In an environment where advertising is still very much aimed at the male, white and heterosexual audience, the championship reveals itself as a platform for inclusion in the current scenario.
For the 4th edition, which takes place between the 24th and 30th of June, Gamers Club is sponsored by Itaú, Predator and Razer. Brands will be responsible for presentation, partnership and support, respectively. According to Luiz Alberto Fiebig (Tatu), head of Games, Esports and Metaverso at Itaú Unibanco, the LGBTQIAP+ community plays an important role in the entire gaming ecosystem.
“We believe that games and esports are a tool for social transformation, which help to empower and transform many lives. The current scenario as a whole, however, needs to have more representation and different points of view to become more diverse and plural. That’s why we support the Pride Cup: it is an event that gives space for different voices to speak and puts the LGBTQIAP+ culture on the agenda. For the bank, it is very important to be in this space to listen, learn and understand how it is possible to change the game for everyone, in the most diverse way possible”.
Danilo Satander, General Marketing Manager of Predator, a partner company of the Pride Cup since its first edition in 2020, says that the movement was essential to give space and attract even more the LGBTQIAP+ community.
“It is very gratifying to be able to participate in an inclusive event like the Pride Cup. After 2 years of being a partner in the championship, we can see how important it was to start addressing diversity within Esports. From the beginning we were able to see a huge increase in the number of teams registered and participating in a championship that works as a platform for LGBTQIAP+ talent. Being part of this initiative, from the beginning, was and continues to be fundamental.”
Finally, Vitor Martins, Sales Manager at Razer in Brazil, says that, for the company, the Pride Cup proved to be a great opportunity to give visibility to the LGBTQIAP+ public.
“Razer Brasil has increasingly supported serious sustainability initiatives and social agendas, such as the Pride Cup, one of the biggest LGBTQIAP+ events in the Brazilian Esports scene. We hope that initiatives like this give voice and prominence to communities engaged in their causes. ”
In the fourth edition, the championship will bring, in addition to the CS:GO, Valorant and Wild Rift competitions, content totally aimed at the LGBTQIAP+ community, such as: live streams of the games and discussion round tables on LGBTQIAP+ diversity, the importance of visibility, how to create a more welcoming scenario, among other issues relevant to the community and the gamer scenario as a whole. All with live broadcast to be followed by everyone.
“The Pride Cup was born to be an inclusion platform for the LGBTQIAP+ audience, which suffers from great prejudice and is still underrepresented in Esports. According to the Getty Images ‘Visual GPS 2021’ survey, only 20% of global respondents said they see LGBTQIAP+ people regularly depicted in images, and when they do, the depictions are stereotypical. So, in addition to being a platform that aims to make the world of eSports possible for everyone, we also want to be an intermediary channel of communication between the community and advertisers, to show that it is important to speak to the LGBTQIAP+ audience and that this can be done safely and ethically. In addition, it is very gratifying to be able to bring not only an Esports competition, but also an educational and cultural space for society as a whole, showing that this audience does deserve respect throughout the year”, comments Vinícius Zuñiga, Commercial Vice President of Gamers Club.
