Philadelphia teen Amanda Bailey has been gaming ever since she was very young. The Lower Merion High School junior began playing Minecraft and eventually Overwatch. Last summer, Amanda’s passion and dedication for Overwatch led her to be one of 56 teens out of over 10,000 applicants who were selected for the Esports Tower Summer Invitational at Boise State University.

Her mom, Jill Bailey, was obviously thrilled at her daughter’s selection for the elite esports training program.

“When I found out that she was only one of four girls that was selected out of 56, I was even more dazzled,” Jill told Nerd Street.

Amanda’s path to the Esports Tower program was aided in part by her participation in one of Nerd Street’s esports camps. Besides honing her skills and learning more about teamwork, Amanda, whose gamertag is Diamonddog, told Nerd Street that being part of the camp was important for her as a girl.

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“One thing and a little more personal that I learned is that I’m not alone because I met so many other female players there,” she said. “And it really made me feel that I’m not alone in this big male-dominated career field.”

Her mom was impressed by her daughter’s experience at the camp because it was about more than just gaming.

Amanda and her mom, Jill, at the Esports Tower Summer Invitational. Photo provided by Amanda Bailey

“It was a solid program of not just constant time in front of the computer gaming, but…