by Libe Goad

GameGal had a meeting of the minds with GirlzClan leader StarLight (real name Christy Rogge) to discover what it's like to be a member of a girls-only gaming clan. We soon learned that clans are for the hardcore of the hardcore, requiring several hours of practice each week and a unconditional love for first-person shooters.

Q: How did GirlzClan get started?
A: [*Girlz*] is an all-female clan that originated in Austin, Texas. It was about July 1999 that Sierra wanted to prove to her boyfriend that other girls play Half-Life. With this in mind, she started wearing the [Girlz] tag. [Girlz] didn't get any real members until the beginning of 2000. The first members were SexyGirl: Teresa, PsychoChick, Crazy*Girl!, Buffy and myself.

Early 2000, Sierra was in the process of moving and just didn't have time to manage a clan let alone find the time to actually play the game. The clan became unorganized and out of control. It was slowly dying, as members stopped playing and just didn't care anymore. I refused to let go of the idea and took over all leadership responsibilities. I changed the clan tag to [*Girlz*] for a fresh start and made a website, a place for the Girlz to call home.

Struggling to find members for three-plus months, I began to worry that the clan would end. With that in mind, I set out to make sure everyone knew of the clan of all women. Eventually the word spread and GirlzClan rapidly gained members. In the past three years we have had 60-plus members. A lot of them lost interest in the game and moved on to other things.

Q: How many members do you currently have?
A: Currently Girlz has 10 active members playing the following games: Counter-Strike, Half-Life Deathmatch and just recently Quake 3.

Q: How does someone join GirlzClan?
A: Well they obviously have to be female. In order to officially join the clan, they would need to speak with one or more of the *Girlz* leaders (StarLight, LivingDeadGirl or BaDGiRL). By speaking I mean [voice-to-] voice with one of us. It's the only way we can be sure they are female. After they speak with us, we get them in a couple games with some of the Girlz. From there, we decide as a team if this person will benefit the clan.

Q: What is your practice schedule? How many hours per week (on average) do you spend playing Half-Life and Counter-Strike?
A: Currently for Half-Life deathmatch, we have practices every Monday night for at least two hours at a time. Counter-Strike practices are every Monday and Thursday night for a couple hours each night.

Q: How many hours per week (on average) do you spend playing Half-Life and Counterstrike?

I play all the time, at least three to four hours a day.

Q: How many times a year do you compete in tournaments?
A: We play in online tournaments at least once a year. So far the best tournament we have been in was the Perseverance of Triality Tournament run by DoctorDank of clan [=ONE=] (Official Newbie Exterminators). We have also been in the OGL (Online Gaming League) for quite some time.

Q: What appeal does Half-Life and Counter-Strike have for you, as opposed to all of the other FPS games on the market?
A: Truthfully, I haven't played any other FPS games online with other people. I have played a little Quake and some Unreal Tournament. Counter-Strike is OK, but nothing will ever be better then Half-Life. I like fast-paced, kill-or-be-killed games.

Q: I know you have children and a job--how do you make time to play video games?
A: I juggle my playing time between, my two small children, my part-time job and my boyfriend Adrian who ironically I met through playing the game. Given the fact that he has been in the clan and gaming scene for three plus years, Adrian is very understanding about all the time and dedication it takes to run a clan. His web hosting company that he and his friend Greg co-own and operate has also sponsored the Girlz. They have provided us with a new, spectacular website, hosted our girlzclan.com domain and renewed our domain name for us.

Q: What's the biggest challenge you and the girls face when it comes to being a women gaming clan?
A: The biggest challenge would be getting people to believe that we are in fact, women. After that, it would be proving to people that we can in fact play the games and that we can play just as good if not better then most guys.
We also have to deal with the harassment of being women gamers and being in an all female gaming clan. Unfortunately, it's women and men that give us a hard time about this.

Q: What would you say to women who have been interested in joining a girl gaming clan, but hesitate because they're not sure they are good enough?
A: I would tell them to not worry about it. I joined GirlzClan with in my first week of playing the game. It's more about having other women to game with. Focus on the fun aspect of the game and don't worry about what your score is. After all, this is a game that was made for people to have fun.

Q: Do you feel any differently about first-person shooter games after the September 11 terrorist attacks on the WTC and Pentagon?
A: No I don't. Unlike other people I know that this is "just a game"--it starts when I sit down at my computer and ends when I leave my computer. People that can't define the difference between real life and gaming shouldn't be playing games.