First female Overwatch player ever ‘Geguri’ joins the Shanghai Dragons
The Korean eSports team the Shanghai Dragons has just on-boarded their first female pro-player for their Overwatch league roster.
Kim Se-yeon, known as her tag Geguri, was the youngest player to enter APEX, a highly competitive South Korean gaming series, at 17-years-old.
Geguri has joined the team after being involved in other professional Overwatch fellowships.
Being a woman in the gaming community means you’re open to facing discriminatory backlash, much like Geguri was accused of cheating while playing her character, Zarya. She debunked these rumors by livestreaming while playing, causing some players to quit the Overwatch league themselves.
It's cold here. Come on in pic.twitter.com/Un0c5jnoqN
— Geguri [게구리] (@Geguri2) March 5, 2018
The Shanghai Dragons are notorious for losing their matches, but Geguri might be the lucky charm the team has been needing.
They’re currently struggling with a record of 0-8, but Geguri has brought a little bit of sunshine to the mix. Recently, the Shanghai Dragon’s coach stepped down, bringing in waves of possible new success.
Staff change: Effective immediately, Chen Congshan “U4” steps down as the head coach of Shanghai Dragons. He will formally leave the post after a transition period of one week. Current assistant coach Sun Jun Young “Kong” will act as a stand-in coach.
— Shanghai Dragons (@ShanghaiDragons) March 6, 2018
A couple of players have joined but have not yet made their debut yet. From DBLTap:
“Fans have been eagerly anticipating Geguri’s arrival in America and in the Overwatch League for some time. After rumors went around, it was confirmed by the Shanghai Dragons that Geguri would be joining the team, along with Lee “Fearless” Euiseok, Chon “Ado” Gihyeon, and He “Sky” Junjian.”
https://twitter.com/ShanghaiDragons/status/963640842580905984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dbltap.com%2Fposts%2F5997315-shanghai-dragons-geguri-will-apparently-arrive-in-america-next-week
Although Geguri has never spoken openly about the lack of women gamers in the community, previously stating that being a woman has little to do with why she hasn’t been taken seriously before this.
I spoke to Geguri this morning regarding Kotaku's @Vahn16 faulty report on no women being chosen for #OverwatchLeague. Geguri told me not getting signed to a OWL team had nothing to do with her being a woman. Further, she is uncomfortable with the controversy itself. pic.twitter.com/jfXGW9L6B0
— Rod Breslau (@Slasher) January 11, 2018
But regardless of her previous position, these changes are sure to bring a lot more success and shape the future of the Shanghai Dragons, and eSports as a whole.
Geguri’s addition will bring positive changes to the team and the Overwatch community as a whole, bringing to light the gaps we hadn’t addressed in the past.