Friday, March 28, 2014

Q&A Interview with Fasffy




Fasffy is a member of the all-female gaming and cosplay group called Less Than 3 (LT3). She is a competitive gamer who played as part of Team Fatalis in 2013. She also has some killer League of Legends cosplays and has even been a Razer booth babe for several years. I recently sat down with Fasffy to talk about her experiences gaming and cosplaying.

Tell me a little bit about yourself.

I was born and raised on the Gold Coast, Australia. From a young age I have always been gaming. I’ve gone from the sporty tomboy in primary school to the sit-outside-the-library with the geeks in high school. I have my brother to thank for a lot of it as he has been my best friend for the majority of my life. I’m highly excitable and enjoy learning, so the internet has just naturally become a new home for me. I've been gaming for as long as I can remember!

What's the best part about living in Australia in your opinion?

Vegemite, Tim Tams, and salt and vinegar chips. Snack foods...?

What the heck is Vegemite...?

Ooohh haha. I've never had to explain this to anyone really because it’s just something that’s so well known if you've lived in Australia. Vegemite is spread/paste for bread, so kind of like peanut butter! It's got a very acquired taste from what I understand. You either like it or you don’t. It's pretty salty and maybe even bitter?

What games have you played competitively?

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and League of Legends on CyberGamers as well as the local ODC's here and there.

Do you think there is a difference between the competitive gaming scene in North America and in Australia?

There have definitely always been better opportunities available overseas than there are in Australia. I don’t think that an official "career" in eSports is even known about in Australia (e.g. salaries and gaming houses). But the new Oceanic presence for Riot Games in Australia will hopefully help kick off a bigger and more recognized community, not just in the gaming scene but into "real life" as well. I think the fact we still run on copper lines throughout most of Australia plays a huge part in all this as well. We’re really far behind in terms of technology available to the general public.

Girls seem to be underrepresented in competitive gaming compared to the number of hardcore girl gamers that are actually out there in general. Based on your experience why do you think this is? Are male pros too hostile towards women?

I don't know, I think every situation is different with that regard. But if a girl can’t handle the guys or the community then they just have to be exposed to the scene more or find some different ways to deal with it. I can't say that I have really met many guys who are able to really get to me. Most of the time it's because of other things happening in my life and I let it get to me. It's a mentality thing. Guys get a lot of hostility from the scene as well. Everyone on the internet these days will face things that can challenge your resilience.

Who is your favorite LoL champ to play non-competitively when you are just messing around?

MmMmm that's tough to answer with all the patches and game changes I don't think it’s really as easy as a "favorite.” It also depends on what role I'm playing or learning I guess, too. I do know I'm terrible at having favorites so maybe it's just me! When I was last playing a lot of League of Legends and I had more time I was enjoying Nami and Zyra supports as they were pretty OP back then in that meta.

What are some of the keys to being a good support player? Should you focus on healing? Auras?

That all depends on what champion you play and what champions you’re up against. It's a little bit hard to answer! I guess overall, you're there to help secure kills or line up kills so if you can focus on doing that then you're on your way to a fun game!

What are some games you have been playing recently? Anything offline?

I usually only play online multiplayer games these days and it's been like that for a while actually. But I'll play a bit of anything; it usually depends on what my friends are doing at the time. At the moment we seem to play either LoL or CS: GO though.

Outside of playing video games, what are some other things that you enjoy doing for fun?

I enjoy cosplaying. I also really like learning new skills. I love eating and because of this I also do enjoy working out and keeping fit when I can find the time here and there.

When did you first start cosplaying?

I guess the first cosplay I ended up doing was a "joke" Halloween costume (Lana Kane) for a party that was themed "TV.” I always enjoyed looking at cosplays so eventually I found some people who went to the local conventions and went with them. I wore that there which exposed me to the cosplaying scene and it was just amazing! I don’t think I would have pursued anything if I didn't have that first experience. Since then I've come to learn it's also a great expression of appreciation for the things in my life that I love which provide me with happiness and enjoyment. Really I see it as a great way to express gratitude for the things that lighten your life, being able to connect more to the things you enjoy is a great feeling.


Who are some of the characters you've cosplayed as since you started?

As I mentioned my first cosplay was Lana Kane from Archer and I've just finally done a photo shoot for her last weekend actually so I'm really excited to get some pictures out of that. Some of my more notable cosplays are Nurse Akali and Slay Belle Katarina though.

You’re also a member of LT3. Tell me about the group and how you got recruited.

I knew about LT3 and followed them for a while before they made an open casting call back in 2013, which is when I applied. Unfortunately at that point in time they weren't looking to expand overseas and I kind of knew that when sending in my video, but I thought it was worth a shot anyway! But as expected, they were looking for girls who lived in the U.S. With a little bit of time and patience, the founder of LT3, Kat 'Mystik' Gun got back in contact with me and I was able to join LT3! Less Than 3 is a group of girls who share a passion and a professional approach for gaming and cosplay. As Kat likes to say, "they extend beyond the couch.” So we are girls that want to stand out as well as help out within the scene and communities, or at least that's how I'd like to approach it.

What would you say has been your biggest achievement/most memorable moment in terms of gaming?

Ahh gee... tough. There’s so many bits and pieces, haha. I'd have to say the three years I have worked as a booth babe for Razer here in Australia. I remember when I saw the casting for it and how shocked and excited I was. But to be able to have worked with them ever since their first year's presence here in Australia would have to be a pretty nice achievement I'd like to think. In terms of actual moments where I've played games, there are just too many I couldn't choose!

Where can fans find more of you?