Mushroom

 

Hello, can you briefly introduce yourself for the benefit of RGN readers who are not familiar with you?

Thanh Hang: Hi, my name is Nguyen Thanh Hang, but you can call me Mushroom. I’m a final-year student in National Economics University and I am playing Counter Strike for team Chocoladies. 

When did you start gaming?

Thanh Hang: Ahmm… I started playing games when I was 5 years old. I remembered that I loved playing Mario mini-games haha.

And how about Counter Strike?

Thanh Hang: My little brother was the one who got me into gaming for fun. Before I knew it, I got hooked to Counter Strike and have been playing it till today.

Why did you choose Counter Strike instead of other, less intense games that most girls seem to prefer?

Thanh Hang: I love the thrill and adrenaline of playing a fast-paced shooter games like Counter Strike. I do think my feminine attitude towards gaming differentiates me from the typical male Counter Strike player though. Gaming is also a good way for me to relieve stress.

Have you encountered any obstacles regarding to gaming? How did your parents and boyfriend react? Did they object?

Thanh Hang: My greatest concern with gaming was addiction. When I was a high school student, my mother suddenly appeared behind me when I was playing Counter Strike and starting making a huge fuss about my gaming hobby. She is a lot more accommodating now, but I still feel funny thinking back to that incident and how I refused to accede to my mother’s wishes. My boyfriend has… no idea hehe.

Please tell us about your teammates, the other “chocolates bars”.

Thanh Hang: They are all so smart and cute! They are all like sisters to me, especially Ngabum and Puta.

Ngabum graduated from RMIT, and she shares everything with me – from stories at work to her personal problems and shopping…nothing stays secret between us.
Puta is studying at the Vietnam National University and she is a cute and self-made girl.
Lew’s going for her Master’s Degree and is very much like a family person – she likes cooking so much. I think she should be a teacher instead of Counter Strike player actually.
Seven is the best shot out of the players in Chocoladies. She is an extremely motivated and determined girl. She is now the manager of BestBuy company.
June is really good at English and she is an excellent journalist.

What other hobbies do the ladies of the Chocoladies have?

Thanh Hang: We are gamers, yes, but we are still girls haha. We love shopping, singing, photo-taking and partying like the others girls. But put us in a Counter Strike game with any male gamers and we’ll show them who’s the boss!

What do you think of eSports in Vietnam?

Thanh Hang: Hmm, I think that massive multiplayer online RPGs appeal to the masses more than Counter Strike. Most eSports gamers seem to have lost that drive to train hard over a long period of time.

Ok, tell me about Chocoladies training schedule.

Thanh Hang: We normally plan one to two weekly training sessions in LAN. However, as most of us are currently tied up with work and our own personal schedules, we have no permanent training schedule at the moment, and only play for fun these days.

Have you participated in any major tournaments?

Thanh Hang: Despite the fact that we are behind many male teams in terms of skill, we decided to participate in the VEC 2009. We lost to team Aqd very late into the game in the third map. It was really disappointing as it was such a close match…I cried for quite a long time after that game.

Do you idolize any male player in Vietnam?

Thanh Hang: I think that it’s very hard to be an outstanding gamer, so I have naturally come to admire some talented players in Vietnam, namely Kent, FangZ, Naul, Shocki, Haly and Pinky.

What are your plans with Counter Strike in the future? Do you see yourself playing it long-term?

Thanh Hang: Counter Strike is my hobby, so I try to involve myself with the game as much as possible even when I have insufficient time for training. In the last Counter Strike tournament, Vzone Winter Tournament 2009, I was invited to be the Master of Ceremony. Even though I wasn’t playing, I managed to liven the spirits for all the male gamers in the tournament – the experience was truly unforgettable.

I really hope that the organizations can lead the way for Vietnamese gamers and the gaming scene by organizing more tournaments to provide them with more opportunities to train, compete and achieve.

Thinking ahead to the near future, I intend to set myself on a career path that would earn a lot of money, haha! I wish all my friends, Vietnamese Counter Strike players, and RGN readers a happy and prosperous new year!

Thank you for your time!