Starcraft 2 news » Ladies of the Koprulu Sector

The StarCraft II community is constantly growing, with passionate new players being discovered every day. Today we would like to introduce two groups of female players in France that were created in 2011: the VDZgirlz (short for “Vie de Zerg” or “A Zerg’s Life”) and the MadmoiZerg (a play on “mademoiselle”).

We had a chat with these ladies about women in eSports. Here’s what they had to say:

First of all, are there any professional gamers on your teams?

VDZgirlz: No, there aren’t. We know how complicated it is to reach this level; it’s for the elite. For us, StarCraft II is a passion. We all try to improve, but we don’t have any requirements. We just love to play the game.

MadmoiZerg: Not in the “we’re paid to do so” sense, but some of us are parts of professional structures.

What are your views on female eSports tournaments? Are you involved in any?

VDZgirlz: We’re really happy that they exist, as they allow women to gain visibility. They also help to show that we can be competitive and not just play casually.

But we don’t want positive discrimination. We need to be intelligent regarding female eSports. If we all like participating in female tournaments, then we all agree that we also belong in tournaments open to both genders.

MadmoiZerg: We take part in and support female StarCraft II tournaments. We think they help to promote female eSports, and also prove that women are talented and can compete at the same level as men. This is why we also compete in tournaments open to both genders.

What are some of your other favorite eSports events?

VDZgirlz: We loved the WCS France Nationals, but we’re also huge fans of Pomf & Thud’s Iron Squid and O’Gaming. And we love going to BarCrafts to watch streams of any major event.

MadmoiZerg: Our team is sort of split in two: the MLG fans and the GSL aficionados. But to most of us, the GLS is what competition is all about – a really high game level, very good players, and new strategies that help the game evolve.

What do you see for the future of female eSports?

VDZgirlz: Unfortunately, female eSports is not a common thing. Women tend to play video games less than men, which is particularly true for RTS games. But we still think that the number of female players is growing, and that more and more women will play competitively.

There are some initiatives like the Girls of StarCraft that manage to unite female players from all over the world. But some women already have a big impact on the eSports scene, like Scarlett, VeraLynn, Aphrodite, and Maddelisk.

MadmoiZerg: Mentalities have evolved and the mere existence of female communities is proof of that. At a pro level, having players like Aphrodite, Eve, and Maddelisk on major teams is great. We feel that they should be further promoted though, and that they should be part of the first line-up of tournaments such as the GSTL (Global StarCraft II Team League).

However, women in StarCraft II are still highly uncommon. Teams should invest more in order to legitimize our presence, the same way they do with men. People should talk about our game skills, and not our gender.

When StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm comes out, will your swarm expand?

VDZgirlz: Anytime is a good time to join us! Heart of the Swarm won’t necessarily be a trigger to expand our group, and won’t be organizing anything specific. We’ll be too busy playing the game!

MadmoiZerg: Playing the beta will allow us to reach a higher and more competitive level. We hope that with Heart of the Swarm we’ll witness the rise of female eSports.

Is there anything you would like to add?

VDZgirlz: Thanks for talking with us. GL and HF to all the players out there, and we’ll DT rush you soon enough!

MadmoiZerg: To all the female gamers out there: join us! MadmoiZerg is open to everyone, whatever your league, your race, and the time you spend playing. We also welcome men… on our website and our Facebook page.

Additionally, we would like to thank Blizzard because, thanks to StarCraft II, a community was born that helps us to grow every day, both in-game and IRL. Last but not least, a big thank you to all the people supporting us!

You can follow the VDZgirlz on their Facebook page and learn more about the MadmoiZerg on their website (both links in French).