zAAz Criticizes Valve Over Decline of the Women’s CS2 Scene

Veteran Counter-Strike professional Zainab ‘zAAz’ Turckie has criticized Valve for the massive downfall of the women’s competitive esports scene on social media, sparking a massive debate that has divided the community. zAAz is arguably one of the biggest names in the Women's CS2 esport scene and has remained a notable voice competing at the highest level of the game for years. Going through several generations of the game has added weight to her claims. Women’s CS2 Scene Facing Major Problems According to zAAz, Valve’s lack of support has resulted in the women’s competitive calendar shrinking. With the lack of tournaments, organizations and sponsors are backing out, resulting in a rapid decline of the scene. With 20 years of experience behind her, she claims, “I’ve never witnessed such a massive downgrade to a women’s scene. Valve should be ashamed. I’m speechless.” With a dry competitive calendar, the opportunities are getting killed over time, and given how zAAz has played the game for as long as anyone, she reflects the decline based on her experience from the esports scene of the past. While zAAz gets a plethora of support from her compatriots and the community, a large section believes that Valve is not the correct party to be blamed for the lack of viewership and engagement around the women’s esports scene is largely responsible for the decline. It goes without saying that engagement is the biggest driver of attracting sponsorships and has been instrumental in driving the growth of men’s CS2 esports. While Valve is to be held accountable for this decline is a whole other debate, as of now, the community remains divided over who should take the fall for this.