Mastercard Gamer Academy
The 7th Annual Awards
- Best Gaming or Esports Partnership
ABOUT THIS ENTRY
The Mastercard Gamer Academy is an initiative from G2 Esports and Mastercard designed to cultivate equitable opportunities for aspiring gamers from all backgrounds. It is built on a clear objective: to create a program that fosters inclusivity and provides a platform where gamers of all genders and backgrounds can pursue and achieve their aspirations within the gaming and esports industry. By addressing systemic challenges and championing diversity, the Mastercard Gamer Academy aims to transform the gaming landscape into one that is truly inclusive—ensuring representation and opportunity from the boardroom to the streaming platforms, and ultimately, in the gaming chair itself.
How does this represent "Excellence in Engagement"?
There’s still significant work to be done to achieve greater inclusion in gaming and esports, but sports like soccer, tennis and rugby show us that strides can be made. At Mastercard, we’ve seen firsthand the unique responsibility — and opportunity — that brands shoulder to champion inclusivity to help make the gaming ecosystem an accessible and welcoming space for all. This is why a major focus of the landmark Mastercard Gamer Academy is to provide a platform where ALL gamers can pursue and achieve their aspirations within the gaming and esports industry – and thrive. More diverse representation at the upper echelons of the gaming industry will create role models to inspire young women while helping to reduce the gender bias that has historically plagued the larger gaming community.
By addressing systemic challenges and championing diversity, the Mastercard Gamer Academy aims to redefine what it means to be a gamer in today’s world. Bridging the gap between passion and profession, Mastercard is not only expanding its brand presence in the gaming space but empowering the next generation of esports professionals and setting a new standard for authentic consumer connection in the digital age.
Objective
A remarkable [3 billion-plus people](https://explodingtopics.com/blog/number-of-gamers) consider themselves gamers. That’s more than a third of all people on earth. And, importantly, nearly half of the [gaming population are women](https://newzoo.com/resources/blog/consumer-engagement-with-games-is-changing-gamer-segmentation-personas-gender-age-demographics), yet the professional gaming and esports ecosystem — those who work in the industry, behind the scenes or in the public eye as influencers, esports athletes or broadcasters — is overwhelmingly male.
The gaming industry faces a staggering imbalance of opportunity.
Recognizing these challenges, Mastercard pioneered the Mastercard Gamer Academy—an initiative designed to cultivate equitable opportunities for aspiring gamers from all backgrounds. The Mastercard Gamer Academy is built on a clear objective: to create a program that fosters inclusivity and provides a platform where gamers of all genders and backgrounds can pursue and achieve their aspirations within the gaming and esports industry. By addressing systemic challenges and championing diversity, the Mastercard Gamer Academy aims to transform the gaming landscape into one that is truly inclusive—ensuring representation and opportunity from the boardroom to the streaming platforms, and ultimately, in the gaming chair itself.
Strategy & Execution
As a pioneer in gaming and esports, Mastercard became the first global partner of League of Legends in 2018. Through partnerships with G2 and Riot Games, the Mastercard Gamer Academy exemplifies a forward-thinking approach to consumer engagement by tapping into the passion for esports and providing access to industry experts.
The initiative supported 10 gamers with resources, mentorship, and training to pursue careers. Over ten months, participants learnt team dynamics, broadcasting, and industry operations, with hands-on experiences at G2’s' Berlin headquarters and Riot Games events like Valorant Champions in Seoul and Worlds in London.
The program was broken into three semesters. The first focused on ‘The Team,’ providing participants insight into what life is like on an esports team. This curriculum emphasized coaching, mental/physical well-being, team management, and more. The second semester focused on ‘The Organizations,’ giving participants insight into different industry organisations, including sponsorship and revenue generation leaders, community engagement groups, and brand experts. The third semester focused on ‘The Broadcast’, where participants learned what it takes to organize an esports competition and how to keep audiences entertained. This included education into production and broadcasting, storytelling and analysis, event management, and audience engagement.
Organizations
- G2 Esports & Mastercard
Links
Credits
Sabrina Ratih
Chief Operating Officer
G2 Esports
James Herring
Head of Partnerships
G2 Esports
Natalia Umeoka
Global Sponsorships Manager
Mastercard
Andrew Lilien
Vice President of Global Sponsorships
Mastercard
Kaitlyn Braun
Global Brand Communications Manager
Mastercard
Mike Iozzo
Senior Account Executive
R&CPMK
Joe Khanna
Senior Managing Counsel
Mastercard
Celebrate in NYC
Join us for the 7th Annual Hashtag Sports Awards™ on the evening of June 24, 2025 as we celebrate finalists and reveal the winners of this year's awards live during the show.
