MissHarvey Shows Women Gamers Can Compete And Contour

If you ever needed proof that women’s esports have long existed, just look at Stephanie Harvey. Better known online as MissHarvey, the former Ubisoft game designer began her esports career 22 years ago, when there were much less women gaming let alone competing professionally. She went on to win five world championships in CS:GO, as well as, perhaps more impressively, gain the respect and career longevity that few veteran players, regardless of gender, can claim.

These days, the legendary fragger — whose side quests also include winning Big Brother Canada Season 2, being recognized on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list, and working with the International Olympics Committee to integrate esports — serves as FlyQuest’s Chief Culture Officer, where she has her hands in everything from defining the esports organization’s culture and values to developing talent and launching philanthropic initiatives. She also leads as director of FlyQuest RED, the longest tenured women’s gaming team that currently competes in VALORANT and Counter-Strike 2. 

It’s a Jill-of-all-trades kind of role that is unique in the esports scene and one that Harvey believes is proof of FlyQuest’s commitment to women’s esports despite what feels like a wider industry rollback of DEI, and one that’s necessary to continue efforts to make gaming, and especially esports, more accessible for women.

“There’s no longer the stigma of the ‘woman gamer’ as much as Reddit or memes would like to tell us,” Harvey tells me in a recent Co-Op Convo on Refinery29 Twitch. “But in esports and in competitive games, it’s still heavily men dominated.”

“It’s a little bit like any other intellectual competition,” Harvey continues. “If you think about poker and if you think about chess, there’s just not many women.”

Harvey says it’s important for esports organizations to back teams like RED, and why events like VALORANT Game Changers, Riot’s competitive circuit that elevates women and other marginalized genders, matter so much. “[In the past], you would have one token [woman] player who’s kind of successful, who makes the headlines, but is that enough to support an entire community?” Harvey asks. “We don’t want these token representatives to have an entire community on their back. They need some help.” 

That’s why Refinery29 is collaborating with FlyQuest RED to host CTRL+Femme, a month-long VALORANT tournament designed to elevate women and femme players. The event, which features 40 streamers and gamers, kicks off August 6 on Refinery29 Twitch. The five players on the winning team will receive full gaming equipment kits, provided by Logitech, which is committed to supporting women in technology and promoting diversity and inclusion within the industry.

CTRL+Femme — and people like MissHarvey — are proving women can frag out and flex beyond the game. Just consider Harvey’s on-stream beauty serve, which I’m not shy to fan about. I ask her what products she’s wearing (all while we carry our team on Inferno), and she lights up. “I’ve never been asked this question in an interview in my whole life!” Harvey exclaims. She swears by the Armani foundation and loves to play with ColourPop eyeshadow palettes. For this stream, she’s wearing six different shades.

And that's what competitive gaming can look like today.