In an ironical society where people who worship Goddess Durga, prove to be a big obstruction in the life of their own daughters, an all-female Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO) team emerged as a ray of hope. Gaming or Esports is a male-dominated platform but things are changing and this team is proof of it. GE Rayne is
Global Esports, India’s leading and Asia’s fastest-growing premier esports organization announced the launch of GE. Rayne CSGO, an all-female Counter-Strike: Global Offensive division in November 2019.
Led by the talented Saloni Pawar a.k.a “Meow16k” participated in the Lenovo Legion of Valkyrie 2019 held in Thailand. It was their first performance on an international platform. But the way they performed made it clear that it was a cakewalk for them. With a stupendous execution, they emerged as the 1st runner up in the event. They won prize money of USD 3000.
Dr. Rushindra Sinha, CEO & Co-Founder, and Mohit Israel, MD & Co-Founder of Global Esports said, “We are extremely elated with team GE.Rayne’s achievement, though they did not win the tournament securing a second position at a large scale International platform is very commendable. This is just a beginning for the team. And we are sure that with their hard work the team will go on to win different tournaments and make the country proud.”
Team lineup for the international event
- Saloni “Meow 16k” Powar (Mumbai)
- Dilraj “Coco” Kaur(Mumbai)
- Nehra “CaspeRR Sottany” (Mumbai)
- Pannakarn “Angelica” Udomyart (Stand-in)
- Mansi ‘Matka QueeN’ Sottany – Mumbai
- Saharyar “Badman” Shaikh( coach)
- Vatsal Uniyal ( Manager)
A glimpse of GE RAYNE CSGO Team’s journey so far
These young girls have attained so much in their life what a normal girl of their age couldn’t and it is all possible because of their hard work and punctuality towards their field of interest. What keeps the team together is their passion for playing.
Neha, Saloni, and Dilraj are college students and have sharpened their skills by playing in the cafe whenever they got time. Their dedication might surprise you but the bitter truth is that the fruit is desired by all. Mansi and Neha hail from Mumbai. Mansi got into gaming at the age of 13. Her initial interest was in Counter-Strike 1.6 that later shifted to CS: GO. Currently, she is a professional player and has been playing for 4 years.
Mansi and Saloni are like friends cum sisters. They know each other since they were kids. Along with Neha, the trio started gaming together. Neha has been playing for 4-5 years now. Despite being a part of different colleges they used to practice 4 to 5 hours on a daily basis. They tried to play together to improve their coordination as it was the only thing required to became successful.
Difficulties faced and how they tackled them
During their professional matches, they were asked by the admin to give a video proof of their existence to clear the suspicion of someone else playing on their behalf. While playing online they fell prey to various comments such as ” Go to the kitchen and use knife”, “You better put a knife to chop vegetables than buy one in a game”. They have been accused of cheating and hacking on various occasions. As the male opponents refuse to believe that a female is competing against them.
Mansi of GE Rayne says” We have now learned to live with such comments and turn a deaf ear to them and concentrate on the game”.
Convincing their parents to adopt Esports as the profession of their daughter was a difficult task. Their parents wanted them to score good marks and find a secured government job and get settled. However, once they were introduced to Esports community, they supported their daughter and did not stop them from playing.
After having qualified for the main event in Thailand, their first challenge was with Team Mako who got crushed by the Indian team with a 2-0 score. The real challenge lied ahead when they had to face Team Illuminate and they tried their best to subdue it but came down as a disappointment when team Illuminates defeated team GE:Rayne CSGO making them the 1st runner up of the event.
Expressing their achievement Saloni ‘Meow16k’ Pawar, Captain of GE Rayne expressed, “It’s a very proud moment for team CSGO GE Rayne as we are the 1st runner up of Lenovo Legion Valkyries 2019. It was a great experience and we performed beyond our expectations with the last moment changed line-up. My team and I take this opportunity to thank our parents who have let us pursue our passion and seize this opportunity to build a career in esports. We’re also extremely thankful to Global Esports who have constantly encouraged us and guided us throughout to achieve this high point as gamers.”
For a country to have a bright future, society and family to flourish, women empowerment is essential. They can be empowered in many ways be it sports, academics, cultural activities, and even gaming. Instead of getting treated as a victim of male chauvinism, women need to be treated as equals as they play a key role in shaping the future. It is rightly said “ There is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women”
