‘‘They absolutely mopped the floor, ’’ Your Corps founder James Wards said.
Alia Muntz, Bella Topp and Lily O’Neill won the Your Corps Esports (electronic sports) event this month in Mataura.
It was fantastic that three girls were victorious, Mr Wards said.
‘‘They gave the boys an absolute hiding.’’
The girls were rewarded with a cash prize for their performance.
People often perceived video games as a ‘‘boys only’’ activity, he said.
He thought it was good to see girls turning up to the event.
‘‘It’s great that a competitive sporting activity can be participated in equally between girls and boys.
‘‘That is not commonly seen in conventional sporting experiences.
‘‘The kids love it. It is just fantastic.’’
Competitors played a range of games such as Minecraft, Counter Strike and Fifa. A priority was to make sure games at the competitions were age-accessible, he said.
Twenty people attended the competition and competed in age grades of 8-12 years and 13-17 years.
Esports is one of the fastestgrowing sports in New Zealand and now it is making its mark in Southland, with Mataura at the forefront.
The competitions have been funded by Lottery community committee Otago Southland and the Insert Coin To Play Charitable Trust.
Another five competitions will be held in Mataura this year.
