At what age did you start gaming and what’s your first gaming memory?

I started competitively gaming when I was 18 years old, but I've been playing video games with my little brother since I was probably 7 years old, or so. My first gaming memory was playing Super Mario 64 with my brother and how huge the N64 controllers were for my tiny child hands, haha.

Which systems do you remember playing on and what games did you play the most?

My first gaming system was a Nintendo 64, and we played a lot of the original Super Smash Bros and Pokemon stadium. The games me and my brother played the absolute most of was the Halo series, and Left4Dead 2. Growing up, my all-time favorite system was the Playstation2. I had SO many great games for it.

Which platform are you currently using?

I currently have to use PC to stay competitively viable, but I do play retro games on my switch. Unfortunately, I have not had the time to buy other consoles and console games.

What game do you know or like the best?

The game I know the best is Overwatch. I didn't get to hit Top 500 before I left for Christmas break at college (which was my goal); but the game I like the best is currently The Witcher 3. I am the Captain for my Overwatch team, and I do try to coach as much as I can.

What are your top 10 insights, tips, information and/or tid-bits on the game you listed above?

For Overwatch
1. The biggest tip I can give that I see happen all the time between bronze-plat and even in diamond, DON'T give up high ground. don't give up high ground for free *without a fight*, don't let them take high ground *for free*, don't drop off of high ground just because *they aren't up there* with you. Take the phrase from Star Wars "its over Anakin, I have the high ground!" quite literally. If you stand your ground more often, you will win more games naturally.
2. Yes, I know Color Blind mode looks really pretty and cool; but if you aren't colorblind, please consider ditching CB mode. Overwatch was designed to play to the human eye's strengths. Red is a color the human eye picks up easier among the 10,000 pieces of information being thrown at you PER SECOND in Overwatch. The enemy team and objectives are outlined in red for this reason. No professional/ High Elo player uses CB mode, unless they need to.
3. Don't be afraid of "SR Dips". When playing competitive, there will be a point when it seems like you're just losing game after game. It is important not to get discouraged. Even GM and T500 isn't free from this curse. For tips on how to deal with loss and chaos, I recommend watching Kabaji and ML7. Both streamers are very articulate and never seem to get heated, even when things are going south.
4. Watch 'Informational' streams. If you want to improve the fastest, watching informational streams alongside getting in some practice hours is the best way to improve. Anyone can stream Overwatch, but not just anyone can commentate what they are doing and *why* they are doing it **while** they are playing. Informational streamers i recommend are : Kabaji, ML7, Jayne, Custa, Emongg, and Seagull.
5. Limit yourself to two roles and 2-3 heroes within those roles. It is not good to spread yourself too thin. It is better to solidify what you know, what you're learning, and the limits of a handful specific characters.
6. Don't be rigid. If the meta is changing, you need to change too; either your characters need to change, or how you play your old characters. My position on my own team is DPS hitscan, but with recent meta changes, I've had to learn and play almost exclusively Mei. And now, I'm one of the best Mei in North America.
7. Watch professionals. Copy professionals. I can't tell you how many times I hear "well the professionals are pros for a reason, we could never pull this off," etc. The pros use certain combos, strats, and compositions because they are so successful. Take the time to study and try to replicate that.
8. Video review is always good! Get someone to review your VODs, look over your VODs yourself, take the criticism and grow from it.
9. Quick play is not as bad as people think, especially with role Q now. Quick play teaches you to fend for yourself and work on your own personal skill to keep yourself alive. Most of the time, when you die in QP, it was your own fault. You don't have a 'team' to rely on in QP most of the time, so QP is the place to limit test, build your skills, and learn what fights to take, when to go in, when to back off, etc.
**10.** Afraid to play alone? Join discords, Facebook groups, Reddit subreddits, etc. There is always a group out there to fit your style, and make great friends.
Afraid to talk in Voice chat? Contrary to popular belief, you don't need to be talking in VC to win games. utilize pings, maybe text chat, but ultimately, your team has to play around your playstyle to win (and vice versa). A good player can read any situation without being told what to do in VC.

Could you share a bit about your life, hobbies and/or work outside of gaming?

My life is super busy outside of competing. I play Overwatch for SUNY Canton and am their starting DPS. I am a hitscan main with a focus on McCree, Widow, Tracer, and small allowances for meta changes. I am a junior, full-time Video Game Design and Development major. I help co-teach freshman level classes for my major, I am writing a course textbook for Video game design (since no textbooks really exist for video game creation), I waitress during breaks to get a little pocket change, and some other big projects that are under NDA currently. I love art in any form, I'm an advocate for women in gaming, I travel around the country visiting colleges and high school to get schools started in their own eSport programs, and overall, I'm dedicated to helping other gamers reach their goals. I love my cat! I love the water, and I love helping/answering any questions you guys might have.

What advice would you give to young gameHERs out there and/or to your younger gameHER self?

I think it is very important for everyone to have a friend, a circle, or even a team of gameHERs/gamers to support you, keep you motivated, and help you out during your hardest days. If you do not have someone, I WILL BE THAT SOMEONE ️. When I was younger, trying to pursue my gaming career, I was truly alone at the time. It made dealing with haters, online harassment, and all the backlash so hard. Thank god I pushed through it, otherwise I wouldn't be here today.
Another piece of advice I will give is that it is important to get sleep. I have lost actual tournaments and matches because I have been overworked and under-rested. I have a history of having trouble sleeping, but I make it a priority to get my Zz’s.

Name and/or gamertag or gamer name:

My gamertag found everywhere, even my social media is AbsoluteSodium. But unfortunately AbsoluteSodium is ONE character too long in Overwatch, so I had to settle with AbsoluteNaCl. I was AbsoluteNa in the past, but everyone thought Na stood for "North America", so I decided to go with NaCl.

Social media information:

Twitter: @AbsoluteSodium Instagram: AbsoluteSodium Twitch: AbsoluteSodium

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