Long before the $1 Million Call of Duty Championship was a reality, Selda “Victrix” Radoncic was devoting a lot of time playing Halo 2 on Xbox Live. Since 2005, Radoncic has immersed herself in online shooters.
With the debut of Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty 4: Modern Combat, she engaged joined up with friends and engaged in competitive GameBattles. The advent of Major League Gaming (MLG) opened more opportunities for pro gamers of both sexes, and Radoncic excelled on the circuit from the launch of Call of Duty Black Ops.
With record-breaking livestreams and eSports events around the globe filling stadiums and arenas, more eyeballs are watching pro gamers than ever before. Although all-female teams have existed in the past, including FeaR Female, Obey Girls, Quantic HAM and Aware Rebels, the decision by Team Kaliber owner Jimmy “Chaosxsilencer” Markowski to form Kaliber Royal at this time in the rise of eSports shines the spotlight on female pros.
Radoncic has been on many female teams over her professional career and she believes Kaliber Royal is different from past endeavors. The team travels heavily and are true friends, which means they can openly critique each others’ play during scrimmages and competition for the betterment of the team. Ultimately, Radoncic and her team want to win. And by doing so, they’ll help quell the controversy that always seems to follow female pro teams – from both male and female gamers. She explains what it takes to be a pro gamer in today’s super-competitive environment in this exclusive interview.
GameSkinny [GS]: How did you get involved in pro gaming?
Radoncic: “I got involved in competing at events in 2011 when MLG started to host Call of Duty LAN tournaments. After going to my first tourney, I tried to attend as many events as I could. There’s just something so exciting about being part of a team with people with the same goal, and trying to achieve it.”
GS: When did you know you had what it takes to go pro?
Radoncic: “Myself, and my team, actually don’t consider ourselves pro players.”
GS: What are the challenges when it comes to competing in this male-dominated vocation?
Radoncic: “There aren’t really that many challenges, honestly. The worst that happens is the trash talk we get, but eventually you become immune to that. We get more attention as female gamers, so it’s nice to see the crowd we get when we play.”
GS: What do you think the biggest misconception is when it comes to female pro gamers?
Radoncic: “I can only speak for myself, and for my team, when I say that we are here to compete, and just compete.”
GS: What are your thoughts on the complaints that fielding female teams takes away from male amateur slots?
Radoncic: “For one, I’ve never heard this complaint. But if that’s the case, I think that’s boloney. There are plenty of all-guy teams out there that we know we can beat. People don’t realize that there are also males who game that aren’t very good at the game, either.”
GS: Kelly Kelley told me at the COD Championship this year that one of the issues she saw with female pro gaming teams was the inability to dedicate the time to practice like guys do. What are your thoughts on this?
Radoncic: “She is not wrong. But I also don’t like the comparison with girls vs. guys. There are plenty of guys out there who also don’t have the time to practice. But I’ve teamed with a crazy amount of females in my past and I must say, it is extremely difficult to get four girls in one place at the same time.”
GS: What sponsorship opportunities do you feel female pros can bring to the table, given the number of females that already attend eSports events?
Radoncic: “Females in eSports, for the most part, get a lot of attention — especially if you’re popular on social media or place very well at LAN events. So I feel like they’re really just used for promotion.”
GS: Where do you hope to see female pro gamers five years from now in eSports?
Radoncic: “I’ve actually been competing for three years. And in those three years, I haven’t seen much change for females in gaming. So in five years hopefully there’s a girl squad who can afford to put the dedication and practice into placing really well at a LAN event, regardless of what game they’re playing.”
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