Female Street Fighter V player sheds light on lack of representation

With three different types of eSports on offer and ten teams participating in the Elite Series, the lack of female representation in the competition can be perceived as an issue.

However, Irissia, who competes in Street Fighter V, insists the situation is quite the opposite. For her, there isn't a lack of opportunity for women in eSports and she has never experienced any kind of sexism in the community.

She said: "In Street Fighter, there are no men or women, only players. You take your spot and you play. All the players are very close, the fact I'm the only girl doesn't bother me. It is good because I feel that we are all participants.

"Whether there are more or less women in it isn't a concern because it's a story of passion. Girls aren't stopped from joining in Street Fighter, the door is open for everyone, everything is accessible and now we have lots of online games and that's how I progressed.

"I worked on my game and gave it everything I had to get to the level I am. Thanks to online gaming, a girl who wants to do it can do it. My opinion is more about passion than barriers. I think there are less girls that are passionate about Street Fighter but that doesn't mean there aren't any.

"Street Fighter is such a niche game and you have the possibility to be integrated into this community regardless if you're male or female. What they're looking for is to see who is the best. There aren't any barriers, you fight each other to find out who is the best and as a community it is very supportive."

Irissia started gaming when she was 12 and after falling in love with Street Fighter, she turned to Twitch and began streaming.

Soon after, Irissia, who is French, was picked up by Ares Esport, one of the most reputable teams in her country.

Ares is backed by a star-stunned line-up of ambassadors including James Rodriguez, Moussa Sissoko, Yannick Carrasco, Demba Ba and many more.

Irissia admits she hopes to form a long-term relationship with Ares and is grateful for the opportunity.

She said: "I want to stay with Ares, that's for sure. Everything that's going on at the moment corresponds to me like Gfinity and the framework we have in the gaming house, where we are with other gamers and training every day to qualify to win.

"Also to create a real team spirit in this Season 3 of the competition. Would I like to stay long-term? Yes, of course. Everything I want is to continue to prove that I'm capable, that I train hard and that I'm part of the dream team."

Ares Esport are currently top of their group in Street Fighter V of the Gfinity Elite Series and will be looking for a chance to lock down the illustrious Franchise title.