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RIYADH: Team Falcons Vega MENA players say their participation in the “Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Women’s Invitational” at the Esports World Cup is an inspiration to young females in the region who aspire to be professional esports players.

Saudi Arabia club Team Falcons Vega MENA had a tough start to the MWI on Thursday and were defeated in their matches by Russian side Victory Song Gamers, who top Group C, and Zino Lilies from Vietnam.

But with a $500,000 prize pool available, the largest in the history of women’s esports, the team’s stars say simply being involved in such a prestigious tournament on the biggest platform around is success — and inspiration for others.

The tournament is being played in front of 8,000-plus capacity crowds at SEF Arena at Boulevard Riyadh City, with millions of fans tuning in from across the globe.

Velvet, a Team Falcons Vega MENA player from Giza in Egypt who has been a professional for eight months, said: “I found it pretty competitive. We could have done better, but it was just because we were nervous. We’ve got the experience we need to continue more and learn how we can do much better in the future.

“The stage is enormous. It’s special to play on such a grand stage — it’s actually glorious. We’ll take it to our graves. It’s pretty good that we made it here and we tried our best in the first two games, even if we didn’t even win.”

Asked if she ever truly thought she would be a professional esports player, let alone playing at the Esports World Cup, Velvet, whose real name is Hadeel Mahmoud, replied: “Never, never, never.

“I live the dream. I didn’t think esports would go this viral and become this huge and become an actual paid job. I didn’t even think of this as a professional thing.

“I always thought that I would go to do a normal 24/7 job. And it’s so good that we can make some fun thing into something that you get paid for.”

Velvet, aged 21, hopes girl gamers in Egypt, Saudi Arabia or wherever they might be in the region follow her example. “Yes, they can, they all can,” she added.

“I was once a girl who wasn’t taken seriously by anyone, and everyone was down on me and said, ‘oh, you’re just a girl, it’s better for you not to continue in such things — the kitchen is where you belong’ and those kinds of comments.

“But it didn’t stop me. I just kept on going and I wanted to prove everyone wrong as I wanted to be an inspiration to the little girls and everyone around. So, I’m just sending out a message that they can do it if I did. I’m playing at the Esports World Cup, the biggest stage in the world.

“This is how the world goes. You won’t get there easily. You’ll get toxic comments and stuff like that, but it doesn’t have to stop you from doing what you want. You just need to be patient and try your best and don’t let any comments drag you down.”

Teammate fvvn, also Egyptian, echoed her sentiments. “Growing up I used to play games to pass time doing something that I thoroughly enjoyed and to make new friends,” fvvn, real name Alaa Ayman, said.

“But I never thought that I would have the chance to play at a world-class tournament like this with people that I love.

“I think women’s esports needs to be more accessible to girls and women around the Middle East — especially so that the prize pools can allow us to be more independent and learn from experiences like this.”

She added lauded the fans in Riyadh. “The support we received was immense,” she said. “There were fans cheering for us everywhere, in the hotel and at the arena. Their support was the highlight for us during the tournament.”

The MWI is a significant addition to the Esports World Cup, which kicked off at Boulevard Riyadh City on July 3 and runs until Aug. 25. The tournament reflects the growing presence of female gamers, who make up 48 percent of the 23.5 million gaming community in Saudi Arabia.

The Esports World Cup, which has a $60 million prize pool, the largest in esports history, features a unique cross-game structure pitting the top clubs and players against one another across 22 global competitions in 21 leading games.

More than 1,500 players, representing over 60 nationalities, are battling it out at the Esports World Cup this summer. Week four’s competitions taking place this week include “PUBG Mobile” and “Overwatch 2.”