EP2 MG Showcase: Aerial Powers WNBA Athlete
Listen Now
Guest:
Aerial Powers – Washington Mystics SG Aerial Powers | Member of USA Women’s Select Team | Michigan State Spartans Alum
Hosts:
Aerial Powers - WNBA Athlete
What is your origin story?
I actually have a crazy story – going back to Nintendo days playing: Mario Kart, Tony Hawk, 007. Also Sega. My family got into gaming. I had cousins around my age and my brothers age, so we all sat around gaming. It was a family bonding thing.
After Nintendo my Mum was done with gaming – she loved the 007 game though.
That’s amazing, a family of gamers – that’s the dream right there.
Yes, it was a family thing for me.
Why do you love gaming so much? Now more than ever – if it used to be a family thing – now what makes you want to game? As an adult.
To me it’s still a family thing! I have another story again – I love telling this story. I saw my brother playing COD Modern Warfare(2016). I was gaming but I was on 2K, it had just come out – because I’m obsessed with basketball.
Clearly!
*Laughs*
Yeah I loved basketball but I saw my brother talking to people and I was like: what is this you’re talking to people? What’s happening? He was way more advanced in playing – so he taught me everything. Then my Dad comes in – and he gets obsessed with this game – he used to be a marine, so he really loved the game. Next thing I know, my Dad comes home with two more consoles and two more headsets. We drove my mum crazy!
That’s the Dad of the year right there!
Aerial Powers - Washington Mystics SG Aerial Powers | Member of USA Women’s Select Team | Michigan State Spartans Alum
To me it’s still a family thing! I have another story again – I love telling this story. I saw my brother playing COD Modern Warfare(2016). I was gaming but I was on 2K, it had just come out – because I’m obsessed with basketball.
Clearly!
*Laughs*
Yeah I loved basketball but I saw my brother talking to people and I was like: what is this you’re talking to people? What’s happening? He was way more advanced in playing – so he taught me everything. Then my Dad comes in – and he gets obsessed with this game – he used to be a marine, so he really loved the game. Next thing I know, my Dad comes home with two more consoles and two more headsets. We drove my mum crazy!
That’s the Dad of the year right there!
Exactly so now – when I play overseas for basketball – different countries like Turkey and the time-zones would be different. My family and I would always set-up a time to play together. So that’s really big for me still. To be able to connect with them that way. I play with my uncle as well. My Mum sometimes just gets on the microphone just to talk to me. It’s a way to connect with people.
I absolutely love the idea of that – gaming is definitely something that can connect us if we allow it. Following from that you mentioned that your brother was talking to people online and yes that’s a lovely thing but sometimes interacting with people online can be tumultuous – for example I occasionally mute our mics so that people don’t know that we are women, have you ever received push back – being a woman – a melanin gamer have you ever received or been subjected to any difficulties?
It is difficult being a woman gamer and being a melanin gamer, it is difficult at time. I have had a few encounters, but there was this specific encounter. I was playing 2K online and I beat the person and they messaged me saying something. I have a picture of myself on my Xbox account, so obviously they noticed that I was a woman and a Hooper – they started getting mad – wanting a rematch because they couldn’t believe a woman had beaten them. I am sure you have both had instances like that.
Yeah we’ve had such encounters.
It’s crazy, in Apex I like to talk on my mic and in Call of Duty I like to talk on my mic and yeah they’ve been some bad encounters. Because I’m a female I can’t play video games?! It’s pretty crazy. That’s one thing I am trying to help. To get more female gamers, more melanin gamers into this field because I feel like there are not enough of us. Twitch is doing a good job of highlighting women gamers. But more needs to be done, I have been telling people to get involved. I have seen girls come into my stream and ask to game with me and I love it, little things like that is very encouraging.
Alan – Would you say you’re more of a beacon when it comes to other female gamers seeking you out and wanting to game with you?
Definitely! I get a lot of female gamers through Instagram and Twitch seeking me out and trying to game with me. I feel like I need to do more. People call me a female athlete – no I am an athlete. Whether you’re female or male – we are all athletes. We are all ‘girl gamers’– but we are all gamers here. It’s not okay.
people treat it like you’re less because of that.
Yes exactly they see it as less and it’s not.
Annabel – You make a very good point in regard to reaching more women gamers and POC gamers – I think there are actually a lot of us – we are just not as visible as other gamers! I think someone with your platform it’s amazing that you are out there – representation is very important.
That is definitely something I am trying to promote: if I can do it, you can do it too. Some people are nervous and they need someone else to look up to – and I am okay being that person because that’s just my personality. If someone comes at me saying you can’t game because you’re a female – I’m just going to be like where is the console let’s play – let’s settle it there.
Xen – I think that is very important having someone like you with your platform and reach advocating gaming. What you said about your family and gaming really resonated. People from my culture seeing gaming as a career path would never be an option it’s either a doctor or a lawyer.
That’s actually another thing I am trying to promote. Most parents that don’t know anything about video games or eSports they don’t like the idea of their children sitting at home playing videos games all day and that’s okay they don’t know everything when it comes to gaming. I did an eSports Symposium in Houston just speaking about the different roles that the gaming ecosystem has, and the students eyes just lit up – the parents eyes lit up the people at the school’s eyes lit up. Now they want to bring gaming into their community and their school. It’s crazy now what we can do virtually. That’s where people like us come in to teach them just how wide a field gaming and eSports really is all about.
One of the people on the panel at Symposium, Danny has set-up this venture called Geekletes
‘Geekletes is developing the future of Esports by widening the community beyond gamers and enthusiasts to include programs that are attractive to all STEM educators, students of all ages, community organizers, families and more.’
– and I am working with him, he does internships for people in middle-school and high school to learn about gaming. I believe what he is doing is really important – I am a brand ambassador. As eSports grow it’s very important to teach the younger generation.
That’s sounds like an amazing venture and I know you are always keen to promote gaming in a positive light, also health and awareness in gaming and making it more accessible. What are some of the other ventures you have done in regards to this?
We did touch upon it a bit when it comes to playing video games people usually think of someone sitting at home gaming and eating chips, eating a pizza, hair isn’t brushed.
*Laughs*
But for me I’m actually an ambassador for Health-e-Gamer Foundation.
‘Non-profit organization focused on gaming responsibly – eSports and STEM for marginalised and disenfranchised minority women in America.’
As an athlete I try to eat healthily and drink the right fluids and it should not be different when you switch over to being an e-Athlete. Say I stream for four hours, every few hours I am hungry. You can have snacks that are not chips, don’t get me wrong I love my chips and pizza but as a gamer you can have snacks around your console that are healthy. Even how you sit is important, they have gamer chairs and everything but your posture is important –
That gamer lean!
Yeah right – when you’re getting into the game and you sit closer. I just try to be aware of that and also drinking a lot of water. Also when it comes to sleeping, I try to wind down after gaming before you sleep and I just want to spread that message and make people aware of that.
That’s very true, and do you feel it is our responsibility as women gamers, as melanin gamers to be an ambassador and say: look I’m doing these things and you should too?
I think it’s very important especially with health and awareness, with childhood obesity on the rise, I really want to encourage people to get out and get active. Yes have hours playing indoors but also balance that with some time exercising, as an athlete that is very important to me.
Are you working on anything in the future – do you want to make Apex Predator?
*Laughs*
I love Apex – but I don’t think I’m on the level of making Apex Predator but yeah I’m an ambassador for e-Fuse.
‘e-Fuse is a mobile & web application focused on establishing gaming identity & enabling individuals to participate in the industry.’
That sounds like such a necessary concept.
It’s like a LinkedIn for gamers. So you were telling me earlier about your brother being an Apex Predator this website will upload his recent stats from his gameplay – companies looking to hire gamers for their eSports team can see that. We talked about gaming being more than just gaming – so you can be a coder, a programmer etc. and these companies can come and look at your file. E-Fuse have also just partnered with Hitmarker, it’s a one stop shop for gamers.
‘Hitmarker is the home of gaming and esports jobs, with a huge candidate pool of industry professionals, as well as thousands of new opportunities being posted every month from the biggest and best organizations in the space. Whether you’re a hiring company, or a candidate looking to break into the scene, Hitmarker has your back every step of the way.’
We are learning so much from everything you have said. You are ambassador of so many crucial ventures.
*Laughs*
That’s good we can teach each other!
Tencent have partnered with global eSports federation and they have some huge news coming out and they are announcing some things very soon!
Alan – this is why I insisted on calling you Ms Powers instead of Aerial – you are doing so much and balancing basketball.
My brand manager really helps me with balance – that’s why I am always talking to parents about balancing between exercise and gaming it’s possible. For me it’s fun – I love basketball and I love gaming!
That is phenomenal that you can balance so well and I think that’s definitely the key. MG Team do we have any questions for Aerial?
I heard you were trending in Asia and the time you spent in China – how did you become a trending figure over there?
They love basketball over there and I played for Guangdong Vermilion Birds – this was my second year in this team and whiles I was over there I really wanted to get into their culture and they really appreciated me trying to connect with them and understand. That’s why I have a good relationship with that team. I love those girls.
That’s such a positive thing and so inspiring, appreciating their culture and them recognising that you were trying.
What do you really want to see form the gaming industry in the next five years.
I really want to see an equal playing for – to be looked at for the skills that you bring and not to who or what you look like. That would be the one thing I am striving for and the ventures that I am an ambassador for, what I am using my platform to promote.
MG will be playing with Aerial Powers live on Stream with some Apex*
Aerial Powers
WNBA Player
Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) v Washington Mystics v 2019 WNBA Championship Big Ten Conference – NCAA v All-Big Ten First Team x2 v All American Third Team World University Games – Gold Medal
What is your origin story?
Aerial Powers
Washington Mystics SG
Michigan State Spartans Alum
Annabel
Melanin Gamers - Founder & Writer
The founder & director of Melanin Gamers.
I am Annabel or creativelyanzy as I’m known online! I am the founder of Melanin Gamers: a gaming community that promotes diversity and inclusivity in the video games industry, with a special focus on content creators; whiles also providing a safe space for people of colour to come together and game
Love The Show? Help The Channel Grow
We love feedback & support, here’s a few ways that you can help.
1. If you enjoyed the show, leave a review on Apple Podcasts, if you didn’t like the show then please send us your feedback & suggestions.
2. Please share the show on your on social media, your friends & families opinions helps us learn & grow.
3. Send us your feedback and questions for future episodes.
Want to get involved?
We'd love to have you on the show
Dont miss a session! Online events, community days & in real-life tournaments, networking sessions and Panels. Subscribe & stay up to date.
Don't Miss These Posts
Showcasing People of Colour in the Industry
Our first interview is with Syeknom games CEO and creator of the up-and-coming board game...
The inadequacy of change, & its portiere in media
There is a recurring problem that ‘fans’ create by failing to grasp the very simple notion...
I am Annabel or creativelyanzy as I’m known online! I am the founder of Melanin Gamers: a gaming community that promotes diversity and inclusivity in the video games industry, with a special focus on content creators; whiles also providing a safe space for people of colour to come together and game
[…] Read More […]