Sylvia Gathoni Wahome popularly known as Queen Arrow is a Kenyan lawyer, content creator and professional gamer. She made history by becoming the first ever Kenyan woman to break into the male-dominated field of professional esports gaming.
Gathoni began her professional career in 2017 majoring in combat games. In 2018, she became the first woman in East Africa to be signed by a professional esports team when she joined American organisation XiT Woundz (now known as XiT Gaming).
QueenArrow has established herself as one of the best gamers both locally and globally. She is famed for her sleek fighting and is a fierce opponent. Here is her story as told by WoK.
Background & Education.
Gathoni was born on July 5, 1998. She graduated from the Catholic University of East Africa (CUEA) in October 2021 with a Bachelor of Laws degree. She is currently enrolled at the Kenya School of Law (KSL) where she is pursuing a diploma in law.
She developed an interest in gaming at the age of three, growing up with her elder brother and cousin. At the time, she enjoyed playing Super Mario, Contra and Tapper, she would later start playing Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter. She began playing Tekken after her father bought her a PlayStation 2 console.
Career
Gathoni began her professional esports career playing Mortal Combat XL at the inaugural edition of the East African Gaming Convention in 2017. She finished in fourth place. She joined the local Tekken league known as 254 Circuit now Savannah Circuit in January 2018. She finished 19th in her first season and 17th in her second season.
She was signed by New Jersey, USA-based XiT Woundz (now known as XiT Gaming) in May 2018, becoming the first Kenyan and the first woman in East Africa to be signed by a professional esports team.
QueenArrow won the Safaricom Blaze Esports Tour held in Nyeri in October 2019.
“This has to be one of the biggest affirmations of my e-sports career so far. I am super-honoured,’’ she tweeted after the victory.
She left XiT Woundz in January 2020 and joined British team Brutal Democracy. In February 2021, Gathoni joined American esports team UYU as part of their content team.
Gathoni is also sponsored by Redbull. In 2021, she competed in the Red Bull Hit the Streets Tekken 7 tournament in Johannesburg South Africa where she finished
‘‘When the Most High ordains something for you, it shall be yours.’’
In June 2022, she was named among Forbes Africa 30 Under 30.
‘‘It shows that Forbes is not only recognising e-sports as a valid career path but also recognising that the African continent is a peer and equal in the e-sports world. There is obviously a lot of untapped talent in this field.’’
Despite raking up several wins in her career so far, and being revered by many in the field, Gathoni insists that her best is yet to come.
‘‘I will let my body of work speak for itself. I am on the up and up. I look forward to more dubs and more glories. Getting to my level at Tekken, and to attain my objectives as a player, has taken hard work. My focus at the moment is to find what sets me apart in gameplay and content creation,’’ she told the Nation.
‘‘I am a pro. But given my current trajectory, I will definitely get there soon,” Gathoni says on being considered one of the best in the world.
She notes that being a gamer, it is important to set aside time every day to sharpen your skills. She also notes that physical and mental fitness are key to thriving in e-sports.
‘‘I try to put in at least two hours every day for my gaming practice. Over time, I have appreciated that gaming is about the quality of training rather than the quantity of time one puts in.
‘‘Physical and mental health are important to remain in e-sports for long,” she said, noting that she also sets aside time to work out.
The local gaming industry is reportedly worth Ksh13.9 billion and is expected to grow to about Ksh17 billion in 2023. Therefore, it is a growing industry for young people in the country to make their bread.
She notes that there is a need for more stakeholder engagement to take e-sports in Kenya to the next level.
‘‘The government needs to engage with those of us in the ecosystem to understand challenges that set us back. We would hit higher levels if the cost of peripherals (playing kit), for instance, were lower. This would encourage more young people to get into gaming.’’
Gathoni also proposes a review of the legal framework to promote gaming.
‘‘Our law gives the impression that gaming and e-sports are forms of gambling. This is inaccurate and needs to change.’’
She notes that having a consistent tournament culture in the country will ultimately allow Kenyan players to participate on the world stage.
