Breaking the barriers of a world purely dominated by men, Christine Samson rises up to the challenge of empowering her fellow women.
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It’s a man’s world—a common phrase we often hear being told to women every time they try to penetrate an industry loaded with men. Ever since the early centuries, women were generally deemed as inferior compared to the opposite sex—from their skills, talents, and leadership. Although this may be, as we’re already at the dawn of a new age wherein women are ascending in power in various fields, we are slowly and surely seeing the new society balancing the scales of equality.
Not only do we see women commandeering the world of politics or science anymore, but women are also winning in a whole new industry: gaming. When the majority of the Millennials were growing up, it’s safe to say that there were only a handful of women gamers. So, it’s refreshing to witness an influx of female gamers such as Tier One’s Christine Samson owning their own spotlight in this day and age.
According to the 21-year-old gamer, “women’s presence in gaming is just as important as women’s presence in any type of field.” While she understands that there is a serious challenge that you need to confront as a woman who wants to get into a male-dominated industry, she knows deep down that this was her real calling. “Those challenges are exactly why I am trying to pursue this field,” she says. “We need to move forward from the perception about gaming being an exclusive boys club.”
Femme Fatale
Taunting and trash-talking are indeed part of the culture for online gamers. But while most female players understand trash talking, there is still a problem of widespread sexism, wherein their playing skills are insulted just because they’re simply a woman. Not only that, but some women in the virtual world face verbal harassment that’s all too real.
So, Christine firmly believes that it’s just about time to end this nonsensical bantering online. “Sexism in a lot of industries, especially as they relate to sports, has always been prevalent since the beginning of time. But I think masyado nang makaluma ‘yung mga gano’ng pananaw. It’s about time that we stop assuming someone’s level of expertise and capability on the basis of their gender,” she explains.
And in true Gen Z fashion, the way to address this issue is to call them out, educate them, and make them understand. “The way I address this type of criticism is to not just shrug it off like what the society always tells us, women, to do,” she adds. “I always make sure that sexist comments like those are always called out.”
After all, to play games isn’t to make enemies; rather it is to enjoy and have fun in general. It’s about making a fair environment for all players regardless of their gender identity. That’s why the young beauty gamer does her best to empower her fellow women by simply being an inspiration to pursue their passion—to show them that women belong, too. “There are many women who already paved the way for us younger and newer players in the industry to find our own niche. They inspired me and I owe this to them a lot,” she admits. “So, I want to see young women of my age to realize that possibility and to break the barriers keeping them from achieving their dreams.”
Live More
Female gamers have undoubtedly encountered obstacles in a largely male community. So, if that’s the case why then should they continue to enter the gaming industry? The answer is simple: women also deserve to play. So, please do what you want to do, and don’t ever let anyone hold you back.
“We, women, in general, are always held up to higher social standards in a way that men mostly aren’t. Society sometimes puts so much expectation towards us that some of us get stuck in a loop of trying to prove people wrong,” Christine says. “So, if I were to encourage women, I just wanna tell them these: embrace yourself, and not let other’s expectations stop you from doing what you enjoy.”
Perhaps that’s why whenever she plays Call of Duty on mobile, she admits that she tries her best to be sincerely welcoming and authentic to everyone onscreen. Because Christine is a SMART woman who understands that gaming is a way for people to discover themselves too. She knows that in the pursuit of these passions and discovery it is important to have a companion like Giga Games to make the journey more fun and fulfilling.
And so, for the young girls who love to play video games, Christine Samson just has the best advice: “As they grow up, they will learn along the way the things that they will love doing, get fascinated with, and things that they will connect to. And if they ever feel like gaming is one of those, they just have to keep on going.” In the long run, what’s important is you live the way you want to live more.
