Women’s Impact in League of Legends Esports
Women’s Impact in League of Legends Esports
By: Amber Wallis
(Image Credit: RiotGames.com, 2022)
League of Legends is a free 2d multiplayer game, including a variety of champions and game modes for players to experience. This game has been popular since its release in 2008, and some of its notable events are the esports tournaments, with Worlds being the most popular amongst fans. These tournaments allow professional players to showcase their talent and commitment while collaborating with teammates. League of Legends esports has remained popular for a while now, but there is still a lack of equality among players, and professional women players have faced harsher treatment than male players due to prejudices.
It all started when I walked into the Ohlone Library. I had just finished my class and was looking for a table to sit at. Just when I sat down, I saw a student watching a video in front of me. I instantly recognized the dark green background of Summoner’s Rift, the overlay of the esports team’s statistics, and the announcer talking in the corner of the video. I had completely forgotten about esports until that moment. Little did I know how much this would affect me. Instead of witnessing the fast-talking announcers and shocking gameplays that I remembered, I would instead be swept into a world focused on toxic professional players, unsportsmanlike and unprofessional behavior, and worst of all, few to no advancements for equality for female players in League of Legends esports.
This year is League of Legends’ 15th year of esports. Over time, women have expanded their roles in esports and created a variety of opportunities to showcase their talent. In the past, there have only been a few professional women players, such as Maria “Remilia” Creveling. On the other hand, others like Eefje “Sjokz” Depoortere still participate in esports by hosting tournaments. All-women teams, such as G2 Hel and Team Vitality’s Rising Bees, have also been created and participate in smaller competitions. Participating in matches is challenging for women due to the lack of outreach, but opportunities from previous players or support from others have helped women contribute to League of Legends esports.
Remilia was the first transgender player and first woman to ever participate in League of Legends’ LCS (League of Legends Championship Series). She helped team Renegades qualify for LCS in the spring of 2016 and played a few games, then quit after week 4 of the tournament due to online harassment. She often played in a support role during games, and over time, she played expertly with certain in-game champions. Remilia paved the way for many women to pursue their goals and demonstrated the challenges of participating in male-dominated competitions.
For all-women teams, G2 Hel was created in 2022 and aims to support women in esports. They are focused on creating an environment with equal and fair opportunities. So far, G2Hel has won trophies in Rising Stars: Northern Europe, Equal eSports Cup 2024, and Pathfinders. G2 Hel and Vitality Rising Bees also plan to participate in future competitions such as the League of Legends Game Changers Rising (LGC), which is the first EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) all-women’s tournament hosted by Riot Games. This event began on September 13, 2025, and will continue throughout October, with its grand final on October 30 at Paris Game Week. Paris Game Week is the largest game show in France, and it offers a variety of games to watch and workshops to participate in. Game Changers Rising marks a significant milestone in recognizing women in esports, highlighting the growing visibility and inclusion of women within the industry.
(Image Credit: mastercard.com, 2023)
On the other hand, women like Eefje Depoortere have been involved in different esports aspects. She has participated in a variety of competitions for other games, such as Unreal Tournament, before moving towards broadcasting and hosting tournaments. Today, she is known for hosting the League of Legends World Championship and the League of Legends European Championship (LEC). Eefje has interviewed professional players and worked closely with them and other figures in the esports industry. Also, she has been cast to host for League of Legends Worlds this year, which will take place in China on October 14. There have been notable participations of women in esports, and their contributions have made League of Legends esports more accessible and open to all.
Still, negativity persists among other professional players and discourages women from participating or playing the game at all. Recently, professional player Gabriël Rau, or Bwipo, shared his view on women in competitive gaming environments. Bwipo is currently playing for FlyQuest and has participated in esports since 2017. He is known for previously playing in a variety of teams and for his impressive performances during competitions. When Bwipo isn’t competing, he often streams on Twitch, and during one of his streams in September 2025, a viewer asks, “Answer if you want, but do you have any thoughts on why there aren’t any women pro players?” In response, Bwipo shares that “…even men just tilt out of their minds when they’re playing League of Legends. So, when a woman is on the wrong part of the month and playing competitively, there is a time of the month where you should not be playing competitive games as a woman, in my opinion.” Here, he refers to the wrong time of the month as when a woman is on their period. This statement shocked players online, including Eefje Depoortere, who has worked with him for more than 10 years. Many users online remarked on his views as sexist and pointed out his lack of public awareness or knowledge of the subject. As usual, some people supported and opposed his ideas. Many agreed with him to support their favorite player. Some believed that it was okay for him to say his thoughts, as everyone had the freedom of speech. But is it really his opinion when his thoughts were supported by misguided science? He also claims menstrual cycles as “the wrong part of the month,” and this demonstrates the use of surface-level stereotypes of periods among our community today. On the other hand, content creators such as itsvirtualdiva, Eefje Depoortere, and more used their social media platforms to spread awareness regarding Bwipo’s statement. Other users on social media created sarcastic videos, featuring players logging out of their accounts and into their “period accounts” or commenting that they can no longer play League of Legends on “the wrong part of the month.” This event highlights the need to educate all, regardless of their job, position in life, or status, and it is necessary to understand others without generalizing situations for women.
(Image Credit: LoLesports.com)
Bwipo’s public statement led to his punishment for the next series in the LTA Finals playoffs. The money that he would have earned was donated to organizations that supported women in gaming. Bwipo has made around $458,878.32 throughout his esports career. This punishment would barely impact him, and users online have claimed that this punishment was not severe. As a result, this incident would likely fuel toxicity among players, given the low punishment and lack of official action from Riot Games. Bwipo eventually responded to the backlash and apologized, but this event had a lasting impact on his future in esports. On the other hand, Riot Games officially responded to Bwipo’s comment on October 8, 2025. They stated that when making the World’s Music Video, “Bwipo was featured in the original cut, but given his recent comments, we decided it wouldn’t be right to showcase him in a piece that represents LoL Esports, pro players, and fans.” The World’s Music Video is used to highlight important players of the League of Legends Esports and their contributions to this field. Bwipo’s removal demonstrates how his behavior is unwelcome and is not how Riot Games would want their esports community to be represented. While it is a small step toward removing toxicity among players, it has a large impact, and this action will set the tone for future esports environments.
(Image Credit: x.com/lolesports/, 2025)
Women have faced many challenges in League of Legends’ history of esports, but they will persist as opportunities open for them in the future. While this path will be difficult, past strides in esports demonstrate that becoming a professional player is possible. Because of this, there is a lot of hope for women in esports, and with the current advancements and support, they will gain the recognition they deserve.
Read this for more knowledge of the Game Changers Rising Tournament:
FlyQuest’s response to Bwipo’s comment:
Works Cited
“Eefje Depoortere.” Forbes, https://www.forbes.com/profile/eefje-depoortere/. Accessed 3 October 2025.
Esports Earnings. “Gabriël “Bwipo” Rau – League of Legends Player.” Esports Earnings, https://www.esportsearnings.com/players/27588-bwipo-gabriel-rau. Accessed Friday, October 2025.
Giron, Ray Daniel. “5 women in esports who are making history.” ONE Esports, 1 March 2024, https://www.oneesports.gg/gaming/women-in-esports-history/. Accessed 3 October 2025.
“LoL esports team suspends player for saying women can’t compete while menstruating.” Engadget, 10 September 2025, https://www.engadget.com/gaming/lol-esports-team-suspends-player-for-saying-women-cant-compete-while-menstruating-120045752.html. Accessed 3 October 2025.“WELCOME G2
HEL: Our Female League of Legends Team.” G2 Esports, 1 September 2022, https://g2esports.com/blogs/news/welcome-g2-hel. Accessed 3 October 2025.