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" Professional video-game tournaments\u2014traditionally the province of the 300-pound dorky guy next door\u2014are starting to look more like a Spice Girls show, thanks to female teams like the Frag Dolls. The Dolls are one of a handful of girl groups going head-to-head with the guys at Major League Gaming contests. The question: Did we really need to bust into this male bastion? Some say yes: An estimated 94 percent of teen girls now play video games\u2014it&amp;#039;s part of the culture, like it or not. And Major League Gaming is on a roll, boasting thousands of competitors and a content deal with ESPN; the top prize at events can reach $100,000. For players like the Frag Dolls\u2014who go by names such as Brookelyn, Phoenix, Psyche, and Rhoulette\u2014gaming is a career opportunity; they get paid by a software company to compete in tournaments, work the booths at trade shows, and do press stunts, like teaching Kim Kardashian how to play Nintendo Wii. It&amp;#039;s not a bad gig for young women such as Brookelyn (Brooke Hattabaugh, 28). Before joining the Dolls, she was a shy, depressed high-school student who had burned down her mother&amp;#039;s Kansas home while frying a chicken patty. The Frag Dolls forced her out of her shell. (After the Dolls? She wants to write children&amp;#039;s books.) Of course, not everyone&amp;#039;s thrilled about the tarting up of the game world. Male bloggers gripe that women can&amp;#039;t play in the NFL or NBA, so why are they allowed in Major League Gaming? But other guys dig it. At a recent tourney in Texas, Brookelyn, clad in a black corset, with a pair of diving doves tattoos on her shoulder, was swarmed by an army of preteen worshippers. &amp;quot;Can I get a picture?&amp;quot; one asked. &amp;quot;My buddy&amp;#039;ll be so jealous.&amp;quot; Indeed. Some boys even like to brag that they&amp;#039;ve made out with Brookelyn and her gal pals. Dream on, dudes. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.marieclaire.com/culture/news/a3136/female-video-gamers/?click=rel>