Frag Dolls
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The Frag Dolls are a group of girl gamers recruited and employed by Ubisoft with the aim of promoting women in gaming, and in particular the promotion of games made by Ubisoft. The Frag Dolls are all avid gamers. The term refers to three different teams: the original American Frag Dolls, the UK Fragdolls, and the newest team in France.
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[edit] American Frag Dolls
[edit] History
Originally recruited by an advertisement on Craigslist[1] in 2004, the first American lineup consists of seven Frag Dolls (known by their gamer tags): Brookelyn, Eekers, Jinx, Katscratch, Rhoulette, Seppuku, and Valkyrie. Nate Mordo and Rhoulette, full-time Ubisoft employees, helped initiate the group.[2] Eekers, one of the original seven Frag Dolls, left the group in August 2005. Katscratch, another original team member, left in May 2006. In May 2006 two new Frag Dolls, Calyber and Psyche, were recruited as part of an online reality show produced by GameTrailers.
During QuakeCon 2007, the Frag Dolls announced an open casting call looking for new members. Applicants were also able to apply online. Eight finalists were flown into Seattle for the Penny Arcade Expo, where two new members of the team were chosen—Pyra and Mischief. At Major League Gaming Dallas 2008, The Frag Dolls announced Phoenix FD was joining the team. At her first event as a Frag Doll, they competed in the Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 tournament and took 16th place.
On November 1, 2008, The Frag Dolls announced the departure of Calyber and Mishchief. The team then consisted of Rhoulette, Brookelyn, Seppuku, Valkyrie, Psyche, Pyra, and Phoenix. Rhoulette, Brookelyn, Seppuku, and Valkyrie were the remaining four original Frag Dolls.
In April 2009 the Frag Dolls announced a casting call for one or two new members. Eight finalists were chosen from a group of eighteen semi-finalists based on a public vote, a phone interview, and a competition via Xbox Live on three games: Rainbow Six: Vegas 2, Call of Duty 4, and Halo 3. These eight semi-finalists were flown to Los Angeles for the Electronic Entertainment Expo, where they competed once more. The two winners and newest additions to the team were Fidget and Spectra.
Pyra and Seppuku retired in September 2009.
| Name | Alias | Join date |
|---|---|---|
| Amy Brady | Valkyrie | August 2004 |
| Faith Harrison | Phoenix | November 2008 |
| Anne-Marie Wilson | Spectra | June 2009 |
| Lanai Gara | Fidget | June 2009 |
| Sarah Oliver | Glitch | June 2010 |
| Krystal Herring | Siren | June 2010 |
| Kimberly Weigend | Sabre | August 2011 |
| Edelita Valdez | Pixxel | August 2011 |
| Melonie McElhannon | Cryptik | January 2012 |
| Name | Alias | Join date | Leave date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Theresa Pudenz | Eekers | September 2004 | August 2005 |
| Ashley Jenkins | Jinx | August 2004 | August 2008 |
| Kat Hunter | Katscratch | August 2004 | May 2006 |
| Alexis Hebert | Mischief | August 2007 | November 2008 |
| Marcella Fernandez | Pyra | August 2007 | September 2009 |
| Alyson Bridge | Calyber | May 2006 | November 2008 |
| Emily Ong | Seppuku | August 2004 | September 2009 |
| Renelly Morel | Psyche | May 2006 | February 2011 |
| Morgan Romine | Rhoulette | August 2004 | September 2011 |
| Brooke Hattabaugh | Brookelyn | August 2004 | November 2011 |
[edit] Activities and goals
The Frag Dolls attend industry events and play competitively, both online and offline. The team members have acted as ambassadors of competitive gaming, touring with the Major League Gaming console professional circuit in the 2005 season and the 2007 season. In December 2006, they placed first in the Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 tournament at the Cyberathlete Professional League, making them the first all-female team to win a pro circuit tournament.[3]
The Frag Dolls' mission is to encourage more women to play video games, and to prove that women can enjoy the same games as men. The team promotes Ubisoft games during interviews and events. Katscratch, Valkyrie, and Rhoulette spoke at the Women's Gaming Conference in Austin, TX (October 2005) about their role as Frag Dolls, and how they are attempting to reshape the image of female gamers and raise industry awareness of the female market. In February 2006 the Frag Dolls attended the Women in Games International conference in San Francisco, CA, speaking on panels and at a roundtable discussion entitled "Women Who Play." They also appeared at the Women in Games International conference in Dallas, TX (April 2006).
[edit] Criticism
The Frag Dolls have come under fire for their collective appearance, with claims that the team members are models or "booth babes" rather than legitimate gamers. Countering this criticism, team members emphasize their tournament participation, dedication, and skill as hardcore gamers.[4]
[edit] UK Frag Dolls
After the success of the American Frag Dolls, Ubisoft ran a similar recruitment drive in the UK. Five Frag Dolls were selected: Jam, Kitt, Sarin, Voodoo, and Lucky. Lucky left the group shortly after formation due to an increased university workload. Ubisoft never replaced Lucky. Lucky and the UK Frag Dolls had not been established long enough for the loss to have any impact on either the group or the group's fan base. In July 2006 a second Frag Doll, Voodoo, left the team to form a rival group with another female gamer. Ubisoft made no official comment on Voodoo's departure, but announced they intended to recruit two new members to the team.
The group placed its focus on showing that games could be fun, rather than acting as ambassadors for professional gaming, as the original American team had done. The UK Frag Dolls were dissolved on 30 June 2008.
[edit] French Frag Dolls
As Ubisoft is a French company, the third territory chosen for the Frag Dolls initiative was France. The French Frag Dolls were Arwen, Katana, L!lie, Meiko, and Mya. L!lie left the team after three months, citing school studies and her desire to focus specifically on Counter-Strike. The group was disbanded in December 2007.
[edit] Frag Doll Cadettes
In June 2009 the Frag Dolls announced that they were beginning the Cadette Academy, described as an internship for women who are interested in working in the gaming industry. To date there have been five classes of Cadettes: Fall 2009 (Aug. 2009 – Feb. 2010), Spring 2010 (Mar. 2010 – Aug. 2010), Fall 2010 (Aug 2010 – Jan 2011), Spring 2011 (Jan 2011 – July 2011), and the current Fall 2011 class (July 2011 – present). Ubisoft currently plans to continue the successful Cadette program.
The Cadette Academy also serves as a recruitment method for future Frag Dolls. Since the program launched, two of the Fall 2009 Cadette members, Sarah and Krystal, have been promoted to Frag Doll status, and are now known as Glitch and SiREN. In August 2011, Edelita from the Spring 2011 class and Kimberly from the Fall 2010 class were promoted to Frag Dolls, and are now known as Pixxel and Sabre.[5]
| Name | Alias |
|---|---|
| Alexis | I3adAMusikChik |
| Amber | Ayane Chan PMS / itsAyane |
| Ashley | PMS Acey |
| Bonnie | Xena |
| Bonny | GAEMS JANE / GI Jane PMS |
| Cee Cee | UGetBeatByGirls PMS |
| Diana | PMS Vertigo / Coulow |
| Emily | NyxRose / Rose |
| Kristen | Kelpie PMS |
| Leigh-Ann | UtopianDreams |
| Rochelle | Saturneternal |
| Sheena | xxdxvicious |
| Spring 2011 | Fall 2010 | Spring 2010 | Fall 2009 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Alias | Name | Alias | Name | Alias | Name | Alias |
| Amanda | Amped | Ali | Alibakes | Adria | Dope Kitten | Ashton | VULCAN PMS |
| Brittany | PrincessPoemi | Elisa | Eventides | Cheri | HeyCheri | Brenna | BiG VixXen |
| Cerise | Jecters | Ashlee | Jaspir | Donna | PMS FragQueen/EvilPixie | Carolyn | Arumia |
| Christina | sociablextina | Kimberly | Kimmington/PMS Selisona | Ellana | Fortune42na | Daniela | Gypsyfly PMS |
| Dana | JforJade | Amanda | Miz Calamity | Jess | Ruckus | Hannah | XShabutieX |
| Edelita | Eksy | Kerry Anne | PMS ClubSammich | Karen | PMS EUPHIE | Jamie | Jbot |
| Felisha | PMS UNFORGIVEN | Jennifer | PMS Fedaykin | Kaitlyn | Lirael | Kathleen | BOOTY STARR FDC |
| Jessica | Buterflysamurai | Frances | PMS SourPatch | Kristen | PMS Epidemic | Krystal | xHOODLUMGIRLSx |
| Jessikah | Lady Galahad | Christine | SDWIFEY | Megu | Midnight917 | Nickie | PMS Honey |
| Jodi | QueenN0THING | Kelsie | PMS Texas | Melonie | PMS Whisper | Sarah | Sarabellum86 |
| Katrina | W4FFL35 | Sarah | VballChick PMS | Michelle | Sunie | Sasha | xNINJAxCHICKx |
| Lauren | GAM3R G1RL | Bianca | Lady Graphix | Raina | SaintPistolWhip | Tunesha | CHICKAMUNGUS |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ deneff Damn! If I was a rich girl na na na na…. "Girl gamers wanted – Video Games Reviews, Cheats". Geek.com. http://www.geek.com/articles/games/girl-gamers-wanted-20040610/. Retrieved 2012-01-15.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ Preston, Jason (December 24, 2006). "Frag Dolls Win Rainbox Six Tournament". The Escapist Magazine. Themis Media. http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/67120-Frag-Dolls-Win-Rainbow-Six-Tournament. Retrieved December 18, 2011.
- ^ Terdiman, Daniel (May 9, 2006). "Meet the new Frag Dolls". CNET News. CBS Interactive. http://news.cnet.com/Meet-the-new-Frag-Dolls/2100-1043_3-6069968.html. Retrieved December 18, 2011.
- ^ "Blogs | Archive". Frag Dolls. http://www.fragdolls.com/index.php/blogs/detail/category/Rhoulette/announcing_the_2011_frag_doll_casting_call_results. Retrieved 2012-01-15.
