The 7th Element

John Jacobsen from Video Game Outsiders is here, Jinx from Frag Dolls give an interview as well.
We review Def Jam Icon and TMNT again. PS3 news and Crackdown news! Reviews and upcoming releases.




MP3 File

Interview with the Frag Dolls - Jinx

In case you were thinking, "I didn't say "Interview with the Frag Dolls" at the same time Drew did", don't worry! I wasn't Jinxing you. Jinx is one of the 7 female gamers from Ubi-sponsored Frag Dolls whom I had the pleasure of interviewing (albeit via email, but beggars can't be choosers). The following is the actual written interview that you heard on the April 28th edition of the Hardcore Christian Gamer Cast. Search iTunes or visit; www.hardcorechristiangamer.com

HCG: What kind of impact are the Frag Dolls making on the video game community?

Jinx: I like to think we're doing our share to push visibility for female gamers--Frag Dolls were the first all-female team to win a tournament at a professional gaming event, and all of us are really passionate about raising awareness for other women who love games just as much as we do.

HCG: Do you feel that Video games are male dominated and what do you do to combat that stigma?

Jinx: Sure, there are more men playing than women, but it's not nearly as lopsided as it used to be. The best way to even the field is to keep playing and let other women know that games aren't the realm of nerdy boys after all.

HCG: How large is the core group of Frag Dolls and how would one become a Frag Doll?

Jinx: We have 7 members in the US, and 7 in Europe as well. We try to remain pretty small because this way we are able to know each other really well and have strong ties to each other. When we recruit a new Frag Doll, we recruit the best. We look for a gamer who is passionate, articulate, and really brutal in-game.

HCG: Do you ever have confrontation with the PMS Clan?

Jinx: The Frag Dolls are actually on great terms with the PMS clan. One or two of our members are also members of that clan, and whenever we're at events together we like to get together as friends. One of the idiosyncracies of the gaming world is that women, as a perceived minority, are much more likely to band together.

HCG: What is the overall goal of the Frag Dolls?

Jinx: As women, we want to encourage more women to look at videogames as an enjoyable hobby. Most women have grown up with the misconception that videogames aren't "for them," but it is! As gamers, we want to do everything we can to destroy other teams in tournaments. And as a sponsored team we of course want to do everything we can to represent our sponsors: Ubisoft, Comcast, Plantronics, and Puma.

HCG: What games can we expect to see the Girls Playing in the future?

Jinx: The Frag Dolls are really focusing on Rainbow Six Vegas right now. This is the game's first year on the MLG professional gaming circuit and we want to be right there at the top of those competitions.

HCG: How often do you play and what games do you play most frequently?

Jinx: Because we're so invested in our competition, Rainbow Six Vegas is far and away the game we're playing most right now. Regular competition training is 4 hours per day, but right before a tournament we can double that. Aside from that I like to play random, colorful, whimsical games like Psychonauts and Guitar Hero. I like the variety.

HCG: Usually with guy gamers, their girlfriends or wives complain of a lackof "quality time" due to gaming, do you get this from your significant others?

Jinx: That's the biggest reason to date another gamer! You can game together.

HCG: Do you feel like you are taken seriously in the gaming community?

Jinx: There are some people who like to assume that, because I'm a girl, I don't play or I can't play well. I don't mind, because they learn pretty quick when they lose. Mostly, though, I'm treated as any normal gamer and held to the same standards as everyone else. I prefer that.

For more information about Jinx and the rest of the Frag Dolls you can visit www.fragdolls.com or www.ubi.com.

How to keep from falling under.

So, I got John Jacobsen for an interview on the podcast this Saturday. Those of you who listen to the Video Game Outsiders should appreciate this interview.
I am currently trying to think of new ideas for the Association. I have noticed a reoccuring theme in a lot of Christian gaming websites...they are all shut down.
Now I don't think that they were forced to be shut down but the sites admin seems to have given up. When you look at the posts in their forums some are from a year ago. The question I battle with now is "how do I keep this from happening to us"?
I think by making the HCG Association multi-platform helps. I don't want to focus only on the 360, which the podcast is focused on at the moment. I also don't want to limit us to anything. I want to be sure that we can offer a refuge for any Christian gamer, I just need help.
How do keep from getting lost in the mix? What can I do to get our name out there? I suppose just prayer is a start. I could use some other admins to help run the sites, I don't want to get burned out.
That's it for today.

The Sixth Episode

So for those who have listened, you have probably noticed that our last episode was lacking a certain audio quality (namely music). Here is a full version of what happened, every single week since we have started this podcast something has happened to cause concern. First it was the server not allowing me to post our episodes. When I resolved that issue it was my sound card. Out of absolutely nowhere my sound card just stopped working. For a few days I was troubleshooting and trying to fix it. I downloaded an update for the driver and now it works fine. The next thing was my internet. For whatever reason my internet consistently times out on me, which is not only rough for posting podcasts and recording them but also doesn't help with my lag while playing. The latest issue was my video card. Why was my video card working and 20 minutes later nothing? So of course upon my frustration I had a horrible day. I tried to let it roll off of my shoulders but that didn't work so well. The proceeding day I was able to buy a brand new video card and thank the Lord that it was only $30.00. I guess I won't be playing any games with graphics better than frogger but I least I can see what I am trying to do on my computer.
Those of you wondering where James has been can put the full reason and blame on me. During all of the problems I was having with the computer we were supposed to be recording the podcast and both Jeff and James were ready to record. James had gone offline and I was testing my laptop for recordability when Jeff came back and I asked him if he wanted to do a test record. So he said yes and we did, we just happened to do the podcast and decided for consistency purposes we would publish it that evening.
So my apologies to James, it was not fully intentional to leave him out of the podcast.
In other news, I have contacted the PR person for the Frag Dolls and they have agreed to do an email interview with us so I have submitted the questions and should have a response in time for the podcast.
We already have a winner for the screen shot of the week, listen this weekend to find out who. You can also expect a review on Def Jam Icon, Phantasy Star Universe Demo, my take on TMNT the full game and many more news and reviews. Visit our websites and keep listening.
God Bless,
Drew