More and more we see a huge increase in women making a difference in the esports industry, and Debora Imanuella is one that is doing exactly that.
Over the years, as esports continues to blossom into an amazing industry, it has begun to attract people from every aspect of life. One such area where the industry has flourished has been the inclusion of women across the board and with March now upon us, we are looking to highlight some of these amazing women for International Women’s Month.
Hi, would you please introduce yourself?
My name is Debora Imanuella, but everyone calls me Deb. I am currently the Senior Vice President of UniPin, a digital entertainment enabler available in more than 30 countries. Besides that I am also the Head of PR and Communications of the Esports Federation of Indonesia and on top of that I am also the founder of Circle Luna Nera – a female gamer community based in Indonesia. My main job is to develop strategies for Esports & Community Activity and implement them. Right now, our main focus is on India and Turkey.
What made you venture into the esports and gaming industry?
I have always loved playing games since I was very young. I still remember playing my first game when I was four years old and it was love at first try. I’ve never stopped playing games since then. During the pandemic, I was forced to close down my business, as it was not doing too well with everyone forced to stay at home – and I began to play a lot of games again. This is when I put together Luna Nera with my group of close friends.
Given your leadership role in UniPin, how do you plan to promote inclusivity and diversity?
We are doing a content collaboration with Luna Nera to promote inclusivity and diversity for International Women’s Month 2024.
Can you share examples of initiatives or programs your organisation has implemented to empower and support women in esports?
We have done many different campaigns and initiatives to support women in esports, including teaming up with the likes of Riot Games and Moonton to create campaigns to combat the bullying and toxicity of female gamers.
One of our most successful campaigns is #SheSpeaksUp. That campaign’s purpose is to encourage female gamers to not normalise toxicity that happens to them. They need to be brave and speak out and let everyone know. Last year, we were doing a collaboration with TikTok to promote women in gaming together with female gaming KOL’s with different backgrounds. Alongside this, we also saw one of the biggest female gamer's summits, #GAMEHERS, which was initiated by UniPin and Samsung Oddyssey.
In what ways do you believe International Women’s Month 2024 encourages more women's representation and participation in leadership roles within the gaming ecosystem?
I think that more role models are needed in the gaming ecosystem. Having more female role models will help to increase the participation roles within the gaming industry itself.
As a woman leader, how do you navigate challenges and opportunities related to gender diversity and inclusion in the gaming industry?
There are a few ways in which I strive towards this, such as leading by example and showing my full commitment to the gaming industry. Alongside this, creating inclusive campaigns and programs for females is a high priority, as well as educating and advocating for the females out there. Furthermore, creating support networks plays a huge part in moving forward, while promoting representation and addressing bias and discrimination is something I strive towards.
What advice do you have for aspiring women professionals looking to break into the gaming industry to inspire inclusion and drive positive change?
Be confident! Believe in yourself and your mission. Hard work will pay off if you believe in what you do and never underestimate yourself!
