The International e-Sports Federation (IeSF) received a strong backlash when it revealed its 2014 Hearthstone, DotA 2, and Ultra Street Fighter 4 tournaments were only available to male contestants. After much internet vitriol and an impromptu board meeting, the decision to segregate gamers based on gender has been lifted.

“On 2nd of July, 2014, the IeSF’s policy about gender division, which separates the female division and the male division, has been brought into question. The IeSF has listened to the gaming community and has carefully considered their opinions…The events which were initially set aside as the male division will now be open to all genders.”

The new Open for All IeSF roster now reads:

DOTA 2

• Participating teams may consist of 5 male players, 5 female players, or mixed team.

StarCraft®II: Heart of the Swarm®

• Players of all genders can participate in the event.

Ultra Street Fighter 4

• Players of all genders can participate in the event.

Hearthstone™: Heroes of Warcraft™

• Players of all genders can participate in the event.

TEKKEN TAG TOURNAMENT 2

• Players of all genders can participate in the event.

The IeSF has decided to keep its women’s only competition open in the effort to provide “female gamers with ample opportunities to compete in e-Sports…Without efforts to improve representation, e-Sports can’t achieve true gender equality.”

My Opinion:

Yesterday, I joined in the anger and wrote a very scathing article about the IeSF and its stance on segregated e-Sports. I’m happy to say that that article had to be pulled early this morning due to this change. Video games are an art form, and one enjoyed by both men and women, yet they are commonly thought of as a “male’s only” affair by both those inside and outside the culture. That needs to change, and this is a strong step in the right direction.

---

Chad Waller is an editor at MONG who has lots of opinions. He’s currently working on a video game and sometimes likes to write stuff