Girl Got Game
By Melissa Camacho,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Cool docu on female team in male-dominated esports world.

A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Girl Got Game
Community Reviews
There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.
What's the Story?
GIRL GOT GAME is a documentary that follows a professional all-women gaming team competing in the male-dominated world of esports. Cameras follow CLG Red, which consists of Canadian Stephanie Harvey (known by the handle of "missharvey"), and U.S. players Christine "potter" Chi, Klaudia "klaudia" Beczkiewicz, Benita "beNITA" Novshadian, and Diane "di^” Tran, who live together in a team-sponsored house and travel around the world to play the first-person shooter game Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO) against male and female teams. Because they are the first all-female esport team to land a major sponsor, the pressure is on to win, especially at 2017, the Intel Challenge Katowice, the biggest all-female CSGO esports competition in the world. But last-minute roster changes and coach replacements create some challenges, and the women know that they are going to have to stay focused and work together in order to become champions.
Is It Any Good?
This interesting documentary offers an inside look into the world of professional competitive video gaming, and at the growing presence of women as serious esports contenders. As in any sport, professional gamers go under contract, earn a salary, and participate in marketing opportunities, and they must cope with managerial decisions. But CLG Red, a team signed by the male-dominated company Counter Logic Gaming (in part) to inspire other women to become professional gamers, are considered the pioneering team in female esports. While some of the team members are proud of this, all of them want to be known for their outstanding playing skills, regardless of gender. Some also note that the dominant presence of men in coaching and managerial positions are a result of not having enough female gamers in the overall industry at this time, and not due to a lack of talent or respect for what they do.
If you're looking for any sort of reality show-type drama, you won’t find it here. Conversations between the women are completely focused on gaming. Despite disagreements about how they are playing, and what should be done to improve, they respect and support each other as gamers. Meanwhile, the overall documentary effectively breaks down the esports world and demystifies much of the vernacular associated with it, so that non-gamers can follow what's happening more easily. Not only does this make it more appealing, but it underscores the amount of commitment and skill required to game at this level. Girl Got Game will not only inspire young female gamers, but also help young male gamers become accustomed to seeing women in the esport world as equal players, not outliers. Gamer or not, it offers an excellent example of how women are working hard to rise in the ranks of traditionally male-centered worlds.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why it has been hard for women to become professional gamers. How many competitive female gamers are there today? How successful have they been compared to their male counterparts? Did you know that female gaming tournaments offer substantially smaller cash prizes than men's tournaments? Why do you think that is?
What kind of stereotypes exist about female gamers? What are the different ways Girl Got Game challenges these generalizations?
Are you surprised that people make a living playing video games? Why are the video games they play so violent in nature?
TV Details
- Premiere date: July 18, 2018
- Cast: Stephanie Harvey, Christine Chi, Diane Tran
- Network: CW
- Genre: Reality TV
- Topics: Great Girl Role Models
- Character Strengths: Communication, Perseverance, Teamwork
- TV rating: TV-14
- Award: Common Sense Selection
- Last updated: September 20, 2019
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
Where to Watch
Our Editors Recommend
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate