"I Want to Play a Normal Game. I Don't Need All This.": Exploring Gender Diversity in Portuguese Esports

A 2024 study examines how members of the Overwatch Portugal community perceive gender diversity and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in Portuguese esports. Drawing on ten semi-structured interviews conducted in 2023, the research addresses a gap in the literature, since most DEI frameworks have been developed in Anglocentric contexts and rarely tested in smaller, non-English-speaking esports scenes. Against a backdrop of significant gender imbalance and conservative attitudes toward gender among game-related students in Portugal, the study asks how local communities respond to inclusion efforts such as women-only leagues and the recruitment of marginalised-gender streamers.

The central finding is that most participants regard DEI initiatives as artificially imposed, unproductive, or unnecessary. Many attributed such efforts to public relations motives and questioned their compatibility with merit, though there was broad agreement that mixed teams are ideal. Women-only leagues were accepted with caveats, valued mainly for visibility and growth. Participants also described tokenism, heteronormative team dynamics, and a sensitive local #MeToo case that was difficult for the community to discuss.

Beyond attitudes toward DEI, the study documents experiences of gender discrimination, including nepotism in national team selection, widespread online toxicity, and self-preservation strategies such as muting or concealing gender identity to avoid harassment. The authors conclude that meaningful progress requires addressing cultural resistance, structural constraints, and a perceived lack of transparency rather than focusing solely on representation numbers. Women participants reported needing to conform to male-majority norms, and fatalism about the scene's future was common. The authors caution that the small sample limits generalisability and call for further research into why DEI is perceived as unproductive in Portugal.