To me, the Frag Dolls symbolized everything I hated about this girl-gamer malarkey. They were all pretty model types that were paraded in-front and hand picked by some big industry monster. However, I have to admit through my own ignorance I had never really bothered to try and see it any differently. I was happy disliking the Frag Dolls and even voiced said disgust too.
At PAX Prime 2010 though, I actually met my first ever Frag Doll and (oddly enough her nickname was “Phoenix”) and thing was, she was awesome. I went to the Frag Dolls party and met the majority of them. It was an utter eye opener to how close minded I had been. These were some of the nicest, most welcoming and most passionate people I had ever met in the industry. So for “This thing that I do,” I decided to interview the top US Frag Doll, Faith Harrison.
Faith, lets start with the basics shall we? When and how did you get into gaming?
As most gamers, I started at the early age of 5. I enjoyed everything fromLode Runneron the AppleII, to Atari’sSpace Invaders, to Nintendo’sMarioandZelda. Growing up, my main goal in gaming wasdestroying my brother at as many games possible (which I did a lot!) Throughout my teen years, if Iwasn’t playing soccer, or out with friends, I’d be at home getting my competitive fulfillment throughgaming. I didn’t become “competitive” in gaming untilHalocame out in Nov. of 2001 when I was inCollege. From there on, gaming took over my life both competitively and casually and that’s when I knewthat I wanted to work in the gaming industry! I’m a gamer for LIFE!
Many people will know you as “Phoenix”, a member of the Frag Dolls. Who are the Frag Doll and what do they do?
Officially, the Frag Dolls are a team of professional female gamers who work for Ubisoft to promote theirvideogames and represent a positive presence of women in the game industry. But as individuals, weare all so different, and bring different aspects to our group. Our goal is to make every female gamer out there realize that they are a Frag Doll, and that we are just representing them as a team. There isn’t any one type of woman on our team. We have mothers, we have students, we have wives, we have women in the work force, and we even have aCSIhand double on the team! Some of our activities include playing and promoting games at industry and game community events, competing in tournaments, working on marketing strategies for Ubisoft titles, and participating daily in gamer geek activities.
How has an all girl team been received within the gaming industry?
Back in the day, the typical response when people heard about an all girl gaming team, was “WOW, girlsplay videogames?!” But times have changed and for the better! Women are starting to bring the gamingworld to an even playing field compared to the male dominated past! But again we constantly have toprove ourselves to gamers and the industry as most women of any occupation have to.
And how are you received by gamers themselves, lets say when you are competing for example?
The Frag Dolls web page speaks about how you support ‘… advocacy of female gamers.’ Tell us howyou do this and of course do you think you need to?
Besides speaking at numerous panels about women in gaming, we offer female gamers a place to be taken seriously, express their love for gaming, and connect with other female gamers. We have numerous community events to get them involved. We offer a Cadette program to give women a chance to get their foot in the door of the gaming industry. I feel that today women are starting to even out the gaming field, but that we are still in the minority and this is a great opportunity for women to band together and share a passion.
How do you balance your life? Your a wife, a mother, you work and you’re a Frag Doll. That sounds pretty extreme to me!
(Laughs) Yes it can get a little crazy at times but that’s the way I like things … a little crazy. It’s all about
time management. When my son’s at school, I get all my work done, then once he’s home its Mom time. Once my little one is in bed its GAME time (Laughs.) Now, the best thing about working in the gaming industry is that my son can join in on the fun too! He helps me test out games for Ubi, he comes on trips with me to promote Ubisoft kids games. But none of this would be possible without the constant support from my family and friends.
Fnally, if any women reading this really like the idea of being a Frag Doll, how can they apply andwhat kind of skills do they need?
For women interested in becoming a Frag Doll, we have started the Frag Dolls Cadette program. TheFrag Dolls Cadette program can be compared to a mini internship; every six months we select twelvegirls to take part in our Cadette program where they will be asked to do anything from working gamingevents, writing gaming blogs, social media work, forum moderating, and interact with our community.The Cadette Program is a great way for us to get more girls involved in gaming and allows the Cadettesto learn just how the marketing side of the gaming industry works, as well as promoting them as femalegamers. It also gives us a chance to scout out good candidates when we do decide to hire a new FragDoll.
