Interviews

July 31, 2007

GZ chats with the Frag Dolls about gaming
By Michael Lafferty

“I think the biggest challenge for a girl getting into games is to not see or care about the perceived hurdle”

Most serious gamers know them by their collective names – the Frag Dolls. They are women gamers, but look past the gender and you will find highly competitive game players who travel to tournaments and perform at the highest levels.

The team was formed in 2004 and in their debut, they shut out the competition at a Rainbow 6: Black Arrow tournament.

Recently, the Frag Dolls (along with Team Pandemic) signed a sponsorship deal with Dell, which will mean another member will be joining the team. As part of the sponsorship, Dell and the team will launch a search for the most hardcore, competitive female PC gamer and offer her a spot in the unique lineup – and the opportunity to compete in tournaments around the world. (According to the press release: Female gamers who think they’re tough enough to go head-to-head against the world’s best can sign up at www.fragdolls.com. Applicants will have the opportunity for in-person interviews Aug. 2-5 in the Dell booth at QuakeCon in Dallas. Qualifiers will compete in the finals on games like Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six® Vegas at Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) in Seattle, Aug. 24-26. The winner will be offered a spot on the team.)

The team also realizes that, as women gamers, they are under the spotlight and use that platform as an advocacy stage for women gamers. According to their press site: “The Frag Dolls are known not only for being skilled gamers in multiple titles, but for their advocacy of female gamers. The Frag Dolls have spoken on panels at the Women's Game Conference and two of the Women in Games International conferences. They have stated a desire for more female gamers in multiple interviews and have developed a gaming community friendly to other women interested in trying out video games.”

GameZone had the opportunity to talk with several members of the team (Rhoulette, Psyche, Brooke, Valkyrie and Jinx).

Question: When did you first catch the gaming bug?

Rhoulette: My first memory of video games is from watching my cousins play Legend of Zelda on their NES. I was captivated and forever attentive to games after that. I loved going to arcades and friends houses to play, and even though my family had a Macintosh in those days I did my best to play games on it. I also have a memory of trying to play a flight simulator as a 9 year old and being completely flummoxed by it because I had no manual.

Psyche: I first caught the gaming bug when my mother decided to buy me a Nintendo entertainment system. I was about 5 years old and since I have a big family I always have had someone to game with.

Valkyrie: As long as I can remember I have been a lover of all games. I started on console as a child, and then I built my first PC with the help of a friend when I was 19 where I started PC gaming on games such as Myst and Sim City. However, obsessive gaming came when I was exposed to competitive gaming through GameSpy Tunnel, which allowed me to play Halo though a tunnel software on my PC. At this point my life changed and a new addiction grew.

Brooke: Although I have been gaming my whole life, I didn’t become addicted until the age of 21 or so. It was the first time I played on Ghost Recon on Xbox Live. Something about playing against people instead of robotic AI brought a completely different aspect to the game.  I’ve been hooked ever since.

Jinx: I first started playing games on the NES but I started getting really into them with Myst. That's when I started saving my allowance to buy games, and watching the shelves for something new. In short, that's when I got hooked.

Obviously the name of the team details the type of games you work at the most, but what other kinds of games do you enjoy playing?

Rhoulette: Roleplaying games are my first love. I am totally enthralled by the process of creating characters and steering them through a story. That is the most engrossing type of game for me, but I love many adventure games for their storylines, too. Shooters are a thrill because of the adrenaline that comes with the competition. I’m an extremely competitive person so I get really riled up when playing head-to-head games.

Psyche: The other types of games that I enjoy playing other than shooter are rhythm games like Dance Dance Revolution, Guitar Hero, Beatmania. I also enjoy playing RPG's like Enchanted Arms and a few fighting games here and there. I prefer the old-school fighting games like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat.

Valkyrie: I am the type of gamer that plays all platforms and almost all genres. I guess you can say I am the typical girl in that I don’t really enjoy sports games, but my stereotype falls short from there. While FPS games dominate my world, I am huge MMO fan (multiple max characters on both World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy XI), Survival/Horror is probably my favorite offline genre, and I also play and love many other genre’s: action/adventure, strategy/puzzle, Role Playing, etc. I love to add to my collection and I love to beat a new game before my friends. It is actually a curse for a competitive gamer to be all over such as me.

Brooke: I love puzzles…Jewel Quest, Bejeweled and Suduku are great for when I travel. I also have a love for Galaga that will never die. I used to be in the top 30 on Xbox Live.

Jinx: I love variety in the types of games I play. I play all kinds of RPGs, adventure games, strategy games, racing games, puzzle games... they all have a different kind of experience to give me. They definitely help me look at shooters, my bread and butter, differently.

What do you think is the biggest hurdle you have to overcome when it comes to girls/women and playing games?

Rhoulette: Ignoring sexist trash talk is a particularly valuable skill as a female gamer and has taken some dedicated attention to develop. I have discovered that one of the best ways to minimize the negative effects of being a female gamer in a social group dominated by males is to band together with other female gamers. It’s easier to brush off the negativity when you have friends and good role models around.

Psyche: When it comes to overcoming hurdles in gaming a huge one would have to be gaining respect from the opposite sex. I’ve been playing online for about three years now and since then times have changed. Guys are more accepting of women gamers than they were before. I’m now known as "one of the guys" online and it’s great! Equality pwns!

Valkyrie: In competitive terms we are far behind the males, but I blame a society that has perpetuated not only the fact that girls don’t and shouldn’t play games, but also that playing games is anti-social addiction for young boys only. Society needs to continue to change their stand point on what is culturally acceptable so more women will play games earlier and continue to play games through adolescents and adulthood. If we could hold these women into having just as much experience and time into gaming as men, the world of e-sports and all technical industries as a whole would change drastically as the number of women playing games increases.

Brooke: Being taken seriously. Some people are focused so much on our gender that they don’t really get to see how passionate we are about gaming.

Jinx: I think the biggest challenge for a girl getting into games is to not see or care about the perceived hurdle. I grew up without the idea that games were a boy thing. I just played games I liked and it was that simple. Clinging to the idea that games are for guys is the surest way to keep women from enjoying them.

Do you think that games need to cater to the female gamers, or do you think that games stand on their own and that female gamers should not be singled out for games that often pander to the perception of what girls want and fall short of achieving what actually might be desired?

Rhoulette: We need a more diverse array of games in the world, not necessarily a set specifically for girls. By innovating in game design, video games will naturally appeal to a larger portion of the population.

Psyche: I think that games need to cater to the younger female audience as a gateway to other types of games. Having a girl start gaming young is a great way of getting her to further expand her gaming horizons in the future.

Valkyrie: In general, I don’t believe it necessary to cater to female gamers when developing a game. I think if a game is good that both sexes will be interested in playing it and it will find it audience with everyone. Although, I must say I at least would like a playable female character no matter what they look like.

However, I do understand with the young female audience and marketing that sometimes the “pink” Barbie doll strategy is what works with young girls. Therefore, in the larger picture I can’t really be as upset as I would be that these games are out there, as for now they are at least getting young girls to pick up a controller, mouse, or handheld!

Brooke: From a marketing stand point I think it’s stupid not to promote within a female audience. Don’t change the game but just let the woman’s demographic be aware that these games are out here and not just for the boys. If it wasn’t for my ex-boyfriend playing Xbox Live all the time I really don’t know if I would be the die-hard FPSer I am today. I never see FPS being marketed in COSMO. What’s up with that?

Jinx: The industry shouldn't change to make every game appeal to women. That would water down a lot of the experiences we already get in video games, or change them so they would be different experiences. What I would like to see is more. As long as I don't lose the games I already enjoy, I think having entirely new games created with women in mind is a great thing. It's like movies. There's room for action flicks, romantic comedies, and everything in between.

Do you find that most of your competition merely wants to play a game with a good-looking “Doll” and have no intention of taking the experience seriously, or does the male machismo of “can’t lose to a girl” factor in when either a match is accepted or rejected?

Rhoulette: There are some who start out playing us not taking it seriously and then, when they get beaten, their attitude changes entirely. Many guys play us and end up expressing that they’re extremely impressed. This is a bit of a backhanded compliment, but we’re glad that we can make an impression on them and guarantee that next time they won’t underestimate female opponents.

Psyche: Hmm, well it all really depends on the guys. Sometimes they enjoy the experience of playing against a girl and find it fascinating. Others are against the fact of losing to a girl. I’ve had a group of guys say "if I lose to a girl I’m never playing this game again". They lost and logged off right away. It was amusing but sad at the same time since they thought that way. But overall I would say I get more guys who enjoy the experience of gaming with a girl since it’s different and not so common. Who knows, they might get their girlfriends/sisters to game with them; I’ve seen it happen.

Valkyrie: Both of these situations are common attitudes with the males that play against us, but I think that each of these types of guys end up taking it seriously once we start playing. While some might not SEEM to mind that they lose and just want to play with us, it is almost a guarantee that they do not want to lose to a girl period. I think it falls back to the elementary school days and the fact that gaming is considered such a male dominated sport – they simply can’t fathom a girl beating them. Someday I am going to record the reactions of guys when they lose as it ranges from screaming at us, making absurd excuses, whining, to the occasional “good game.”

Brooke: Gamers are split into groups. You either love us or hate us. Rarely do you see an in-between. Most guys love the fact we bring something new to gaming. But there are still a few guys out there that just can’t accept the fact we love to play. They always think there is so hidden agenda behind it.

Jinx: Every now and again there are guys who think it's a novelty to play with a Frag Doll because of our looks, but those who don't look at us as legitimate gamers are in for the quickest lesson. As for the ones who think its worse to lose to a girl than to a guy, I just want to help them practice until they get used to it!

How often do you lord it over a guy that he just got beat by a girl?

Rhoulette: I don’t normally gloat when I win because I don’t like it when people gloat about beating me. But if someone has talked a load of trash before getting beaten, I can’t help but rub it in a little bit.

Psyche: I remember when I first starting gaming online I used to do it all the time. I had a taunt on SOCOM 2 that said "you just got beat by a girl!!!!". It was fun but after a while it got old. I just like saying "HAAA I beat you". I’ll only use the ‘you got beat by a girl’ when I’m facing a sexist gamer. It’s the best ammo.

Valkyrie: Ummm, I admit it – as I have been doing online gaming so long now when I started I was literally harassed in almost every room. It is the reason I helped build another all-female clan years ago in the first place. So, it is hard for me to NOT feel that bit of pride and accomplishment when I tear into some guy, and while I always try to be nice about it, I most certainly will put in a little fun “smack” talk when I can. It is also part of my mental strategy, because it makes it so important to beat me at that point that it usually messes with their head. Not many gamers’ can handle that type of pressure and I most certainly capitalize on it.

Brooke: Never. I hate when girls do that. We can’t be out there trying to prove that we’re just one of the guys if we are constantly reminding them that we are girls. Plus, “You just got beat by a girl” is an insult to us. It’s like we are saying girls aren’t supposed to be good at things.

Jinx: I don't like using my gender to rub a loss in my opponent's face. By making it a big deal that he lost to a girl, I'm making it seem like he just lost to someone who is supposed to be inferior. How does that help me? It would be stupid for anyone to say, "How does it feel to lose to a boy?" It's no different for me. I'd rather treat my opponents with the same kind of respect I want to see from them.

You probably interact a lot with younger girl gamers. What piece of advice do you most often give to them?

Rhoulette: I always preach persistence. Persistence is the key to being good at anything or getting to do what you want. If you want to be a professional gamer, be persistent in your play and practice. If you want to be in the game industry, be persistent in meeting industry people, going to events, and learning the skills you need to be valuable. If you want it bad enough, no one else will be able to stop you.

Psyche: Just play games that you enjoy and don’t let what other people say get to you about it. I know other girls still might think it’s a "guy" thing but so were sports and look at all the female athletics out there. Trust yourself and have fun. There is a game out there for everyone; you just have to give it a try and who knows you might be a natural.

Valkyrie: Actually, I do have very frequent interactions with young girls on the game and I normally take a “mother” role with all my girls, and in fact many of the younger girls in my other clan do call me mom (some of the older too). I take gaming very seriously and those girls that play with me know it so it is natural that while I am there for them to listen to their personal lives and such, that I take an authoritative role in gaming with them in teaching them how to play competitively,

The advice I give them is more related in how, as a leader, I run our gaming time. Boys are rarely allowed in the room for practice so the girls stay focused on learning and playing; they are taught never to be rude to other gamers in matches no matter what they say to them, to take pride in who and what they are, and to respect the sisterhood they have with a community of other females that go through the same things that they do.

Brooke: Just because it isn’t pink doesn’t mean we aren’t allowed to play it.

Jinx: My advice is, if you enjoy games, to keep playing them and ignore anyone who tries to say you don't belong. You can enjoy whatever you like.

What do you enjoy the most about playing video games?

Rhoulette: I love the departure from reality that is offered by games. It’s fascinating to take some of the rules and dynamics of the real world and play with them in flexible and fantastical environments.

Psyche: I enjoy the experience of playing video games. It’s cause and effect. I can change what is going to happen by doing something different. Video games can also take you to places you would have never dreamed of and they can make you laugh, jump, dance, and sometimes sad when you lose a character that you have grown close to while playing. Video games can also teach you things and do so much more. It’s better than a movie, it’s an experience.

Valkyrie: I am obsessed with the thrill of winning against others, the sense of fulfillment I have in beating a game, the pride I feel when my team achieves some major accomplishment whether downing a boss we haven’t before or beating a very tough team. Gaming is my life and every game is an accomplishment for me.

Brooke: Competing. I also love working together as a team and seeing all our practice pay off.

Jinx: I like having the different experiences games offer. They all work different parts of my brain and challenge me – my aim or my strategy or the way I perceive obstacles. It gives me a chance to relax while not turning into a TV-watching zombie.