Jan 15, 9:08 pm
Yayness for Ask a Dollness!
F3NOM: With all this talk about the 3 RROD, do you know, or you yourself, ever had 4 RROD?
RROD? What’s that? Really Rabid Obese Dogs? Ripe Red Ovary Delicacies? Ohhhh! You mean the Red Ring of Death! Nope. Neither I nor anyone I know IRL have encountered the RROD. I actually have a launch Xbox 360 and I’ve never had any problems with it. No red rings, no issues. It loves me.
SergeantCarnage: If you had to live the life of a video game character, who would it be? (And allowances are made if you want to be a female version of a male character in case anyone wants to be the Goddess of War or the Master Chieftess.)
At first, I was thinking I’d like to be your female version of Master Chief and be Master Chiefess, but I’m not sure I’m down with fighting aliens. Not because I don’t think they should die (we have to defend mankind, after all), but because I’d be the one killing them. I bet they’re filled with sticky goo, and when I blast a flood zombie or the popping marshmallow flying spawn babies, they’d probably get their yucky insides all over my Master Chiefess outfit. Eck.
I don’t want to be the hero in any of the realistic shooters either. It’d be a great experience, but I’m not sure that I’m cut out to have that kind of experience. After much contemplation, and imagining myself as Princess Peach, Link, and I even putting myself in the shoes of Whopper Jr. from Pocket Bike Racer, I decided the most fitting video game personality for me is Raz from Psychonauts. Now that would be a fun game to experience! I’d get to set stuff on fire with my mind and become Gogglelor! Gogglelor!!!” (Linky details: watch from 1:30 to 2:00).
slickrick2345: If gaming was in the form of a person, Which person personifies Gaming to you?
I have to say, the person that really encapsulates gaming to me is a combination of Ben Franklin, a genetically-engineered, twelve-fingered bionic monkey-bot (two thumbs per hand), and Yngwie Malmsteen (an amazing guitarist, for finger dexterity).
gameshark80: What is a good way to get into the industry for playing games? and just making a living doing it in general?
If you’re looking to become a professional gamer, here’s what I recommend you do:
- Go to the MLG, CPL, and CGS websites and find out which games are being played on the professional gaming circuits.
- Pick a competitive multiplayer title that you enjoy and practice the hell out of it.
- Get a team together (if applicable), and practice more.
- Win tournaments. Enjoy the prize money.
- Make a website displaying your winning history and the announcement of your search for a sponsor.
- Make sponsorship proposals to companies that would want to reach the gaming market.
- Get an awesome sponsorship and rule the gaming tournaments with your badass skills.
NotASenator: Does poor character writing and subject matter in games lead to the proliferation of stereotypes? Alternatively: Does this dress make me look fat?
Yes, but it’s not necessarily bad thing, and here’s my evidence. Halo, FarCry, and pretty much every FPS game out there suggest that there is one really badass guy who can take out an entire army, but this hardly began with video games - remember Rambo? Commando? There is also a stereotype in female video game characters that women are extremely buxom, beyond the limits of physiology and the hard sciences. Honestly, if Lara Croft existed in real life in the same proportions as in the video game, she definitely wouldn’t be running anywhere with the amount of back pain she would constantly be in. Another example is how Enchanted Arms, Blue Dragon and DOA4 perpetuate the stereotype that the Japanese are weird. I’m hoping to see these stereotypes end in the real world, but on the other hand, video games might not be as enticing if there wasn’t an Alpha Hero, and perhaps much less attractive if there weren’t top-heavy women in them. We just shouldn’t always expect life to mimic art.
Alternatively, no. Your fat makes you look fat. Oh wait, I remember you being really skinny; you’ll have to gain some fat in order to look fat.
SuperRobot7: What are the chances I’m gonna get stuck at the airport later tonight and next week?
This is actually a very good question for a Frag Doll since we travel ALL THE TIME. From my experience, if I were to guesstimate, I would say there’s a 4.2% chance that you’ll get stuck at the airport a few weeks ago when you asked this question. I fly all over the country and my flights get delayed about 42% of the time. These delays occur due to weather problems, the need to replace the first aid kit on board, the pilot waiting for a part, taxing, the need to refuel, and mechanical failures. Take the chance of any of those issues, plus the probability of having weather problems in the dead of winter combined with the chaos of the Christmas season and you’d think you would have a high probability of getting stuck in the airport. You’d think that, but you’d be wrong. Even with all of these terrible delays, I’ve actually never been stuck at any airport over night. The longest delay was something like 4 or 5 hours, but I eventually got on my plane and made it safely to my destination. Now, if you were on stand-by I’d say your chances of getting stuck in an airport overnight during the Christmas season is almost inevitable.
Ninja_Raiden: What is your ultimate personal goal as a Frag Doll? Which aspect of the job do you prefer - competition or (I guess) game PR? And have you considered what you’ll do should there come a day when groups like the FDs aren’t necessary?
I live for competition. My cheeks burn red, my senses are heightened and my heart pounds in my throat. It’s a rush! The challenge of taking the stress of a competitive tournament environment and using it to better my gaming performance is one of the most exhilarating things in life. It’s a completely different experience than playing at home in my usual living room setting, where I feel at ease. There is a sort of PR side of being a Frag Doll that includes interviewing people in the gaming industry, writing blogs, speaking on panels, doing interviews for publication, and writing tips and strategies for bonus disc and strategy guides. These things are all good and necessary for what we aim to accomplish as a female gaming team. But if given the choice, I would prefer sitting down in front of a TV and using my mind to outsmart the enemies in R6V, GRAW or Halo 3 than doing an interview any day.
I have several personal goals as a Frag Doll. First and foremost, I want to kick ass in video game tournaments. Not just to attest to the fact that girls are interested and skilled in video games, but also because it’s what I love to do. Another personal goal that I hope to help accomplish as a Frag Doll, is to help pave the way for the next generation of female gamers. I’ll tell you what I mean by that. When I first started playing on Xbox Live about 5 years ago, the harassment and garbage I had to deal with in order to play was painful. Since then, I’ve grown a thick skin over my feelings and I’m not affected by the crude comments. But I aim to help make a safe environment for girls to play games and not have to deal with the pathetic word vomit from online players. By getting exposure to female gamers, we’re becoming a more common thing, and I hope that soon gamers won’t be surprised when a girl enters an online match of Ghost Recon. She’ll have a place there, without the trashy talk.
And when the Frag Dolls are no longer a rare thing, and aren’t necessary to help pave the way, we’ll still love the FPS competition and continue to do what we love. I hope to someday be a 175 year old lady (you know, with science and all) and walk in the MLG venue ready to throw down in some Rainbow Six 95.
