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Thursday, July 26, 2007

Girls with Glocks: Women gamers at the MLG (video and photo gallery)

by Erin Rice , Kenneth Smith of of 2K7 Photography

These women are smart. They're determined. And they want to kill you.

PMS Delta at Dallas MLG 2007

(Click photo to see entire gallery)

And, of course, what video gaming competition would be complete without a little Guitar Hero?

In Halo 2, that is.

In a video gaming industry that has long been dominated by dudes, girls and women are increasingly making up a larger percentage of everything video games, from development, to promotion, to involvement. WIGI: Women in Games International seeks to "promote the inclusion and advancement of women in the global gaming industry" focusing on game development and women's roles in such workplaces. The Women in Game Development Committee of the International Game Developers Association has a similar goal in putting together games that will appeal to a more female driven market. Finally, there are multiple groups around the country that bring together female gamers of all ages and skill levels. One of the biggest is the PMS Clan.

Pandora's Mighty Soldiers (PMS) is made up of approximately 800 women from the United States and other nations. Their goals are oft misinterpreted by fellow gamers and lookers on. They do not want to make the games less violent. They definitely don't want them to be less competitive. They do, however, want to be able to play in an arena free of sexually charged and abusive statements. They want to create a group of friends across the nation (and the Atlantic) who can get together and "play like girls." To clarify, playing like a girl still involves gunning you down in a watery dungeon or lobbing a grenade into your foxhole, but just done with less misogyny.

This past weekend the Hilton Anatole Hotel hosted one leg of the MLG 2007 Pro Circuit. Professional gamers and teams from all over descended upon Dallas to duke it out in Halo 2, Rainbow Six: Vegas, and Gears of War. Looking around, it was difficult to spot the female gamers in the sea of guys mainly because the women were rather underrepresented. You couldn't, however, miss the black and red T-shirts sprinkled throughout proudly emblazoned with the letters "PMS."

For this tournament we followed around one of the PMS Clan's many divisions, PMS Delta. Made up of PMS Lisa, PMSabah Elysium (both from Dallas), Ladyluck PMS, and Division Leader Hot Chief PMS (with coaching assistance from PMS MPiece and PMS Wicked Fate), Delta was one of two PMS teams that competed this past weekend. While the entire clan allows its members to play a variety of games, Delta's chosen format is Halo 2. Competing in two first round games, Delta was unable to move forward in tournament play but weren't discouraged. For them this tournament was a learning experience and an opportunity to put their training to the initial test.

To learn more about the PMS Clan and the members of Delta Division watch the video below.

PMS Delta and MLG 2007 Dallas

You can also view the video by clicking here.

Chad Jones contributed to this story.

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Chad Jones, says:

"I've been in PMS for six months" -- hands down best quote from the footage.

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2 years, 4 months ago
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Catalina_PMS, says:

These ladies are awesome. I love being in the Delta division with them. I am so proud of them.

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2 years, 4 months ago
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Colorado_H2o, says:

I am the H2o Rainbow6:Vegas leader. H2o is the guys clan that supports the PMS girls. I have been in H2o for over 2 years and I love the PMS girls. They are tons of fun to play with and great players too! Not once have I regretted being part of h2o, even if I disagreed with something. I used to be part of the Halo2 division and I know every girl listed there but Wicked Fate. GO GIRLS!!! YOU ROCK!!!

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2 years, 4 months ago
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MacGrandma_PMS, says:

Holy guacamole batman! Pass out the mustard packets! woot woot! It's the girls and they are in the news in Dallas! Great job ladies.. you did awesome. Taking on MLG's with little to no experience is awesome! Though some have gamed at many events! We will be looking into the future for all girls to be a part of the Gaming world if they wish and feel comfortable at the same with their surroundings. We get stronger and can hand out a mustard packet a times. "Mustard Packets" Girls? lol I gotta come into your practices more often I missed that one!. We come from a world where girls only get into gaming later in life and most guys play from a very young age. Girls see their boyfriends or brothers play all the time and they want to learn and they do and for some find gaming so much more exciting than having tea parties with their dolls that they did when they were young!. I am looking for the day when instead of little Stephen getting his first gaming system at age 4, that lil Stephanie gets a gaming system at age 4 instead of dolls every single year.

Girls from all over the world, and different walks of life. We have teachers, nurses even lawyers and a lot of students of all ages. We are the girl next door or that bombshell on TV and at most all gaming conventions. PMS CLAN Rocks! PMS stands for Pandora's Mighty Soldiers a bit off of what most people would think it means. But it works because nobody ever forgets our clan name :)

I am one of the Grandma's they speak of. Not the one in PMS Delta but of PMS Charlie Division. I am 50 years old and the Co-Leader of PMS Charlie and very very active in the clan and gaming. The ladies in gaming come in all forms but the girls you see here are what PMS is about and in all that they said. We work hard to keep a great environment and a competitive one at the same time. It's not all about competing though we do have a great time helping each other and well being great online friends. If girls are not very active in the clan that doesn't matter because we have several casual divisions for less active members. In this process of setting and following rules and guidelines to be a part of PMS we learn valuable lessons in life that help us be stronger and more confidant in ourselves and as ladies in all parts of our lives.Also as most will see become great gamers. The best part not having to worry about being put down in the process. We also become a family, and all families need a Grandma's right :) Love you ladies! Big Grandma HUGS You rock my socks off! :)