Powering A Battleground Of Female Gamers

Tammy Tang started as a hobbyist and later broke into the upper echelons of the Esports industry.

Walk inside the neat study, and the long pinewood shelves of books and DVDs flanking three large computer screens catch your eye. The chic two-bedroom pad is, in fact, the “battleground” for one woman who goes by the girlie nickname, Furryfish.

Just who is Furryfish? Well, she’s the gamer-girl who has earned her chops in the male-dominated electronic gaming arena. She’s none other than Tammy Tang, chief executive of Female Esports League (FSL).

This year, the FSL scored a coup, competing in the four-day Esports Festival Asia (EFA) at Comex tech show at Suntec City Convention Centre. The EFA is the biggest esports festival in Singapore organised by Sphere Exhibits.

The FSL is an outfit for female competitive gamers with a 1,000-strong community. The youngest is 15, and even teachers join the league with their students.

Tammy, 35, quit competitive gaming to kick-start the FSL in 2012, so that women can connect with each other to enter gaming competitions as a team. In the last 15 years, she has been instrumental in prying the door open for women to get into the boys’ club.

The then-16-year-old co-founded Asterisk, Singapore’s first all-female esports team. Today, it has participated in more than 60 leagues.

Tammy, the hobbyist who became an esports entrepreneur, scouts for female talent to represent Asterisk. While Asterisk takes highly skilled gamers to compete in global leagues and develop their skills to turn pro, the FSL is a rite of passage for amateurs who want to go pro.

She tells Her World: “The esports industry is lucrative, and many women want to be a part of it. Pro gamers in the top tier can earn a monthly five-figure sum.”