Lelani Orffer Is Building More Than PCs, She’s Building Confidence for Women in Gaming

Photo Credit: Lelani Orffer

Lelani Orffer is breaking stereotypes in gaming by empowering women to build, mod and belong, without asking for permission.

South Africa (18 December 2025) – Believe it or not, there are still male-dominant spaces where women are making space for themselves and forging a path for all those who dream to follow behind them. Let’s take gaming, for example. If you head to any gaming event, be it for PC or the latest gaming console, it’s pretty popular for the dudes, but you will start catching glimpses of bright pink controllers, glittered headphones or in Lelani Orffer‘s case, a stunning water-cooled PC system built with love and a great passion for the world of online gaming.

We got introduced to Lelani through our friend, South African tech icon Sam Wright (AKA Tech Girl), who we have featured on Good Things Guy, for her work in the eSports realm. She wanted us to take a look at Lelani’s efforts in promoting PC building and modding to women and girls in South Africa and beyond.

Lelani is passionate about inspiring women in tech and gaming, improving accessibility and being a guiding voice in the gaming space. We got the opportunity to speak with Lelani, delving into her dreams for the industry and her sound advice for those keen to join.

For Lelani, she has always been influenced to be a part of the tech space, drawing on the inspiration of her dad, who installed the first computer in Empangeni. She says she has always been a techie at heart, but sharing her journey clicked when she got a message from a young woman who shared that Lelani’s gaming set-up inspired her to build her own.

“Gaming and building weren’t just things I did; they were things I could share, build a community around, and use to inspire more women to jump in and take up space in this world.”

Lelani has faced a fair set of challenges within the industry, like people assuming her partner built her pc system instead of herself, but she has some sound advice for young ladies keen to get their own hands dirty.

“I navigated it the same way I troubleshoot a build: 1. ignore the noise, 2. keep learning and coming up with new ideas that break the usual/standards of pc builds, 3. let the results speak louder than the comments.”

Driven to make the gaming space more accessible for women, Lelani acted on the DMs she got from women who were nervous to build or modify their own PC systems.

“It was the girls who DM’d me, saying things like, “I wish I could build a PC, but I’m scared I’ll mess it up.” That’s when I realised we don’t need gatekeepers, we need guides. So, I became the person I wish I had when I started: someone who says, “Come sit, bring snacks, let’s build this thing together.”

“I want the next generation of women builders to walk into this space without feeling like they need permission. If my work chips away at even 1% of the outdated stereotypes and opens the door a little wider, then that’s a win. I want “women in tech” to stop being a headline and just become… normal.”

A change in perception is essential for women to forge their way forward in the industry. Lelani shares that it’s not for attention, it’s because these women are good at what they are doing, building some of the coolest “rigs”. She also wants them to feel safe in asking why something might not be working without being “roasted”.

“I want a future where girls don’t feel like they’re entering “the boys’ room”, they’re just entering the gaming world like everyone else. Where (and this is a hot take) tournaments, and opportunities aren’t “female-focused,” they’re just normalised, we don’t have to fight to make it happen. And where every girl knows she belongs here from day one.”

As for her own moment of pride, Lelani recently completed a stunning build.

“I recently completed a full custom water-cooled build. A lot of hours, custom vinyl stickers, 3D prints and powering it on without a single leak, and it booted the first time! That’s a special kind of flex only builders understand. Also… any time a brand trusts me with a themed build? Absolute serotonin.”

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Lelani ends with advice to any young girl who loves gaming but feels out of place in the current industry.

“You don’t need to fit in — you just need to start. Play the games you love. Build the setup you can afford. Ask the questions. The industry will catch up to you — not the other way around. And trust me: there’s an entire army of women out here ready to hype you up.”

So, if you know of a young lady dreaming of a career in gaming or who may just be interested in expanding their hobby, tell her to go for it!

This interview is part of a series I am working on, in which South African women highlight fun and fearless pursuits that bring them joy, raise awareness, and sometimes even change perceptions. You can read more here.