Background: The esports industry is constantly growing. Women in the industry struggle with gender-based hostility in gaming spaces, and current research on social interactions and their effect on psychological needs as driving factors behind consumer behavior in esports remains fragmented.

Problem: Existing applications of the Basic Needs in Games (BANG) model treat psychological need satisfaction as a process where all needs can be simultaneously achieved. In addition, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the consumer journey of minority consumers in the hostile digital environment of esports.

Purpose: This study aims to investigate how psychological need satisfaction and frustration influence the consumer journey and platform retention of female esports players, focusing on social interactions within the tactical shooter VALORANT.

Method: A qualitative approach was adopted, with 10 interviews analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA).

Conclusion: Female players continuously negotiate between need satisfaction and gendered frustration, where satisfying one psychological need often frustrated another. The proposed model integrates gender stereotypes and social interactions as external forces shaping psychological need outcomes and long-term consumer engagement in esports.