COUNTERSTRIKE CHAT ON XFIRE WITH "LES SEULES"
August 2nd 2007, Online.

Straight out of World Cup 2007 where they couldn't reach the final stage of a very tough CS:ladies tournament, despite losing only once to four wins in the first qualifying bracket, Les Seules show up for a unique series of chats on Xfire. Digging into the place of women in e-sports, their future as pro-gamers and their future as entertainers as seen on Playus.tv, they'll share their experience of gaming, in CS and in other games, training and living as a pro-gamer.
A thrilling hour of conversation with four brilliant, successful and charming young ladies about CS, computers and gaming. The accurate description of a nerd's ideal social intercourse.

{Oracle} Anime: have you played any pro teams from america and how was it like playing them?
seuleszelena: The only team we have played versus from America is SK.Ladies, at the esports world cup. We never practised vs any one The ping makes it sorta impossible to play any American teams seriously.

[SOS] sjk: Today, video games are more "favoured" by males. How does your gaming career influence females to play video games?
seulesaurora: I would hope that by showing the world that females can belong in a male dominated scene then we open the eyes of females and open opportunities for them to play. Already now one can see an increase in female gaming (at least in counterstrike) compared to when i first started. I think there were maybe 40 female players on a world wide level that knew about each other. Now it’s hundreds of females.

-[BW]- stoned™: How do you think the source scene can grow bigger?
seulesaurora: I think that in time it will grow bigger by itself. I mean all the right elements are there apart from the huge tournaments. Once sponsors and more lucrative prize money enter the source scene, you will automatically get more and more people changing to the game.

Kintaro: What were the first games you ever played, and what started off your love for gaming?
seulessophie: I cant really remember the first game i played cause i was so young, but a game i clearly remember playing a lot was Nintendo and that was what started my love for gaming.

??¢?: At what stage did you realise you was ready for competitive gaming at a professional level, and did you ever think you would become so well known around the world?
seuleszelena: We have almost all played competitive before we became a team together. For me it started already at ECG in 2003 - I’m not quite sure if its something you actually are prepared for, I think its just something that happens when it happens. And no I don’t think any of us were aware that we would become "famous". It happened by a chance for us, with an American magazine contacting us.. and it just went on from there

[SOS] sjk: Your team name means "The Singles" in English. Are you single currently?
seulescazzidy: It means the alone doesn’t have anything to do with being single or not)

°F?ll??° | ovXer: About how long did it take you to build the skills you have today?
seulesaurora: WHAT skills? Well i think that it generally takes you only a few months to develop the aiming skills. The team play takes somewhat longer, and in general you need at least a couple of years to actually get the skills it takes to be able to handle all situations that get thrown at you in tournament play either that or you play a tournament every week for like 6months!

#CoMpulsive - Rip: How did u guys find out about the game of Counter-Strike did a friend tell u or did u just buy it from Wal-Mart and try it?
seulessophie: a friend of mine introduced me to it just got stuck at once and decided i wanted to become really good at it

*AaGo*: Why you started to play computer games?
seuleszelena: I started because of my brother. He introduced me to the whole gaming world when i was about 12. I played games like Doom and Duke Nukem - Diablo both 1-2, Baldur’s gate, etc etc.. I just thought it was funny to play, I enjoyed spending my time on it - I guess we all have the same reason to play the game, both girls and boys - because its fun!

iws* 1™: How do you know you are professional gamers? Just because you're advertised as such doesn't mean you are
seulesaurora: When i see the word professional gamers for me it has not only something to do with skill level, but also something to do with how you play the game. Les Seules are professional gamers due to many facts - which perhaps last of all has something to do with our "skill". First off a professional gamer attends major gaming events, and has the ability to receive sponsorships. In many other sports, having sponsorship generally means that you are on somewhat a professional level.

SOS] sjk: What is the most memorable moment during your career?
seulescazzidy: My most memorable moment during gaming is ESWC 2006 where Les Seules was in the finals. it was an amazing feeling that i am never gonna forget. There was about 7000 people in the crowd cheering and watching the game.

-tT- chris -gO?-: how did you girls met?
seulessophie: I knew most of the girls from playing against each other in our own countries nation-teams. That’s how i chose each member of Seules.

#CoMpulsive - Rip: What do you do in you free time when ur not gaming
seuleszelena: I am studying economics and business law on my second year now. Other than that I spent time with my friends, family and boyfriend. We pretty much all have normal life with jobs or school, and spend our free time on pretty normal things. Just because we are games doesn’t mean we don’t have other qualities or goals in life. Its very wrong to view gamers as antisocial beings, with no lives. We are normal people with a special hobby, that’s all!

+--|1.DP| Rkt. Graf ---+: Do you get better treatment because you are in fact ladies?
seulesaurora: I guess in some cases we get better treatment not because we are female, but because we are Les Seules. I think most people know how much we have put ourselves out there for the sake of female gaming, and also how much shit we have received for various things. But in general we get treated the same as any other "pro" team out there.

??¢?: How did you all feel as a group when you won your first tournament, what did you do to celebrate this achievement?
seulesaurora: Well its been awhile since we last won a tournament ... but generally we celebrate a good position with a crapload of alcohol, lots of dancing and a huge hangover the next day. I guess we are just as normal as anyone else on that matter!!!

[SOS] sjk: Ever used any type of firearm?
seulessophie: Yes, we were able to try it on a shooting-range in Las Vegas during the Tv-show we recorded. scary!!

Homer Pimpson!: do you get lots of money being pro and many people looking to join even if they aren’t females?
seulescazzidy: No, right now we do not get a lot of money being pro. Its hard work and sometimes we have to take money from or own pockets to be able to go to different events and so on for example. We play counter-strike because we love and to be able to do what you love you have to give a lot of yourself. My dream is to be able to live off gaming, but there’s not many people who gets the possibility to do that

=D.a.C= #PoRkY BE: What u think about stupid hackers.. ??
seulesaurora: CHEATERS MUST DIE. GO FIND A SINGLE PLAYER GAME WHERE YOU ONLY CHEAT YOURSELF
NOT OTHERS

last.breath -> Yaourt: Will you be sad if ESWC leave Paris next year ?
seuleszelena: I’m sure that ESWC will be a great event no matter where it is being held. ESWC has already switched location many times and I don’t think it will make such a big difference with it being in another country. Of course it will be sad not seeing the same admins there, but who knows if they might follow too. I like Paris in some aspects, but its a very expensive city - and the food isn’t all that great And we hardly ever have time to go shopping anyway! It would be fun to see a new place.

c????.oakmage™: Is the show premiering on MTV, if so when?
seulesaurora: You know your guess is as good as ours at this point in time. We have no idea when or where the show will be aired. Although my sources tell me to keep an eye out for when school starts again. I have also heard that it should air in 37 countries, but again my information cannot be 100% correct

last.breath -> Yaourt: Will you play the Season 5 of Femina United league ?
seulescazzidy: We are not sure yet if we will play season 5, but hopefully we will yeah We wanna attend as many online/LAN tournaments possible

AnThRaX: None of you would be a quarter as famous as this if you were men, doesn't that make you feel bad about the nature of online gaming?
seulesaurora: We are only famous because the media has had an interest in "using" Les Seules to put esports more into the media. That we have been able to be part of letting esports become more exposed is something that i am proud of - whether i am male OR female. I think there are perhaps only a few teams male and female that can market themselves the way we do. Perhaps i am tooting my own horn here, but that’s the simple facts. We are where we are because we were chosen by the people.

Page 2 of this chat transcript here.