Riot announces LCS Game Changers to elevate women in League esports

Riot Games’ diversity initiative is coming to its premier esport with LCS Game Changers, an event that will invite 10 women to learn the fundamentals of professional play.

League of Legends has made an impact on the world’s competitive stage and has produced some of the greatest moments in esports history. LCS is the North American division of the esport that houses some of the biggest brands with spirited competition throughout a season.

But professional League of Legends opportunities for underserved groups of players are hard to come by, and Riot knows it. That’s why they’ve been working to create “a more diverse and inclusive professional esports ecosystem,” first with Valorant and now with League.

10 high-ELO League of Legends players will be selected to participate in the first LCS virtual camp for women from September 27 to October 8. The two-week training will offer leadership from LCS coaches and staff that will include scrims, individual mentorship, and more.

“Throughout the program, players will be grouped into teams, where they will learn the fundamentals of becoming a pro, practice their skills, scrim against internal and external teams, and work with coaches and analysts to gain insight on how they can improve,” Riot said in their post.

LCS Game Changers will separate participants into two teams of five players. They will experience two weeks in the life of a pro League player that includes VOD analysis, positional coaching, daily scrimmage matches, and a best-of-5 match at the end of the program.

• Read more: Riot moves 2021 League of Legends World Championship from China to Europe

There will also be personal well-being components such as ‘Life as a Pro’ and ‘Mental Resilience’ talks with guest speakers to prepare League players for their esport careers.

Riot hopes the program will “act both as a training and scouting ground to provide women with more paths into the esports scene.”

• Read more: Who has qualified for LoL Worlds 2021?

It’s unclear what fans will be able to see from the camp, but Riot won’t live broadcast any of the events.