Russian girl gamers take on the boys

Published 24 July, 2007, 22:40

A new Russian sports team is starting to grab some major championship medals. The “Megapolis” team made up of three young women is doing virtual battle in the world of computer gaming and seems to be just a click away from winning a world title.

The female face of Russian cybersport: expensive make up combined with ten mouse clicks per second. Three years ago their captain Olga, or “Pachella”, moved to Moscow from the Siberian city of Novosibirsk with a clear idea on her mind.

“I felt insulted by the fact that there was only one female team in Russia and thus wanted to develop the female cybersport in the country. Now, after three years of hard work, we’re a strong team on the virtual battlefield and almost like a family off it,” explained Olga Pak, “Pachella”.

The girls have tried many games, but it’s the ‘Counterstrike’ which has won their hearts. It is a worldwide hit which involves a team fight: police force against terrorists. In the game of counterstrike one skilled player is just not enough. Players engage in a rampage of team play, so the girls seem to have developed a successful “shoulder-to-shoulder” scheme. For the past three years “Megapolis” has been the strongest female team in Russia and is now ranked eighth in the world. They say playing against girls is fun, but when it comes to getting more skilled, it’s the opposite sex where they seek new moves. 

“For now, unfortunately, the competition among female teams in Russia isn’t really strong and its often too easy to fight against ones of our kind. Playing against the boys is always hard. And hard, of course, means interesting. Victories against the boys bring us more delight,” said Olga Pak.

Battling girls for now is an easy ride for Aleksey Novikov, or “Nelepost”, one of the top players in Russia. But not for long, he says.

“Matches against girls are pretty much one-sided. That’s because a boy psychologically cannot let himself lose to a girl, so he gives his maximum. But now we feel that the quality of their game is getting better and they in fact start winning,” Aleksey Novikov noted.

All players and experts agree that female cybersport is only in its birth, both in Russia and worldwide. But it could grow into a rather promising industry.

“Girls attract men’s attention and some male players come to our computer club on purpose to play with female players. Female cybersport is developing into a profitable industry worldwide. Some tournaments in the USA, for instance, have prize funds of up to $US 5 MLN,” Kirill Solovyev, “Playground” club manager, said. 

Sometimes emotions are too hard to control. Girls crashed keyboards after a painful loss at this year’s world championship in France. They were yet again a click away from grabbing a title. But the Megapolis captain says when there’s a will, there’s a way. They continue spending hours at training devoting less time to their loved ones. But Olga’s boyfriend, also a renowned gamer, understands it and hopes to see his Pachella become the world champion.

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