Counter Logic Gaming has announced that retired Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player Stephanie “missharvey” Harvey will be the organization’s director of esports franchise development and outreach.
According to a press release, this was a role created for missharvey, where the former CLG Red player would focus on engaging with the female esports community. The goal is to inspire “inclusivity-focused esports programming.”
Dan Fleeter, CLG’s COO, called missharvey a “legend in the esports industry.”
“Having played professionally for 16 years, we recognize the expertise and innovative mindset that she brings to CLG. As an organization, we are committed to growing esports by empowering all those that play and Stephanie shares in our vision. Bringing her back into the CLG family to work on these initiatives is incredibly exciting,” Fleeter said.
This was a sentiment that missharvey shared. The “five-time CSGO champion” expressed the importance of the new role within the esports industry. She deemed the role “perfect” for her “at this point” in her esports career.
“I’m thrilled to be able to put my full support behind the programs CLG is creating for the gaming communities. There is a tremendous opportunity to take the next step in supporting them and lifting up the amateur scene in ways that would make us all stronger,” missharvey announced.
missharvey stated that she is hoping to reach even more women and girls in gaming, but also anyone who wants to be a part of the esports community in any capacity.
missharvey competed on Counter Logic Gaming’s all-female CSGO team, CLG Red, from 2015 to 2017. She joined again in 2018 and 2019 before retiring from competitive gaming. Before CLG, missharvey competed for SK Gaming and Ubisoft’s UBINITED team.
missharvey stands as one of the most accomplished women in Counter-Strike, with a long history of top tournament placements in the game’s female competitions.
Counter Logic Gaming’s development and outreach role comes at a time when sexism is still a major topic within the esports industry and community. CSGO is a very much skewed towards men at its highest levels of play, though a few female players have made headlines.
Most recently, Kaitlin “Katie” Boop began to trend on Google as some in the CSGO community continued their ongoing investigation onto the female gamer’s true identity. Instead of searching for Katie in regards to her recent qualifiaction for the MDL, most CSGO players were attempting to figure out if Katie was or wasn’t trans. Her appearance, voice, and gender became the focus instead of her talent. Issues like this one speak to the need for people like missharvey to engage with the community in a positive and informative way.
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