EXCLUSIVE | Ace gamer Avori Henderson says it's extremely hard for women to break through the industry's hatred
In an exclusive interview with MEA WorldWide (MEAWW), gamer and designer Avori Henderson opened up about her love for gaming, modeling and balancing the two.
How did the love for gaming come about?
When I was in 6th grade I read the entire series of 'The Hunger Games’ and fell in love with the story. A few years later, the movies came out and I fell even more in love! Flash forward to college and I hear that there is a game out with a very similar storyline called PUBG. My fiancé had an extra PC and let me play and I immediately became obsessed! I was playing it every day and eventually, I just decided to livestream my gameplay and BOOM, my gaming career took off.
If you had to name your top five favorite games, which ones would they be?
'PUBG'
'COD'
'Resident Evil'
'7 Days To Die'
'Spongebob' — my favorite game to play as a child just got remastered and is back in 2020! I cannot wait to play.
Gaming, philanthropy, and modeling, you have been juggling multiple hats. What are your thoughts on this?
I am a person that gets easily bored I guess. I love many things and I’m passionate about all of them. I think I have a very unique ability to multitask so I’m very thankful for that so I can juggle all of it!
What is it like to be engaged to another avid gamer, Dillon Richardson?
It’s amazing. Every day is another adventure for us. We create content together, support each other, and it truly feels like a partnership where we can both be completely immersed in both our careers and each other.
How do you envision the future of E-sports and gaming?
The E-sports industry is only growing. Over the past few years, the entire industry has grown by hundreds of thousands of users and fans. I cannot wait to see the professional scene take off and hopefully get to the status of MLB or NHL. It’s well on its way there now.
Female gamers were a rarity a few years back, but the trend has changed. Do you agree? Why?
I feel like female gaming has never really been a rarity. Everybody loves games! The difference is that most of the popular game characters/gamers are men which makes it seem like there aren’t as many women involved. The truth is that women get so much hate in the industry that it’s hard to break through it. I hope to be a trailblazer for women in this industry so that all ages, genders, and races feel welcome in the community. At the end of the day none of those things really matter, everyone can become a pro with practice and determination.
Please tell us about your clothing line and what inspired you to create one?
I’ve been modeling since the age of 16. I’ve always loved the fashion industry but I really grew apart from it when I entered the gaming industry. I started to notice that I wasn’t able to express myself and my fashion sense as much as I liked. In fact, I dropped out of the Miss America pageant in 2018 to pursue my career in gaming, so I really gave up a lot in order to make it as a gamer. I knew I needed that part of my life back and I wanted other women in the industry to have a female to look up to for professional and high-quality clothing and fashion sense. I couldn’t be more proud of it and it’s growing every day!
What's next for Avori Henderson?
Hopefully, Covid-19 stops interrupting my ability to travel. It is my heart's desire to travel the world and continue inspiring people in person. Being on a screen all day and not interacting directly with fans has been a little tough for me. I just hope I can travel and compete at events soon so I can truly stand in front of people and show them that they can achieve their goals too.
(Questions by Aharon Abhishek)