Team Vitality and ALDI collaborate to fight toxicity against women and promote diversity in esports

• Team Vitality and ALDI have collaborated to fight toxicity against women and promote diversity in esports through a powerful video launched today
• The video titled “Des Failles dans La Faille” translates to “Rifts in the Rift,” referencing the League of Legends battlefield, where a significant amount of online toxicity stems from, highlighting the impact of cyberbullying on gamers who are women
• The video features Team Vitality’s women’s League of Legends team, the Rising Bees, alongside TV Host and presenter Marie Palot, and League of Legends Shoutcaster, Nox.
• The video is now available to watch on YouTube

Today, French esports club Team Vitality and ALDI have announced their collaboration to fight toxicity against women, break down stereotypes and promote diversity in esports through a powerful video titled, “Des Failles dans La Faille”. The campaign aims to raise awareness of the daily online harassment received by women in the gaming industry and its impact on their lives. In sharing their experiences, they reveal how certain messages undermine their confidence, harm their mental health, and negatively impact their in-game performance.

Online harassment and sexism are prevalent in gaming, and damage the development of the female esports scene worldwide. While 50% of worldwide gamers are women, only 7% compete in esports (France Esports Barometer 2023). A 2022 Ipsos study also showed that 84% of people harassed online are women, with 51% under the age of 30.

For over four years, Team Vitality and ALDI have prioritised the development of women’s esports, including spearheading the creation of Team Vitality’s women’s League of Legends team, the Rising Bees, in 2023. Together, both organisations are championing the development of a more equal and diverse ecosystem in esports, advocating for esports clubs worldwide to train women’s teams with the same facilities and resources provided to men’s teams, as well as raise the overall skill level, allowing more women to pursue professional careers in esports.

The video “Des Failles dans la Faille” centres on the Rising Bees, Team Vitality’s women’s League of Legends team. The title refers to Summoner’s Rift, the in-game battleground where players compete and where many women often become targets of hateful and toxic messages.

Appearing in the video to share their experiences include:

• Velouria “Viki” Baty: French player and ADC for Team Vitality
• Madison “Crowmac” Coutelet: French player and Toplaner for Team Vitality
• Alena “Tifa” Maurer: German player and Midlaner for Team Vitality
• Marie Palot: TV Host and presenter
• Nox: League of Legends Shoutcaster
• Anne Banschbach: Director of Esports at Team Vitality

In the video, they take turns reading and reacting to various online messages from gamers, covering issues like body shaming, death threats, misogyny, and more. Alongside this, they share their personal stories and emotions, which range from sadness and anger to feelings of isolation and hopelessness. They also discuss how these messages affect their daily lives and ultimately impact their performance, even though they admit they’ve become “accustomed” to these misogynistic attacks.

In the second part of the video, they read messages full of kindness and encouragement, which often get overlooked and lost among the many hateful messages. Team Vitality and ALDI aim to highlight the power of positivity in boosting morale, even amid the often harsh and hostile messages in the esports community.

Throughout the year, Team Vitality also produces and shares content following the Rising Bees’ journey, aiming to break down stereotypes and create inspiring role models for the next generation of gamers.

“Des Failles dans La Faille” is available to watch on YouTube.