as many of you probably know, i currently write a series entitled ‘behind the tag’ – meant to focus mainly on players in the professional scene, as well as content creators. i’ve recently decided to begin another series i am lovingly dubbing “the gamechangers”
through this series i want to look at people striving to make changes in the esports scene, and help provide them with a platform to amplify their voices, as people have done for me in the past.
all of that being said – allow me to introduce you to charity, a passionate individual, determined to make waves in the esports industry. as a student at north carolina central university, charity is pursuing her graduate degree in social work, while also being a dedicated mother.
her journey in gaming began at the young age of four, and since then she has become an avid multi-mario speedrunner. today, charity is the driving force behind B U Gamerz, an organization dedicated to promoting inclusivity, fun, and competitive gaming experiences. when she emailed me about her story, i knew immediately we had to delve right in. this is a woman who is making significant impacts in her area, that i know will have reverberations in the scene as a whole. i’ll take you back now – to the beginning
charity’s journey into esports and gaming as a potential career focus was never something she anticipated. in 2020, charity had recently become a mother, and decided to return to school at nccu. it was during this time she discovered a group of people that were interested in starting a gaming club!
like a lot of us, covid-19 gave charity a growing impact in esports and streaming, and that inspired her to take this leap. she joined forces with this group of people, and started to do some call of duty matches with cxmmunity. from there, she made a discord, and her interest in speedrunning began!
the esports advisor at the time noticed charity, and sent her a message asking if she wanted to help with MEAC ( the mid-eastern athletic conference). charity needed the community service hours anyway and thought “why not?”
shortly after accepting the internship, charity met with the now commissioner steels, and was eventually offered a job working with harena data. they wanted to pay her directly, and she was so down for that.
these three years in esports eventually lead to the birth of charity’s own company – B U Gamerz.
charity has been doing so well recently, she ran 2 big tournaments for the CIAA (central intercollegiate athletic associate), and for MEAC esports as well, that she was offered a job completely overseeing MEAC! she’s lucky enough to be doing esports full time, overseeing all of MEAC, as well as with her own company.
“i get paid to game!”
a lovely, lovely sentence.
that being said, stories like this don’t come without challenges.
as an african american woman, in a male dominated industry- charity has faced numerous challenges. she was doubted so strongly in the beginning, as people were assuming her status as both a woman, and a grad student, meant she had little knowledge of the gaming world.
these challenges have taught charity a lot. she finds extreme importance in patience, as well as consistency. charity acknowledged to me that it would take time for me to embrace the idea of women dominating the esports space, but she is going to work and show that she deserves to be here either way.
i asked her then, for a piece of advice. to the african american woman trying to make career in gaming, what is it she needs to hear?
your light is bright. don’t let anyone put you down. stand your ground, and keep going. especially being an african american woman, you have to stand your group, keep pushing, and show your leadership. never change who you are to be accepted. there are spaces that are suitable for you already there.
charity (aka rin, aka ti, aka ghostlytimez)
charity has accomplished many things in her last few years in esports, but shes nowhere close to done.
theres a lot of hopes for the future
as previously mentioned, charity owns B U Gamerz, and a big thing she wants to focus on there is mental health.
being a social worker, one of the things you have to do at the end of the year is a capstone project. her focus was on videogame addiction, because in a sense, speedrunning can turn into that. when she started speedrunning, she found that all the kids she talked to were just doing this ALL DAY.
some kids told her they didn’t socialize, or go outside, and so that became a focal point of charity’s research. she quickly realized that she also had a huge interest in mental health.
after getting her masters, and license, charity plans on adding a mental health clinic into her organization, so if gamers, or quite frankly anyone needs help with video addiction, she is able to create a space space, get them help, offer study halls, etc. etc.
this is something i think is so important, and a problem in our industry that a lot of us often avoid talking about, or dealing with. the fact that charity recognizes this, and wants to actively work to change it is extremely inspiring.
charity mentioned briefly her passion for the hbcu esports scene, and of course i had to find out more about her love for it.
the hbcu scene is not as fortunate as many other organizations, but she just wants them to succeed. specifically in the raleigh/durham/chapel hill area, there isn’t much of a presence.
one of charity’s main goals is to get B U Gamerz out there, so people know that they exist, and create opportunities for all these kids. if its something to keep people off the streets, she’s all for it.
because of this passion, charity has been trying to focus on getting these schools, and organizations to really buy into their students. to let them shine, and give them a push. theres been a few pretty successful hbcu organizations, but they unfortunately fell off due to monetary costs. quite frankly, the schools don’t see the value, and benefit of esports and gaming to their students.
this is exactly the perception that charity is trying to change. there are so many careers available in this industry, and she wants to make sure these opportunities are equally available to any child who wants them, no matter their background.
she’s been extremely successful in this with her local community. out of the 8 MEAC schools, about half of them have their own esports labs. theyre able to play on campus, and team up!
her next big mission is to make sure all 8 of the schools are on equal playing fields, so all of them become equipped with a lab. once they get labs, she can move onto starting endeavors like varsity teams, scholarships, and the works.
i think charity’s journey thus far is the textbook definition of resilience, and passion. esports was never where she saw herself, and now, she couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.
through B U Gamerz, she is not only creating opportunities for aspiring new gamers, but championing diversity, inclusivity, and mental health within the esports community. her dedication to the hbcu esports scene, and providing a platform for underrepresented individuals sets an extremely powerful example for those to follow.
with her vision, and determination, i have no doubts of the waves of positive change charity is going to continue to make, both in the esports industry as a whole, and with her local community.
charity is the type of person that works to inspire the next generation of gamers – and for that, i can say nothing else but calling her a gamechanger.
if you want to support charity, or any of her endeavors, you can find all the links below here 🙂
http://www.themeacesports.com/
you can find both MEAC and B U Gamerz on instagram, twitter, facebook, and discord!
the esports tribune 
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