15 Minutes of Fame: The Frag Dolls' Valkyrie
by Lisa Poisso 
Feb 18th 2010 at 11:00AM
"I can't handle it when people say, "It's only a game,'" says Amy "Valkyrie" Brady, a WoW-playing, card-carrying member of Ubisoft's well known Frag Dolls all-female gaming team. This all-business gamer has helped create and lead the a multi-platform clan of more than 300 gun-toting women who compete across five FPS (First Person Shooter) games in 10 separate divisions. In December 2006, Valkyrie was part of the four-member Frag Doll team that took first place in the Rainbow Six Vegas tournament at CPL in Dallas. Rainbow Six 3, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, Halo 2, Final Fantasy XI ... On top of considerable hours spent on weekly practice for the Frag Dolls, she puts in some 50 to 60 more in personal game play -- and among those games is World of Warcraft.
Guild Pandoras Mighty Soldiers
Server Darrowmere
WoWstyle 25-man raiding
15 Minutes of Fame: WoW raiding is quite a different atmosphere than the FPS environment you're so used to. How does your background in FPS affect your outlook on WoW's PvP experience?
Valkyrie: You would think that I would love PvP, as I thrive on the competition on FPS games, but in all honesty this game has always been about PvE for me, which I still find highly competitive. The little time I do PvP, I have noticed the crucial way you rely on your teammates to win. Yes, you have to rely on teammates in an FPS, but not anywhere near as much as you do in WoW PvP. It takes absolute synchronization with others to win and survive at all times, and there aren't really comeback opportunities if one of your teammates goes down.
How long have you been a WoW player?
I have played WoW off and on (off when I am preparing for the FPS circuit) for almost five years. I started in the original content and I still think back on the 40-man raids: "How the heck did we ever manage to coordinate that many people, when 25 is hard enough?" Of course, the majority of the raid content requires much more movement and coordination nowadays, but only end-game raiders can truly appreciate the amount of skill and dedication it takes to be a good raider. I can't handle it when people say "it's only a game"; it's much more than that for people that put their focus and dedication into it.
What's your focus in WoW right now?I am currently on hiatus from the game, as I am training on Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2. I am not really able to play WoW and another game at the same time, as WoW has tendency to take over my life. I always have to quit cold turkey if I am trying to gear up for competition on another game. Before I left, my focus was always end-game raiding and achievements. I am the type of player that likes to do everything I can in a game and I really do try to do it all.
Planning to be here for Cataclysm?
The release of Cataclysm is most certainly when I plan on being back in the game. Ever since I saw and heard about all the new and exciting things that happened at BlizzCon, I have been antsy to see how it will all work. I love the new races, new places to explore, and best of all, new gear! I can't wait to see the old content re-done and explore the areas I know by heart in an entirely new way.
People always confuse our jobs as professional gamers with "sponsored gamers." I am not sponsored; I am employed. I listed some of my job duties already, but really there is so much more to it. We are akin to a brand in Ubisoft, and we were created to market other brands in the company. We go much further than slapping a logo on our shirt and calling it a day.
I work about 20-30 hours a week online, and if we are traveling, a lot more. When we travel, we are the ones at the industry and consumer events promoting Ubisoft games, teaching people how to play them and performing the media interviews for them. This does not include gaming time, which we are supported on if we are going to be competing. So yes, it is a full time job and one I love!
Your gaming time must be absolutely packed. How much "work" gaming would you say that you do in a typical day (or week)? Well, actually there are quite a few things I do for my job other than play. We do work in the promotions group of Ubisoft's marketing department, so we do some viral marketing, social networking and community management in forums and such for Ubisoft's brands. Aside from that, I also edit and manage the site content and make travel arrangements for our group.
As far as my gaming time goes, I have an awesome schedule (if you are a gamer, that is). After a couple of hours of work in the morning managing the things I listed, I am on whatever game I am focused on literally the rest of the day, until I break off to read a bit or watch a TV show . All in all, I game about 10-12 hours a day. Any game I am playing, I take quite seriously.
Is there such a thing as a typical workday or week?
While it is very typical for me, it most certainly wouldn't be typical for most other people. Our job is unique, and I don't think many can live up to the gaming time, dedication, as well as perform the other functions as a spokesperson.
Please tell us you've observed at least some degree of evolution in the perception and acceptance of female gamers over your years as a gamer. Please?!
I would like to say yes, but truly the only acceptance I see (at least in hardcore and competitive gaming) is the fact that some of guys like to play with girls and be around them while the rest auto-attack with the non-creative "You must be a fat," "Get back the kitchen," etc.
In all honestly, unless a guy gets beat by a girl, even the supportive male gamers assume in the back of their head that women are subpar in competitive gaming. What they fail to think about is the numbers game going on competitive gaming. When only a few cream of the crop can rise out of hundreds of thousands of men, how many females really have a chance out of a few hundred? I am not talking about playing the games, I am talking about those that dedicate their full effort at being the best. We are still a vast minority in those terms.
However, what I do see is that more females are playing, and the market continues to grow. When more of those females start focusing on being truly competitive, we will see more top-ranked females, and this will help the stereotypes that exist about us. So I guess you can say the evolution is occurring, but we're still in guerilla stage.
Why does everyone keep telling me that I am too old to play games? I get paid for it, I have many career options when I decide to leave, and I assure you my gums aren't receding yet. I love being able to work from home, and the majority of my job is a dream come true. I can't imagine going back to wearing a suit in an office again -- been there, done that. Aside from that, I have always had a purpose and that is to show that women have game. And trust me, I have it. =P
What's coming up for you in gaming over the months ahead?
The biggest event we have coming up is PAX East (Penny Arcade Expo) at the end of March, where I will be working for some upcoming Ubisoft titles with my teammates and possibly enter into some tournaments. Other than that, we are waiting for the announcements from the leagues to hear what games they will be hosting for the 2010 season, to see if we will be competing. The spring will launch the leagues and convention season ... and you should see me at all of them. ^^
"I never thought of playing WoW like that!" -- neither did we, until we talked with these players. From an Oscar-winning 3-D effects director to a rising pop singer ... from a quadriplegic player to a bunch of guys who get together for dinner and group raiding in person every week ... Catch our 2009 year-end retrospective for a year's worth of WoW personalities.Filed under: Interviews, 15 Minutes of Fame
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
IvanZephyr Feb 18th 2010 11:22AM
This seems like...such a fake "gamer." She's not a "Real" gamer -- she's one whose "job" it is to be one. A false identity that ubisoft is using in their marketing. Sure she can like games and she's obviously good at them, no one is arguing that. However the fact remains that all of her answers seem so absolutely fake and pre-written that I have a hard time believing she TRULY likes what she has to do. I'm quite curious as to how much she gets paid to put on this act.
Her answer to the Cataclysm is what got me to thinking: "This is a bunch of bullcrap." Then again, she put it best:
"I'm not sponsored; I am employed." You can tell big time.
Updawg Feb 18th 2010 11:48AM
That's all it is, a marketing gimmick. Sure it's nice to know that there are serious female gamers, but this isn't the best way about it.
AndiusRex Feb 18th 2010 11:55AM
So what constitutes a "real" gamer?
I would figure that since Valkyrie's background was being part of the PMS clan before being a Fragdoll would indicate that she is a gamer first, and was tapped to be part of Ubisoft's marketing ideal second.
Look, I'm not denying that the Fragdolls handpick there members with a bit of bias towards the pretty and glamorous, but most of the field they choose from come from a very competitive (gaming) background. Let's not label "fake" gamers as people who utilize their passions for success in the business world. That's kinda unfair.
Joel Feb 18th 2010 12:06PM
Jealous troll is jealous...
IvanZephyr Feb 18th 2010 12:34PM
Has nothing to do with being jealous...hell I'm a guy. I can definitely appreciate a good looking woman, if that's what you think my reason for posting what I did was, then you're sorely mistaken.
Look at all those answers and tell me they don't sound forced and/or rehearsed? It has little (or nothing more like it) to do with the field that she is even employed in (professional gaming) or the fact that she was a gamer before, that's fine. But tell me with a straight face that Ubisoft didn't just hire a bunch of good looking women with their label on it to sell products? If you think otherwise you're deluding yourself. Sex may sell but being fake does not.
Sorry guys. Fap over her all you want, that's what Ubisoft hired her for.
Fierna Feb 18th 2010 12:57PM
Her answers aren't fake, they are professional. When someone asks you about your company you are given an opportunity to help convey your company's message. Would you prefer that she said "It's great, love my job" or something else as pointless?
She is a professional gamer being interviewed about her profession; anything she says is going to reflect on Ubisoft.
Aedilhild Feb 18th 2010 1:04PM
Amy Brady is an avid gamer, and a skilled one at that. The draw of the Frag Dolls has been the authentic, if meaninglessly rare, combination of nerdiness and catalog-model looks.
All the same, Ubisoft's pitch-group has weakened its appeal by contradicting its original premise and embodying, at several points, one of the stereotypes it claimed to be refuting. Back in 2004, the girls openly declined opportunities to capitalize on their attractiveness such as a swimsuit series. By 2007, the group was fully exploiting aesthetics, appearing in a PCXL feature complete with a Cosmo-style pout on the cover and a frat-boy interviewer informing the reader of having doused himself with Axe body spray.
There's nothing wrong with that kind of publicity per se unless the objective is to accomplish gender-blindness. You'd be surprised how many of us, in terms of gaming, make no distinction between men and women. Continually emphasizing one's sex and appearance, however, defeats the purpose and actually countervails feminism.
(cutaia) Feb 18th 2010 1:15PM
"Sex may sell but being fake does not. Sorry guys. Fap over her all you want, that's what Ubisoft hired her for."
Oh yeah, girl. The way you stand there in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt gets me so randy. That's right...tempt me by putting your hands on your hips and stuff. You really know how to use sex to get me all hot and stuff.
(?)
The_Saves Feb 18th 2010 2:53PM
My stance:
She is a gamer, hard-core and very respectable.
Her answers though? Left a bit of a sour taste. Seemed like they went a bit off topic at places. For example the question about age and being a hardcore gamer turned into a response for her dream job.
This makes me want a Mila Kunis 15-minute though.
MasterAsh Feb 18th 2010 11:23AM
Decent interview, though I can't help but get the feeling she seemed a tad on edge or defensive for some reason.
I'm glad at least one "female gamer" question was answered, but I'd like to have heard a response to "Do you feel the Frag Dolls' existence perpetuates female gamer stereotypes simply by existing as a special group bound not just by gaming but by physical sex?"
I admire the group for their gaming tenacity, but the idea of them being an all-female team of marketing tools in a male-driven industry has always made me uncomfortable in regards to advancing the status of the female gamer from "unusual" to "yeah, they play."
MasterAsh Feb 18th 2010 11:25AM
To clarify: The Frag Dolls bring to mind the age old question "Does Lara Croft empower women or exploit them?"
IvanZephyr Feb 18th 2010 11:25AM
"Do you feel the Frag Dolls' existence perpetuates female gamer stereotypes simply by existing as a special group bound not just by gaming but by physical sex?"
This is what I would have liked her answer to as well, because it seems like this is the ONLY reason the "Frag Dolls" exist.
Kajira Feb 18th 2010 11:51AM
It's easy to get instantly defensive when you do something non-standard for a living. I primarily write, and consider my job at an office my secondary profession. A lot of people hear this and go "..oh," as if thinking that I'm just a big slacker because I spend most of my day at home on the computer.
She spends most of her days at home on the computer or at a gaming console, so she likely gets that "..oh" response as well. It's okay for a man to bounce a ball for a living, but it's not okay for someone to pwn noobs for a living. It's very frustrating when, despite needing no validation from the public at large, you get none at all.
Also, I had my experience as a girl at Blizzcon. Just about everyone I met there - even the other girls - would first assume that I was there on someone's arm, and not the actual gamer myself. If I hop on a new vent channel, there's usually a "gah, a girl," moment.
So, when she's answering yet another interview for yet another gaming site that asks the same freaking questions everyone else asks, I imagine that she's going to be a bit on edge. Gamers are not known for being polite and thoughtful in their comments to interviews, so everything has to be very scripted and definite.
oddshrub Feb 18th 2010 11:38AM
I'm sure they're good at gaming but why do I get the feeling that there might be much better female gamers out there who wouldn't make the cut because they aren't as attractive as these girls?
It's probably an effective marketing tool for Ubisoft? I don't know, it has the opposite effect on me but I'm relatively old and married. But if they want me to take them seriously as a gaming group they frankly need to recruit their members on the same requirements a male gaming group would.
MasterAsh Feb 18th 2010 11:45AM
"It's easy to get instantly defensive when you do something non-standard for a living."
I can totally understand that, especially when that something isn't only "non-standard" as an occupation but as an occupation for a female.
What I meant, though, was she seemed not only defensive about the legitimacy of her job, but on edge over doing the interview at all. I got the impression she really didn't want to talk about WoW or even talk to a representative of this site. She mentioned she's currently training for MW2, so I imagine she didn't want to discuss a game that "has a tendency to take over [her] life."
Eddy Feb 18th 2010 12:00PM
"I'm sure they're good at gaming but why do I get the feeling that there might be much better female gamers out there who wouldn't make the cut because they aren't as attractive as these girls?"
This makes me really sad. Not only do women have to be better than men, we have to do it while being easy on the eyes.
This brings to mind something I heard the other day- that some orchestras conduct their auditions blind, which is to say that they listen to someone's music before they see their face. Because of this, employment of women in orchestras has risen pretty dramatically- because they weren't being judged as poor performers because they were women. I wish that this could go for everything in life- blind tests first based only on ability.
Sadly there are a number of jobs that actually require gender and physical appearance.
nieboh Feb 18th 2010 12:21PM
@Oddshrub I agree, you're probably right. It's why I was annoyed by the question "aren't you getting a little long in the tooth?" I'm pretty bad at judging age but from her pic I would place her maybe in her mid thirties at a guess. But the question implies that she's not some "nubile young thing" so surely her appeal as a marketing tool for attracting male gamers is diminished. Maybe that's not what Lisa meant, but the implication is there nonetheless.
@Kajira "So, when she's answering yet another interview for yet another gaming site that asks the same..." I would have to disagree a little bit. Possibly you would feel a bit on edge answering the same questions over and over, and certainly I would feel more than just on edge doing it, we need to remember that she's not just an average gamer being interviewed. A large part of her occupation is public relations and being a marketing tool. It's her _job_ to answer the same questions again and again and to do so while maintaining a pleasing demeanor.
Finally @MasterAsh I dfinitely understand your point that answering questions for a site devoted to a game that she has to quit cold turkey in order to focus on the new competition game could cause her to be a bit on edge. I didn't really perceive an edginess in her responses, but the body language in her photo tells a different story. Perhaps it's a look that goes with her persona as a hard-core gamer, but if she was glaring at me like that, I'd be a little worried that I was about to get my ass kicked by a girl.
Johnsssssssssssmith Feb 18th 2010 11:29AM
double chins and bump-its.
Mullen Feb 18th 2010 11:41AM
Yes, just like you!
gooutsideandskateboard Feb 18th 2010 11:53AM
Indeed. I have math teacher flappy arms too.