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Interview with the Frag Dolls

Posted by Zonk on from the now-that's-a-good-gig dept.

Staci writes "KillerBetties.com, a site with a focus on the female gamer, is running a interview with three of the ladies that comprise the UbiSoft sponsored FragDolls FPS Team. Rhoulette, Jinx and Katscratch sat down with Nicole of KillerBetties to talk about the controversy surrounding their existence and connection with UbiSoft, how they feel about representing female gamers and a few other personal tidbits." From the article: "We wouldn't be the Frag Dolls if it weren't for Ubisoft, so promoting games is certainly a distinct part of what we do. However, all of us have our dreams for where we would like to see girl gamers a year from now. And as girl gamers ourselves, we can't really help but represent some of their interests and desires."

18 of 93 comments (clear)

  1. Thanks for this interview by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Good that they managed to pin down these 3. If they had managed to get a hold of Morgan Webb, they'd have managed to score an interview with every single girl gamer in existence!

  2. Heh... Nice choice of ads... by _xeno_ · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I don't know if anyone else got this ad, but when I pulled up the interview about woman gamers, I got a nice long banner ad for Anarchy Online next to it that read "I Got Implants Baby!", complete with an ingame female character in underwear. Another ad in the corner features the same ingame model, with the text "Play Me!"

    Really goes well with a site "focused on girl gamers." Apparently their advertisers are focused on a certain subset of girl gamers...

    (I'm assuming "I Got Implants Baby!" is a reference to something ingame that I don't get because I don't play the game, but still - it's kind of crude. It's the Internet, I've got other things available to satisfy the "oggling at women" need, that an MMORPG just isn't going to be able to offer. I always wonder about games that try to sell themselves using a hot ingame character - it's like they're trying to distract you with that, to get you to overlook something else, like the fact that the game sucks or something. Makes me wary.)

    --
    You are in a maze of twisty little relative jumps, all alike.
    1. Re:Heh... Nice choice of ads... by Mooga · · Score: 2, Interesting

      yes I got the same ad. Freaky as hell...

      --
      ~ Mooga
    2. Re:Heh... Nice choice of ads... by gl4ss · · Score: 2, Insightful

      the whole thing is focused on MALE gamers.

      if they wanted to focus on girls they'd get brad pitt or someone... though, it's all about PR and adverts, just think what 'clan' games they could play from bugisoft...

      --
      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
    3. Re:Heh... Nice choice of ads... by EnronHaliburton2004 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Most women, despite the common opinion, are not offended by scantily clad women.

      There's nothing offensive about scantily clad women.

      But promoting women as simple, sexual objects with unrealistic body proportions to sell a product to stupid men is offensive.

      Many young men are so warped by the fake silicone and false stereotypes they have no idea what a real women is like. Hopefully these men won't breed.

      It's offensive to most women that I know, and it's offensive to me as a man, because the coropations are trying to use sex to manipulate me. Sex is very primal, it is hard to ignore.

      --
      94% of Repubs and 21% of Dems voted to renew the Patriot Act
  3. What a coincidence by gmhowell · · Score: 2

    What a coincidence. All of them have good skin, large boobs, and fairly trim wastes. Am I the only one who thinks there is at least a bit of Milli Vanilli or Backstreet Boys to this group? Do they have anything to do with girls in gaming, or just to get pimply nerds even more hot and bothered than Lara or DOA?

    --
    Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
    1. Re:What a coincidence by EnronHaliburton2004 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      No different from any other marketing in the world,

      But this is very different from most other clans and other FPS teams. Most clans and FPS teams aren't a marketing campaign ...

      It really seems like this is a Marketing Campaign-- a "New Kids on the Block" kind of clan.

      Ubisoft wanted a guerilla advertising campaign targeted at young male gamers, so they hired 8 pretty girls to form a clan. It's not very authentic. Using sex to advertise a product is all too common.

      --
      94% of Repubs and 21% of Dems voted to renew the Patriot Act
    2. Re:What a coincidence by EnronHaliburton2004 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I don't play FPS very often, and I don't actually play many computer games on my 1997-era PC. I'm too cheap to buy a gaming computer.

      I'm sure these women can play games and that they are pretty decent, but it's pretty obvious that the concept of the 'Frag Dolls' is a PR campaign first, and a gaming clan second.

      It's about attracting male gamers to the Ubisoft product line. They are booth babes who are good at video games. It's manufactured group, just like the Bud girls and Britany Spears. They are using sex to manipulate you.

      If the FragDolls were about Gaming first, and marketing second. then you might see more pictures of the ladies playing games, instead of sitting there looking pretty. Do you even see a video game in this lady's profile? What does her eye and hair color have to do with her gaming ability?

      --
      94% of Repubs and 21% of Dems voted to renew the Patriot Act
    3. Re:What a coincidence by Pluvius · · Score: 3, Insightful

      You are implying that they aren't really playing their own games are you not? Because Milli Vanilli and the Backstreet Boys lipsync their performances? What other analogy could there be there?

      While Milli Vanilli was indeed fake, the Backstreet Boys is a group of five talented singers (even if you don't like their music, you have to admit this) who were artifically brought together by corporate interests to appeal to the teeniebopper market. I think that was the main point that he was trying to make.

      BTW, I have to wonder how much of their impressive win rate has to do with the unwashed nerds that they're playing against hyperventilating and screaming "OMG GURLZ!!!" How many games do they play where the opponents can't see each other?

      Heck, that doesn't even matter, if you question whether or not they have anything to do with girls in gaming, you are directly saying they aren't gamers at all.

      Not necessarily. I think it would be valid to suggest that the media (as well as the aforementioned corporate interests) isn't interested in this group because it's an example of girls in gaming, but because it's an example of hot girls in gaming. In other words, this doesn't really have anything to do with gamer girls in general.

      Rob

    4. Re:What a coincidence by EnronHaliburton2004 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Sorry, I was unclear. I meant to say "In her gallery, do you see any pictures of her playing video games"...

      My bad.

      I'm sure she plays video games, but the focus is on her good looks and curly red hair. If this is truely about video games, then where are the action shots of her playing video games?

      --
      94% of Repubs and 21% of Dems voted to renew the Patriot Act
  4. Actually... by Kumorigoe · · Score: 3, Insightful

    ...my wife is a far better gamer on some genres than I, and I've been gaming for a while. She can't play Gran Turismo to save her life, but put her in a CS match and watch the frags pile up. I think that a lot of girl gamers are just afraid to come out and say that they like games, because it might attract guys like us.

    --
    "What I cary in this box is your utter subjugation."
    1. Re:Actually... by vhold · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I really don't see how you can so easily disregard the possibility that genes, or at least in someway, gender, has something to do with liking video games.

      My mom used to believe that all behavior was nurture, and not nature, until she became a preschool teacher. 10 years of 3 and 4 year old boys turning absolutely everything into a gun and girls turning everything into a doll house kinda wears down those lofty notions. Even if it is still is nurture based on some really complex societal stuff, the practical upshot remains, an obvious behavior difference tied to gender.

      I admit this is a totally subjective observation, but boys seem more drawn to clear cut competition with well defined winners and losers whereas while girls can be very competitive, it tends to be much more subtle and indirect. To me that's the most obvious reason video games seem so much more likely to appeal to men. "YOU LOSE" "YOU WIN" It just seems to be attached to an emotional hair trigger in the male pysche. Games that purposely defy that rigid convention are more likely to appeal to women in my opinion, The Sims being a fairly obvious example.

  5. Corporate shills by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    When you're sponsored by Ubisoft and you tell the interviewer that your favorite game of all time is Splinter Cell, you lose any credibility as a serious gamer. These girls are like Duffman; they're paid to raise awareness of Ubisoft by playing Ubisoft games at Ubisoft-sponsored events. They may be living the "pro gamer" life now, but in 2 years when we all decide we don't give a shit about competitive gaming any more, they'll be out on their asses and Ubisoft will go back to advertising in magazines.

    Besides... Console FPS games? Puh-lease.

    Now the all-girl Quake clans that started up without corporate guidance, on the other hand... hot-cha-cha.

    1. Re:Corporate shills by vhold · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Some people think Scary Movie 2 is the greatest movie of all time. You realize that calling a game your favorite is -entirely- subjective right? No top 100 list neccesarily has anything to do with that.

      Having said that, I agree that it's pretty obvious that particular choice would seem rather heavily affected by their status as being sponsored by Ubisoft. But at least Splinter Cell is indeed actually a very good game, the true total shill would have promoted their most underperforming game. Heck, who's to say that the cause and effect relationship isn't actually in reverse? Wouldn't being a preexisting Ubisoft fangirl make her more likely to end up becoming sponsored by them?

  6. But do they have skill? by theclam159 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I heard someone saying that they really aren't very good at FPS at all. They really don't deserve the title "FragDolls" unless they can go into the average CS/UT2003/BF1942/whatever server and rack up the kills.

  7. It's Anarchy Online... by madgeorge · · Score: 2, Interesting

    You are wise to be wary. BTW, "I've got implants" refers to the in-game ability to increase your stats and abilities with mods that can be crafted, bought or that drop off various baddies in the universe. And AO has been using the same crass advertising ever since they lost a million subscribers after launch because they overhyped and WAY under-delivered. I was one they lost, and I never went back. I've heard it's better, but I don't really care.

  8. A friend made this point by Pluvius · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Mentioning the 95% win rate doesn't mean anything unless you also mention who they play against. Does anyone know if these girls play against people who aren't chumps?

    Rob

  9. These girls as role models? by Fricka · · Score: 2, Insightful

    "Awenyddion: From a woman's standpoint, being so visible in the gaming industry, you are being viewed as role models for women gamers everywhere."

    This makes me sad. Why? Let's take them at their word that they are great gamers and are "so visible". Then I'll take it on the other /. posters' words that they are all good looking (I didn't see any pics).

    Where does that leave us girl gamers? I'll tell you where -- in yet another area of interest where you have to not only be good at what you do but you also have to look like models as well. If these girls are supposed to be role models than what their sponsors are saying is that it's not enough to be good at games, but you have to look like "Booth Babes" as well. Only then will you be allowed on our team.

    Geekland was the last hold out where a guy might actually like you for your brains as much as for your beauty. I'd like to see it stay that way.

    --
    ~Fricka
    OffLineTshirts.com