It's serious fun for whole new worlds of competitors
By PAUL NYHAN
The 7-inch pink tattoo says it all.
The image of the "Halo" video game hero runs down Kari Toyama's right calf -- a birthday gift she gave herself in September. It indicates video gaming is more than her hobby; it's her lifestyle.
The SeaTac grocery worker is part of a growing network of women gamers who play "Halo II," "Splinter Cell" and "Gears of War" not just for fun, but also to find work, emotional support and friendship.
Last month, Toyama wanted to raise money for breast cancer research. So she skipped the bake sales and walks, and instead held an online video game tournament with Cayote Cavegirls, an all-female gaming group founded by a Puyallup woman.
The grocery price changer charged $10 to compete on Oct. 21 among 58 players for about six hours, and welcomed additional contributions on her PayPal account.
Toyama, 22, succeeded beyond her own expectations, and those of her bosses at Safeway's SeaTac store, by raising $777 in three weeks.
"They didn't believe it was going to be a big hit," Toyama said. "No one else has ever done anything like I did."
The successful fundraiser underscores that women are putting their own spin on the traditionally male-dominated world of video gaming.
Within the two-year-old Cayote Cavegirls group, women with such online names as VenusEnvy, PrimalFear, Mrs.CasualSexxx, BettySkiddi and Clobberella not only play the popular "Halo II" game, they also talk about family problems, jobs, kids -- just about everything else.
"I've made lifelong friends through the (online) community," Toyama said. "It's life-changing."
In two years, the group has grown from 12 members to 30.
But the testosterone-fueled world of "Halo II," where teams of armored warriors shoot it out in a futuristic world, can still be a hostile place for women.
The trash-talking that courses through online microphones can be downright vile. Players have called Toyama fat, ugly and gay, though she is none of those.
"Get back to the kitchen girl. You don't belong in video games," one combatant told Toyama.
"It helps that I can kick their ass in the game," she said.
Today, Toyama appears quite comfortable in the world of online gaming.
Her apartment looks like any 22-year-old's, with two aging couches, a worn blue armchair and even a license plate on the wall.
But at the front of the living room, a new gaming chair -- a black lounger with no legs and illuminated, built-in speakers -- sits in front of a 42-inch LCD television.
Nearby, a "Halo" action figure stands next to the "Halo" graphic novel, and three "Halo" novels. Video gaming magazines are spread across the coffee table.
Just in case, a 27-inch television sits next to the LCD screen plugged into the Xbox Live console.
Toyama plays eight hours a day, on average, and has played 16 hours straight.
And she has even gotten used to the insults after spending a lifetime playing video games, and her hobby is threatening to evolve into a career.
She is applying to be a game tester, already is the host of a gaming podcast, and was a finalist for Frag Dolls, a group of women who tour and compete on behalf of game maker Ubisoft. She plans to play professionally next year.
The Hawaiian native, though, is pragmatic. She is holding onto her union job as an overnight worker at Safeway and studies psychology at Bellevue Community College.
But gaming is her passion, and, she hopes, her future.
"I think this is the start of a whole new era," Toyama said. "Of course it's what I want to do."
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