Winter of Team Vitality gained renown for being the only female player that competed in the Honor of Kings Championship 2024.
In the Honor of Kings Championship 2024, Team Vitality roamer Huang “Winter" Shi Ting gained renown as the only female player competing in the tournament. While Vitality ultimately finished the event in 9th-12th place, Winter still turned heads with her excellent play, particularly during Vitality's 2-1 victory over Kagendra in the Group Stage.
GosuGamers sat down with Winter after the conclusion of the tournament to talk about how she got her name to how it feels to be the only female player in a scene dominated by men.
Why did you choose ‘Winter’ as your in-game name?
“I chose the name Winter because it’s my favourite season of the year, and also my favourite holiday is Christmas, so it was a perfect choice.”
How did you come to join Team VItality's Honor of Kings team?
"I joined Vitality because I have been friends with most of my teammates for years. This summer, they asked me if I wanted to try out for the team and make things special for the HoK community. I was hesitant at first because I was worried that I wasn’t going to be good enough, but in the end, I figured this was a good chance to prove to myself and other girls that as long as you are passionate and determined, your desires and dreams will come true. Also, for the boys!"
Why did you end up choosing roamer as your role within the team?
“Any position is important in a team, but I chose the roamer because it gives the impression of a honeybee; we get busy and produce the goods.”
Much like all other esports scenes, Honor of Kings is dominated by men. As a female player, have you ever faced discrimination?
“I don’t feel very discriminated as such. But besides the games I have played on stage during rank and peak season, I play a lot of Lian Po and Zhang Fei, and people would think I’m a guy, which is funny to me. But I feel very welcomed in the HoK esports community. I get pressured by overwhelming support because growing up, I have also been very competitive, so I don’t want to disappoint our fans and supporters, but most importantly, I don’t want to disappoint myself.”
How do you see yourself in five years? Will you still be in esports or do you think you'll have moved on to something different by then?
“In five years, I see myself working in the film industry, as it’s my childhood dream and what I’m currently studying at university. But who knows, maybe I will work in media for esports.”
As we progress through the next year of Honor of Kings esports, seeing Winter advance her career as both a player and personality will surely be interesting. Becoming the first female player to compete in the game's world championship tournament is already a considerable achievement, so who knows what Winter can achieve with more experience under her belt next year?
