TacticalGramma
At what age did you start gaming and what’s your first gaming memory?
I was 8 years old when I started gaming and remember playing pong with my brother and parents. Our whole family really loved gaming from the beginning. I also played the early handheld games by Coleco and Mattel.
Which systems do you remember playing on and what games did you play the most?
After pong we got an ATARI 2600, I loved playing Pitfall, Crackpots, and Kaboom. I really never stopped playing video games and pretty much played them all including arcade games. As an adult we had Nintendo, Nintendo 64, Super Nintendo, Game Cube, Xbox, Wii, Playstation, and now PC.
Which platforms are you currently using?
I’m currently using PC. Growing up, I was a goalie in soccer and my thumbs took a lot of abuse. Now unfortunately it hurts to use a controller. The PC took some getting used to — I only started on PC right before I started streaming last October, so still getting used to it. Sometimes my fingers still don’t seem to hit the right keys, several times I have tossed a grenade on my teammates. I’m like, “so sorry haha”
What game do you know or like the best?
Since Call of Duty: Warzone was released it’s become my main game although I also play APEX and Escape from Tarkov.
What are your top 10 insights, tips, information and/or tidbits on the game you listed above?
1. For Warzone squads where you have a team of 3, it’s critical to have good communication — what we call “Coms” — and work together strategically.
2. Landing in areas where you have time to collect weapons and get shield plates is usually better than going into popular areas, which can be very sweaty with a lot of players. This is kind of personal choice however, as some people love to get right into the action. If I’m in the mood for action, I’ll drop hot and just go for it.
3. It’s important to listen carefully for enemy footsteps and peek all directions before moving through open areas.
4. When you encounter enemy teams your squad must have intense combat communication and be on the same page tactically. For example, if one player goes on their own against a whole squad they will typically get wiped out. If you push and your team doesn’t come along, you’re in big trouble.
5. Collecting enough money to get personal loadouts can put you one step ahead of those who only have the weapons they found. The loadout weapons can have many accessories that aren’t on the basic weapons.
6. Buying an Unmanned Arial Vehicle (what we call a UAV) is also a good strategy, so you know where nearby enemy players are located.
7. Having a Heartbeat Monitor in your personal loadout will make a world of difference in locating enemies. They don’t however detect players who are ghosted, so you still have to be careful.
8. If you create two personal loadouts with different equipment you can access two loadout boxes and utilize Ghost and Overkill. This allows you to carry two main weapons and be ghosted, making it difficult for enemies to locate you.
9. You can use the green gas as it closes in to move toward the center of the safe zone, knowing that enemies cannot come from behind.
10. Equip two guns in your personal loadout: one with thermal scope and one without ,as ghosted players will not show up on thermal. Some people like to add a sniper rifle for long range battle.
Could you share a bit about your life, hobbies and/or work outside of gaming?
My biggest joy right now is being a grandmother. My granddaughter Sawyer is almost two and an absolute blessing. I have another grandchild on the way as my daughter is due May 5th. I love music as does our whole family. I play bass, my husband plays guitar, and my daughters sing. Our extended family also plays many instruments and music often breaks out at our family gatherings.
What advice would you give to young gameHERs out there and/or to your younger gameHER self?
Don’t let people who are negative about gaming stop you from doing something you enjoy. It probably doesn’t happen as often as when I was younger because most people now recognize that the gaming industry offers credible opportunities, but it’s still good advice. There’s always somebody saying you can’t or shouldn’t do it, but you can’t listen to that. Being a female gamer can sometimes attract oddballs that will criticize you, usually out of jealousy or because they are threatened by a girl that’s so good. This is especially true when you play FPS games as they have traditionally been very male-dominated games. The lobbies can be pretty toxic. The biggest advice is to have fun. It always has to be fun, even if you choose it as a career, and especially if you choose to be a streamer.
TacticalGramma and her granddaughter Sawyer. All photos courtesy of the gameHER
Is there anything we didn't ask that you wish we did?
I would add that when I started I didn’t think anyone would want to watch a grandma play video games. It has truly been humbling that so many people are involved in my community. I didn’t realize I would be in a position to positively impact so many lives, which has been the most amazing aspect of streaming. The gaming community as a whole is really wonderful and very supportive, so much fun.
Do you have a personal or professional website:
My Facebook Gaming Page: https://www.facebook.com/TacticalGrammaGaming/
Name and/or gamertag or gamer name:
TacticalGramma
Social media information:
Twitter: @GrammaTactical
Instagram: TacticalGramma
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