Posted on 05/09/2006 2:15:46 PM PDT by Panerai
It was early afternoon on Sunday, April 2, and eight women were competing fiercely for what could only be described as a female gamer's dream: a spot on Ubisoft's all-women professional video game team, the Frag Dolls.
It was the final stage of the competition. For a day and a half, the women pitted their skills as hard-core gamers against one another in a no-holds-barred tournament and interview process.
The intensely focused yet collegial competitors looked like they could have been stars in the cast of the teen television hit "The OC." For skeptics, it raised the question: Are they top-flight gamers or charismatic faces recruited by Ubisoft's marketing team?
In the final stages of the competition, the Frag Doll wannabes confronted that question in an interview with the judges who were to name a new team member. Gus Sorola, of Rooster Teeth Productions, asked how they felt about people who say the Frag Dolls are little more than glorified "booth babes," or sexy models promoting games.
"I'm definitely not built like a booth babe," said Marcella Fernandez, 21, from Dallas. "I don't play like a booth babe. I play like a pro."
Added Alyson Craghead, 21, from Mesa, Ariz, "Frag Dolls are not booth babes. They're hard-core gamers. They're definitely sexy--confident, intelligent and skillful, but not booth babes."
For their part, Ubisoft execs said people who believe the company is using the Frag Dolls for their sex appeal are missing the point.
"We know some judge the Frag Dolls on how they look," said Melanie Desliens, a Ubisoft spokeswoman, "but the fact is that they are dedicated hard-core gamers. The Frag Dolls are actually helping dispel the myth that video games are for 'guys only' and they encourage both men and women to pick up a controller and join
(Excerpt) Read more at news.com.com ...
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