The initiative is designed to "provide an innovative professional development experience in an inclusive manner to video game players around the world and bridge the gender gap in this industry," according to a statement from the paid media company.

The academy will start developing its teaching program next year, but professional players who want to be part of its students can apply now. The selection of participants will be made according to their curriculum.

One of the basic objectives of the initiative, as highlighted by Mastercard, is to alleviate the gender gap in the professional field of video games. According to data from the Women in Games Organization provided by the company, women make up only 5% of the workforce in the video game industry, and less than 1% of professional gamers. This reality contrasts with the fact that among members of Generation Z, nine out of ten people play video games and almost half are women.

An inclusive environment

With the creation of the Gamer Academy, Mastercard aims to "bridge the gender gap in the professional industry, gain greater representation at the top level, and gain greater visibility to inspire future generations, fostering a much more inclusive environment for all," the company says.

To develop the Gamer Academy, Mastercard has partnered with two well-known companies in the video game and eSports sector. One is Riot Games, a development company sponsored by Mastercard since 2018 and a mentoring program for women in the industry, and the second is G2 Esports, which runs women's eSports competitions.

Raja Rajamannar, Global Director of Marketing and Communications at Mastercard, said: "We still have a lot of work to do to achieve greater penetration in the world of eSports, but traditional sports like football, tennis or rugby show us that change and progress are possible."

MasterCard

For more than 50 years Mastercard has transformed the way people pay. Its commitment to innovation has helped emerging businesses, improved the consumer payment experience and made the financial system more inclusive worldwide. Its advances power one of the world's fastest payment processing networks, making transactions easier, more accessible and more secure.

In addition to technology, they believe that a culture of innovation must be promoted to achieve success. That's why they hire talented people, curious minds and great ideas and drive innovation. They also work hand-in-hand with developers and entrepreneurs to keep the payments ecosystem moving forward.

Rito Games

Riot Games was founded in 2006 to develop, publish and support the world's games for gamers. In 2009, they released their first globally recognized game, League of Legends. It has become one of the most played PC games in the world and a major driver of the explosive growth of eSports.

As LoL enters its second decade, the game continues to evolve while providing players with new experiences including Teamfight Tactics, Legends of Runeterra, VALORANT, League of Legends: Wild Rift and many other titles in development. Additionally, Riot Forge gives developers access to Riot's intellectual property to create games like Ruined King and many other Runeterra exploration adventures. They are expanding the world of Runeterra through multimedia projects such as music, comics, board games, and its Emmy Award-winning animated series, Arcane.

Qualified teams from 12 international leagues participate in the annual League of Legends World Championship. The World Cup is the most watched tournament for exporters and one of the most important and popular sports and video game events in the world.

Founded by Brandon Beck and Marc Merrill, and led by CEO Dylan Jadeja, Riot is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It has more than 4,500 employees in more than 20 offices worldwide. Riot has officially been named a great place to work for three consecutive years and has been featured on numerous lists, including "100 Best Companies to Work For," "25 Tech Companies to Work For," "100 Best Workplaces for Millennials," and "50 Most Flexible Workplaces" .

Riot Games values

Diversity and Inclusion: They want to make sure Rioters feel like they fit in, regardless of their position or experience level.

They strive to create an environment that leverages their experiences, identities, perspectives, styles and craft to foster a sense of belonging, encourage innovation, overcome challenges and enhance the player experience.

Diversity and inclusion will always be a crucial part of who we are as a company as players, Rioters and communities around the world.

Social impact

They believe that anyone with passion, vision and persistence can make a positive contribution. As part of this ethos, they believe there are ways to deliver long-term value as a company, as well as to have a positive impact on stakeholders, partners, employees and the communities they participate in.