As nearly half of India’s gaming community is now women-led, we speak to three gamers about skill, stereotypes, and surviving toxicity in the country’s fast-growing esports ecosystem
Ankkita Chauhan aka AnkkitaC
India’s gaming boom is not a boys’ club. According to the Lumikai State of India Gaming Report 2023, India has approximately 568 million gamers, with nearly 44 per cent of them women. Data from the Niko Partners India Games Market Report estimates 260 million women gamers.
Mobile gaming has dramatically increased the number of women playing games, but the professional ecosystem is still skewed. Women remain underrepresented in esports teams, tournament desks, talent management, and gaming leadership roles.
Ankkita Chauhan aka AnkkitaC
Games: Valorant, WWE titles, open-world games
Known for: Skilled gameplay in PC and mobile games
Yet gamers like Ankkita Chauhan (aka AnkkitaC), Shagufta Iqbal (aka Xyaa), and Sakshi (aka City Sushi) are steadily building their place in the ecosystem.
Edited excerpts from the interview.
Why can’t female gamers afford to be average?
Ankkita: There is definitely added pressure to be consistent, especially because women gamers are still not always taken seriously. It often feels like you have to prove yourself repeatedly. A single mistake can sometimes reinforce unfair stereotypes, so there’s an extra layer of responsibility to perform well and stay sharp.
Shagufta: Majority of the time, if I play really well, it’s often seen as just doing my job. But if I have one bad game, it suddenly becomes a big deal. There’s a lot more scrutiny… Women have to consistently prove themselves.
Sakshi: You cannot afford to be average. If you are one of the few women in a lobby, your mistakes are remembered longer than your wins.
Sakshi aka City Sushi
Games: Competitive shooters and esports titles
Known for: Competitive gaming with S8UL Esports
If 44 per cent of India’s gamers are women, does esports feel 44 per cent women-led?
Ankkita: In terms of participation, yes. But when you look at competitive circuits, talent management, tournament desks, or leadership roles, the ecosystem does not feel evenly balanced yet.
Shagufta: Maybe not five years ago. Back then, the space felt a lot more male-dominated. But in the last few years, gaming in India has grown massively, especially mobile gaming.
Sakshi: In casual gaming circles, you definitely see more women now. But in structured competitive environments, the percentage feels much lower.
What kind of bias or harassment do you face online?
Ankkita: Primarily in voice chat and comment sections where skill is questioned almost immediately, sometimes even before I have played a full round. There is often an assumption that if a woman is in the lobby, she must be less experienced or less competitive.
Shagufta: In the early days… Most of it came through stream chats, comments, or DMs. People are usually much braver behind a screen than they are in real life.
Sakshi: It starts the moment you unmute. Sometimes it’s outright comments. Other times it’s passive dismissal… Being tested more or being doubted before the round even begins.
Shagufta Iqbal aka Xyaa
Games: Competitive gaming and streaming titles
Known for: Her pioneering role in the Indian gaming community
If gaming is merit-based, why are there still so few women at the top?
Ankkita: Gaming may be merit-based inside the server, but the journey to reaching the top depends on much more than just skill. One of the biggest factors is family support and the willingness to accept gaming as a serious career. When you are a female gamer, that hesitation can be even stronger.
Shagufta: Access, environment, and opportunity also play a huge role… Women enter the gaming space really late, especially in India. It’s just because of social conditioning, lack of representation and sometimes even discouragement at home.
Sakshi: Historically, fewer opportunities, limited
visibility, and social expectations meant fewer women entered competitive or professional spaces.
Should esports have women-only tournaments?
Ankkita: They help build confidence and create safer entry points, especially at grassroots levels. However, the long-term goal should always be integrated competition based purely on merit.
Shagufta: I honestly don’t think women-only tournaments help that much in the long run… Ideally, competition should be equal and open to everyone.
Sakshi: They help at the entry level… But they should be stepping stones, not ceilings. The ultimate goal should always be open competition.
What policy change do gaming platforms urgently need?
Ankkita: There needs to be stronger and faster accountability. Reporting systems should not feel symbolic.
Shagufta: When someone reports harassment, the action should be quick. There should be simple reporting tools and real consequences for repeat offenders.
Sakshi: Real consequences. Not warnings or automated responses that disappear into a void… Behaviour only changes when there is accountability.
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