Stephanie Harvey (born 19 April 1986), also known by her in-game name missharvey, is a Canadian

video game developer A video game developer is a software developer specializing in video game development – the process and related disciplines of creating video games. A game developer can range from one person who undertakes all tasks to a large business with em ...

and retired

professional gamer A gamer is someone who plays interactive games, either video games, tabletop role-playing games, skill-based card games, or any combination thereof, and who often plays for extended periods of time. Originally a hobby, gaming has evolved in ...

. She is best known as a ''

Counter-Strike ''Counter-Strike'' (''CS'') is a series of multiplayer tactical first-person shooter video games, in which opposing teams attempt to complete various objectives. The series began on Windows in 1999 with the release of the first game, '' Counte ...

'' and '' Counter-Strike: Global Offensive'' (CS:GO) player, having won five world championships. She formerly played for Counter Logic Gaming Red. Outside professional gaming, Harvey works as a designer at video game developer

Ubisoft Montreal Ubisoft Divertissements Inc., doing business as Ubisoft Montreal, is a Canadian video game developer and a studio of Ubisoft based in Montreal. The studio was founded in April 1997 as part of Ubisoft's growth into worldwide markets, with subs ...

. She is also known for advocating against

gender discrimination Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but primarily affects women and girls. It has been linked to gender roles and stereotypes, and may include the belief that one sex or gender is in ...

in professional gaming, co-founding the online community Missclicks to address the under-representation of women in

geek The word ''geek'' is a slang term originally used to describe Eccentricity (behavior), eccentric or non-mainstream people; in current use, the word typically connotes an expert or enthusiast obsessed with a hobby or intellectual pursuit. In th ...

and

video game culture Video game culture or gaming culture a worldwide subculture formed by video game enthusiasts. As video games have grown more sophisticated, accessible, and popular over time, they have significantly influenced popular culture, particularly among a ...

. In November 2016, she was listed as one of BBC's 100 Women. In December 2016, she won the third season of '' Canada's Smartest Person''. In January 2022, Harvey won the second season of '' Big Brother Célébrités''. Harvey currently works for Counter-Logic Gaming as the Director of Business Development. In 2021, Harvey received The Esports Awards Lifetime Achievement Award.

Professional gaming career

Harvey began her professional gaming career playing ''Counter-Strike 1.5'' in 2003; a year later, she created the team Canadian Divas. In 2005, she joined CheckSix Divas, with whom she placed fifth in the Electronic Sports World Cup (ESCW). She then moved to SK Ladies, playing with the team for four years and winning two world championships. In 2011 Harvey founded a new ''Counter-Strike'' team, UBINITED, sponsored by her employer

Ubisoft Ubisoft Entertainment SA (; ; formerly Ubi Soft Entertainment SA) is a French video game publisher headquartered in Saint-Mandé with development studios across the world. Its video game franchises include '' Anno'', '' Assassin's Creed'', ' ...

, which went on to win the ESCW 2011 Women's event. The following year the team switched to CS:GO and again won that year's ESCW Women's event. In 2015 it signed to Counter Logic Gaming to become CLG.CS Red, and won a third ESCW Women's tournament. In 2016 CLG.CS became the first all-female team to move into a gaming house and began to compete in more men's events. Harvey left CLG.CS Red in May 2017 but rejoined the team a year later. Harvey left CLG Red in March 2019.

Advocacy

Harvey has spoken out against sexism and gender discrimination in professional gaming. She has highlighted that less than 5% of professional gamers are women, that there is a significant

gender disparity Sex differences in humans have been studied in a variety of fields. Sex chromosome#Sex determination, Sex determination generally occurs by the presence or absence of a Y chromosome in the 23rd pair of chromosomes in the human genome. ''phenot ...

in player's earnings, and that women in gaming face routine

verbal abuse Verbal abuse (also known as verbal aggression, verbal attack, verbal violence, verbal assault, psychic aggression, or psychic violence) is a type of Psychological abuse, psychological/mental abuse that involves the use of Oral language, oral or w ...

and

sexual harassment Sexual harassment is a type of harassment based on the sex or gender of a victim. It can involve offensive sexist or sexual behavior, verbal or physical actions, up to bribery, coercion, and assault. Harassment may be explicit or implicit, wit ...

: In 2013, together with female professional gamers Anna Prosser Robinson, Geneviève Forget and Stephanie Powell, Harvey founded Missclicks, an online community and

safe space The term safe space refers to places "intended to be free of bias, conflict, criticism, or potentially threatening actions, ideas, or conversations", according to Merriam-Webster. It is a place where marginalized groups can discuss issues pert ...

to address these issues by promoting female role models in gaming. After winning Season Three of Canada's Smartest Person in December 2016, Harvey selected Opération Enfant Soleil, a

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

charity supporting

pediatrics Pediatrics (American English) also spelled paediatrics (British English), is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, Adolescence, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, pediatrics covers many o ...

in the province, as the recipient of the $20,000 in prize money. Harvey is a PAIDIA guide, focused on promoting inclusive gaming communities for women and allies of all genders.

Creative Projects

In 2019, Harvey partnered with Michele Morrow to produce the Game Diaries Podcast. The first season has 8 full-length episodes and 3 post-script episodes. In 2020, Harvey launched a

digital citizenship The term digital citizen is used with different meanings. According to the definition provided by Karen Mossberger, one of the authors of ''Digital Citizenship: The Internet, Society, and Participation'', digital citizens are "those who use the i ...

brand Élevey, focused on promoting awareness about cyberaddiction,

cybersecurity Computer security (also cybersecurity, digital security, or information technology (IT) security) is a subdiscipline within the field of information security. It consists of the protection of computer software, systems and networks from thr ...

and cybercitizenship.

References

External links

Missclicks
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harvey, Stephanie Canadian esports players Counter-Strike players Canadian video game designers Living people Ubisoft people Women esports players Counter Logic Gaming players SK Gaming players Sportspeople from Montreal Canadian expatriates in the United States Women video game designers 1986 births Université de Montréal alumni Université Laval alumni Sportswomen from Quebec 21st-century Canadian sportswomen Big Brother Célébrités winners Canada's Smartest Person winners