Freshman Monika Hernandez has been gaming since she was 3 years old. 

“I love gaming,” Hernandez said. Hernandez was inspired by her brothers to game.

At her first Esports practice, the other members stared at her because she was the only girl there. She later received compliments when the others actually saw her play. 

“Being the girl on the team gets the guys’ attention,” said Hernandez, who plays Rocket League and Mario Kart.

No one on the team gives Hernandez any trouble. In fact, the Esports team is very supportive, caring, and inclusive. Members are divided into smaller teams based on mutual games.

Coach Christian Carper assesses players’ skills to decide who plays varsity for each game.

“There’s a lot of girls that play video games that I think would enjoy this atmosphere,” Carper said.

Aiden Lee (12) plays Rainbow 6: Siege.

“It really depends on what you’re interested in, but if it’s a game you’re passionate about, I think you should try it no matter your gender,”  Lee said.

According to Hernandez, improving the team with new members depends on the skill of the individual, not the gender of the individual. 

This fall, the Rainbow 6: Siege team qualified for state for the first time and is looking forward to good competition from the other seven teams participating in the playoffs. According to Lee, one of the five varsity players, the game can shift drastically so the outcome of the competition is uncertain. 

“I’m really excited to show how well we can perform,” Lee said.

Twitch account WDHS_esports