Oswald Rant: Female Gamers: Bladekiller
Given Name: Maureen Y.
Alias: Bladekiller
Age: 47
Location: Vancouver, Canada
System: P4 1.06a o/c 2.13; 1 GB DDR; Geforce III ti200 o/c to ti500 speed; Wacom Intuos 6×8 tablet; Logitech Optical mouse
Oswald: How do you balance your real world social life with that of your Internet life?
Bladekiller: What social life? Hehe. My husband and I are both into this so we work on it together. I still see my friends and family though. You have to make time for them.
Oswald: When did you start playing games and how were you introduced to it?
Bladekiller: I started playing Warcraft II when I got my first PC. I was hooked immediately and wouldn’t get off the computer so we had to get a second one within 3 months of purchasing the first. I got into multiplayer first person shooters after my husband arranged an online game with a couple of friends from work. I had watched my husband playing Q2 single player for ages and quite enjoyed it but it was too scary for me to play it by myself. But playing against real people online was fantastic fun and I was hooked right away.
Oswald: What drew you to Internet gaming?
Bladekiller: I was drawn into online gaming more from my work as a skinner. This happened at the same time that I started playing q2 mp online with a few friends (this is more like a lan experience since I ran the server and it was a private game). I started skinning for q3 and was fascinated by the game art online and after coming in third in an international contest they invited me to join them on IRC. Through this I was introduced to Urban Terror and asked to join the team. Eventually, I started to meet the community and invited to play with them. This is really when I started Internet gaming as opposed to my private server. I love competitive gaming as well as pubs. It’s all good fun.
Oswald: What sort of reactions do you receive from your friends when they find out you enjoy computer games?
Bladekiller: Most are intrigued and want to hear more.
Oswald: Do you feel a difference in how you are perceived because you are a female gamer?
Bladekiller: More because I’m a female skinner since we are so rare. I only know of 5 of us and only 3 are active. I do notice a difference in how I am greeted by the males when they find out I’m female. Usually, it’s surprise and delight mixed with some good natured flirtations. I have never had a negative experience. Perhaps it’s all in how I perceive it. It’s all good natured fun to me.
Oswald: While it might be a misconception, some males are more serious when it comes to online gaming. How serious are you when you sit down in front of you monitor?
Bladekiller: I really play for fun. I don’t mind dying but I do like to win and get frustrated when I just can’t get a proper rhythm going. I enjoy competition a lot but I don’t punch my monitor when I lose. hehe
Oswald: In many of the school related shootings, one contributing factor that seems to rear is head is computer gaming. We hear, “He played Doom, that is what drove him to commit this act of violence.” What are you thoughts on violent video games and how they effect kids today?
Bladekiller: I think it’s like anything else in our society. People do not like to take responsibility for their actions so they look for scapegoats when something goes wrong. In this case it’s video games. It used to be music and movies. Most non-gamers don’t understand that it’s just play and that there is a large social part to online gaming that goes far beyond the game. I had to change my attitude toward video games when I started playing q2 and realized it was like being a kid and playing tag. Acts like these school shootings go a lot deeper than “he played Doom” and had to imitate it. These people have serious psychological problems and a game doesn’t cause that. Many of these people have a history of disturbing behavior such as cruelty to animals and bullying younger children.
Oswald: Are you known in the gaming community because you are a skilled gamer or because you are female?
Bladekiller: I’m known because I’m a member of SID and an artist. I don’t play enough online to be known for my gaming.
Oswald: How does your online persona differ from who you are when you are away from the computer?
Bladekiller: It doesn’t. I try to be up front and honest all of the time. This is very important to me so being online doesn’t make any difference.
Oswald: Any thoughts, comments or shout outs you have for the community?
Bladekiller: This is a great community and I thoroughly enjoy interacting with them. This has made my experience working on Urban Terror very special. It hasn’t always been an easy ride by any means and some memories hurt but it’s all worth it and I’m enjoying being in SID and working on the mod more now than ever.
