Meet the Gamer Girls: Kimchi

 

Meet Kimberlyn See, otherwise known as xKimchix (the x's, just to clarify, are decorations not to be pronounced and not always included). Currently 19 years old and studying at Singapore Polytechnic, she has been playing with team PMS Asterisk* for half a year, prior to which she was part of team PMS NyX and even before that DN-Girls, all-girl teams.

She's a DotA girl. So, duh, she's attached. Sandwiched between games of DotA, Kimchi graciously agrees to an MSN interview, which I start by gathering all sorts of random information.

Birthday: 22 September 1992
Favourite Hero: Used to be POTM, now AP
Favourite Book: Harry Potter... I guess
Favourite Food: Jap Food
Favourite Male: Grigri
Favourite Female: Grigri also HAHA

No prizes for guessing what she affectionately refers to her boyfriend to.

Me: You used to be part of DN-Girls and NyX. Just to clarify, they're pretty much the same team with a different name?
Kimchi: Ya. Gongzu, Cass, Cyn, Jas, Jiayi.
Kimchi: Were with them for 2 years or more.
Kimchi: I'm boring.

 

The previous DN-Girls

Me: Boring? Why would I interview someone who's boring?
Kimchi: Cause you think I'm a nice and friendly girl. HAHA.
Kimchi: HAHAHA
Kimchi: Actually I think I'm nice.
Kimchi: Not really very friendly.

Me: So... you've spent 3 years or more playing Competitions. What's your most memorable victory?
Kimchi: Competitions I've won? That's easy!
Kimchi: I have a talent in noobing at compies. So I haven't won any!
Kimchi: But we're going to China next week. Weehee! Chance to win!

The Singaporean DotA scene has constantly seen not one but two all-girl teams. NyX versus Asterisks. DN-Girls vs CaLz, all-girl DotA confrontations between many mainstays in the DotA scene, with a few newcomers. Having been with DN-Girls for most of her DotA career before jumping to Asterisks when the then-called NyX went inactive, Kimchi has teamed with pretty much all the DotA players in Singapore.

Me: So, how's team asterisks?
Kimchi: Asterisks is a very fun team to play with.
Kimchi: Even losing can be fun. LOL.
Kimchi: That's the feeling I have after playing with them.
Kimchi: Before that, didn't know them because of all the...
Kimchi: -_- Politics and stuff la.
Kimchi: And I'm very happy that Cyn is back in Asterisks too. Hoho.

With two teams of girls in the DotA scene, both competing for glory and attention, they would either love each other or, well, not love each other. Hearing of the mention of politics between the two teams, I question Kimchi further.

Me: So, with regard to girl teams, there are 2 camps?
Kimchi: 3 actually.
Kimchi: The other 1 is the camp that hates female players.
Kimchi: Regardless of how good they are whatsoever.

Me: As in, you know, like NyX versus Asterisks...
Kimchi: Oh. I always think I will lose.
Kimchi: 2 years ago at SMM, when NyX fought Asterisks, my teammates were quite confident of winning.
Kimchi: I wasn't -_-
Kimchi: I think it has something to do with my low self-esteem or something.

 

(Top) Opponents Team NyX at SMM (Bottom) Team asterisks at SMM

 

Me: How about the relationship of the two teams outside the game?
Kimchi: In Singapore, I don't know why, girl teams can't live with each other -_-
Kimchi: Maybe because Singapore is more competitive, everyone wants to be at the top.

Me: How about your personal feelings?
Kimchi: I've suggested training with the other girls' team regularly before.
Kimchi: But the idea just became a passing remark.
Kimchi: I'm actually okay with the other girls' team.
Kimchi: Cause I'm always quiet and I just bother about game stuff.
Kimchi: I think it's all very time consuming and energy consuming.
Kimchi: Like how they get frustrated and stuff.
Kimchi: But when I first started playing DotA, they already had conflicts between each other. So I'm like a 3rd party.

Me: So, any other memorable games other than the SMM stage match you mentioned?
Kimchi: Wah. How you know I wanna say that.
Kimchi: I was quite excited to be able to play on stage against a girls team.
Kimchi: It was quite stressful.
Kimchi: But really, winning another girls' team is super SHOIK.
Kimchi: Maybe because there aren't a lot of other girls' teams around.
Kimchi: Another one would probably be the stage match at ESTC.

Asterisks played a 60-minute game on the stage in ESTC Winter at Thailand that ended in a loss due to the time limit rule, in October of 2009, against a local Thailand team. Before that, in SMM at the end of 2008, the two all girl teams NyX and Asterisks played on the stage in the middle of Times Square in Kuala Lumpur.

Me: So, you like stage matches?
Kimchi: YEA!
Kimchi: It gives you a weird feeling.

I decide to use this opportunity to ask questions that are unique to female DotA players.

Me: So how many times have guys asked you out when you were at DotA competitions?
Kimchi: Actually very little.
Kimchi: The first one was Greg... Grigri la.
Kimchi: Then he became my BF.
Kimchi: And then at SMM... that guy from CANT...
Kimchi: OMG so embarassed.
Kimchi: I think it's either I'm not attractive, or I've always made it a point not to... put myself in the market, or something like that.

CANT, a team from China won 3rd placing in SMM 2008.

Me: Wait, what guy from CANT?
Kimchi: It was damn weird!
Kimchi: I was standing with Cass and the others...
Kimchi: And I can feel that someone is like looking towards our direction or something
Kimchi: Then before we were about to leave, he came and asked me what I was doing tonight.
Kimchi: Wah I got the shock of my life!
Kimchi: I was like “uh... uh... nothing much” LOL.
Kimchi: Then he asked me out.
Kimchi: And I went “uh... uh... I got BF already sorry, no, sorry”.
Kimchi: I think I remember saying sorry to him a lot of times. Then I just walked away very quickly.

Me: Wait, so you were with all the other girls, and he picked you out?
Kimchi: Uh yea.
Kimchi: I got china face bah.
Kimchi: -_- I LOOK LIKE A CHINA GIRL?!

Me: How about that guy? How did he look like?
Kimchi: Uhm... NOT MY TYPE.
Kimchi: Ok, I'm thinking of a nice word...
Kimchi: Not buffed enough! Super super thin, short hair...
Kimchi: Hollow cheeks? I forgot!

Me: Do you know who he is?
Kimchi: Not really, but he looks short.

Me: LONGDD?
Kimchi: Nono. Not LongDD.
Kimchi: I don't want to receive hatemail!

I guess this is a sign that she wants to change the topic. I oblidge.

Me: So, you mentioned about the group of people who just hate girl players? What do you feel about them?
Kimchi: I think they really just have too much time on their hands
Kimchi: If they really disapprove of us, or think that we're noobs, or just plainly hate us, they should just not bother about us and care about their own lives.
Kimchi: Some of them even bother to tag on our blogs and write stupid stuff.

Me: So, how much of your life is gaming?
Kimchi: I wanted to say 90%.
Kimchi: Before I remembered Grigri.
Kimchi: So I guess it's a tie between gaming and Grigri.

Me: So, about every single time someone interviews a gaming girl, they ask how it feels to own guys at their game. I'm a bit more unassuming. Do you girls REALLY own guys at their game?
Kimchi: LOL. Not all guys are good at DotA anyway.
Kimchi: But to be honest, those we won are far from professional DotA standards.

And now, for even more questions that I ask Kimchi because she's a girl.

Me: Name the top 4 sexiest female Singapore DotA players.
Kimchi: Let's see...
Kimchi: OK I gotta say Cyn.
Kimchi: It's her aura. She has this... aura.
Kimchi: Maybe it's her confidence or something.
Kimchi: Wah 4 is a lot.

Me: Ok. 3 then. Next?
Kimchi: Eliza. Can never forget her modeling pics.
Kimchi: Have you seen then?!

At this point she links me to a facebook album of modeling pictures, and continues.

Kimchi: O... should I say XSS?
Kimchi: Ok. Ya. Her. XSS.

XSS is short for XueShaSha, runner up of Singapore's S-Factor, a rather infamous personality whose blog can be found at www.xueshasha.com

Me: Rank them!
Kimchi: Waddd!?
Kimchi: But they are all sexy in different ways!

Me: Okay. How about the guys.
Kimchi: OMGOMG.
Kimchi: GRIGRI <3 <3
Kimchi: And HY! HY has a good build!
Kimchi: I don't know a lot of Singapore DotA guys man...
Kimchi: gGg :/ HAHAH
Kimchi: He's cute. Yup.
Kimchi: I'm trying to think of which guys I have secretly stolen peeks at.

 

gGg fromTeam XtC

 

Me: Semi-related question. When do you think WaN will get a girlfriend?
Kimchi: OMG THAT'S SO MEAN.
Kimchi: When he stops wanting a GF.
Kimchi: Poor Wanny...

Me: What other talents do you have other then gaming?
Kimchi: Jubeat. I'm good at Jubeat!
Kimchi: Music games actually. O2Jam, Jubeat.

Me: Those are still games.
Kimchi: Oh. I'm very talented at being a good girlfriend also.
Me: You stole HY's line!
Kimchi: Did I? -_- But I'm really a good GF!

Me: Okay. Who do you think are the top 3 DotA players in the world?
Kimchi: Actually I don't really care about the rest of the world.
Kimchi: LOL. For Singapore it's... ice.
Kimchi: Lemme think a while.
Kimchi: Bouncy and Tofu.

Me: Do you think that generally guys are better at games?
Kimchi: Depends on what kind of games!
Kimchi: If there's a game about makeup
Kimchi: OF COURSE GIRLS WILL OWN!

Me: Do you feel that being a girl has had anything to do with you being more popular in the DotA community?
Kimchi: Uhm... I don't think I'm popular LOL.
Kimchi: But yea I do think that being a girl helps.
Kimchi: Like if you're a noob guy, which pro guy would wanna play and help you improve?

I decide to use the opportune time that I caught Kimchi to ask her about the big international tournament that her team is taking part in during the next week.

Me: Tell me more about it.
Kimchi: It's the Iron Lady tournament in Shanghai. 3rd year.
Kimchi: But it's the first time DotA is part of the event.
Kimchi: It's an all-girls event. Team Asterisks vs some team from China.
Kimchi: 3 days of competition, 1v1, 2v2 and 5v5. Very exciting.

Me: Only two teams taking part in DotA?
Kimchi: Yah.
Kimchi: I'm not really sure about the details yet. I think everyone has to play the 1v1.
Kimchi: For the 2v2 we haven't really decided who to represent us yet.
Kimchi: I think it'll be covered somewhere in our team's blog. Someone has to post for us, because apparently, China blocks blogger, so we can't blog for ourselves.

Me: Asterisks has been finding a manager. Have you all found him yet?
Kimchi: Nope.

Me: Have you all even got offers?
Kimchi: Yup. Got a few.
Kimchi: I'm too lazy to be bothered. I don't really care about all the management stuff.
Kimchi: <- Just in charge of playing! Don't think I'll be of much help either.
Me: Okay. Isn't there anything additional you would like to tell the world, perhaps any secret scandals you want to expose?
Kimchi: Nope!
Kimchi: I'm not fun la!
Kimchi: Told you I'm too nice. HAHA.

The conversation goes off the record for a while, but Kimchi finally thinks of her final words to go on the record.

Kimchi: OH YA. ABOUT YAMATEH.
Kimchi: For some reason I don't know why, some people keep linking me and YMT together.
Kimchi: Like out of NOWHERE. It's super weird.

And that's it with Kimchi. She will be joining PMS Asterisks in the upcoming Iron Lady tournament in Shanghai, so you'll be able to catch a lot more of her.