Asterisk (esports)
Asterisk* (formerly PMS Asterisk) is an all-female Esports organization based in Singapore. It was established in 2004 as the first all-female team competing in both DotA and DotA 2.[2] The organization led the Asian division for PMS Clan,[3] the world's largest female multi-platform online gaming group on Xbox, PC and PlayStation platforms. In 2015, Asterisk* was relaunched as an Events, Talent Management and Consultant for gaming related projects.[4]
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Divisions | Dota 2 League of Legends[1] |
---|---|
Founded | 2004 |
Based in | Singapore |
Location | Southeast Asia |
Manager | Eugene Lee Kimberlyn See Tammy Tang |
Partners | Alienware SteelSeries |
History
Asterisk* was co-founded in 2004 by Dawn "pinksheep*" Yang and Tammy "furryfish*" Tang.[2] The team's first official event was at the 2005 World Cyber Games Grand Finals in Singapore, where the team claimed victory at the event's stage showcase match. Named by retired player Tan "flawed*" Lishan, "Asterisk*" symbolizes the meeting of different personalities and minds, coming together to deliver a stellar performance.[5]
Since its inauguration, the team has been featured on magazines,[6] leading Esports portals,[7][8][9] and television.[10][11]
The team makes a regular appearance at Thailand's annual games convention, the Electronic Sports Thailand Championship. They also actively participate in local and regional tournaments, conventions, and forum panel discussions.
In March 2010, Asterisk* added a new team to the PMS Asia roster, formerly known as Mineski Girls, led by Rea Lynne "Rheadoo" Aguinaldo. The team was then renamed ""PMSki"", joining the main team at regional events.[12]
In 2013, the Asterisk* League of Legends sub-unit was formed.
Team roster
Asterisk's roster includes Tammy "furryfish*" Tang, Kimberlyn "Kimchi*" See, Eliza "MsJovial*" Ong, Cynthia "w4ndeRz-*" Santa Maria, and Hua Yan "Yan*" Ng .[13] Recently the team added 2 well known international players from Thailand to their roster, namely Siraya "Pinkle" Sunpanich and Tao "Greenbean" Meta as well as 2 new girls from their 2013 trials, Esther "Umiisukii*" Lua and Mary "marypot*".[14]
Team members
Tammy "furryfish*" Tang Zhao En (born 6 October 1984) is the current leader and founder of Team Asterisk*. She is also the current leader of PMS Asia. She goes by the alias "furryfish*" on the Steam gaming platform. Her gaming days started with all-girls Counter-Strike team [Elm]-Lf- in 1999, where the team clinched titles in all-male divisions. After switching to DotA, Tammy also picked up Granado Espada, World of Warcraft and Starcraft 2. In addition to gaming, Tammy is also accomplished in sports and holds national medals in sailing and gymnastics. She attended the prestigious Raffles Girls School and Raffles Junior College in Singapore before going on to earn her degree at the National University of Singapore, majoring in geography. In her pastime, she enjoys fishing, floorball, reading and polishing her skills in the Japanese language. Currently, Tammy is a Marketing Manager at a local gaming firm. She also writes on her personal blog.[15]
Cynthia "w4ndeRz-*" Santa Maria (born 4 January 1987) is the spokesperson of Team Asterisk*. She is also the co-leader of PMS Asia. She goes by the alias "w4ndeRz*" on gaming platforms. Cynthia graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Queensland in Australia and is currently a Priority Banker at DBS Bank.
Kimberlyn "kimchi*" See Ee Hua (born 22 September 1991) is the commander and strategist of Team Asterisk*. Known for her aggressive play style, she excels in other games such as Jubeat and Beatmania IIDX. Kimberlyn graduated from Singapore Polytechnic in Media and Communications and is currently an Air Stewardess with Singapore Airlines. In her free time, she likes going to the movies, playing mahjong as well as owning at the arcade.
Eliza "MsJovial*" Ong Jie Zhi (born 27 June 1990) usually plays the role of hard carry for Asterisk*, and goes by the alias "MsJovial*" on gaming platforms. Known for her modeling career, she is also a talented singer, having produced many song covers which are posted on her Facebook as well as on YouTube.
Huayan "Yan*" Ng (born 29 December 1990) rejoined Asterisk* after finding time out of her new job as an Air Stewardess with Singapore Airlines. Famous for being witty and out of the box ideas, she brings crazy ideas to the team drafts.
A player who goes by the username of "dhazibi*" is also a member of Asterisk*.
Notable retired players include Dawn "pinksheep*" Yang, Lishan "shan*" Tan, Cheryl "sheRicA*" Kong, and trainee Eliza "chEwy*" Tan.
In 2013, Asterisk* acquired up a League of Legends team consisting of players Rachell "Foxy*" Hyori, Jeslyn "Claria*" Kweh, Valerie "Aya*" Seng, Cici "Sundae*" Chen and Shuwen "Auvielle*" Yeow, with Jolene "Lustreless*" Poh acting as team captain.
Sponsorships
Asterisk* is sponsored by SteelSeries and Alienware.[16] The ladies are spokespeople for the Cyber Wellness campaign in Singapore, as a partner of Singapore's Cybersports & Online Gaming Association (SCOGA)[17][18] and are campaigning for the recognition of Esports as an official sport in Singapore.
Media appearances
Asterisk* was invited to appear on SteelSeries' widely acclaimed reality gaming show, IronLady III[19] which was held in Shanghai in 2010. The show was broadcast across China on NeoTV and to the world on NeoTV's website.[11] The team was subsequently interviewed by the top gaming magazine in China[20] and also made the front page of myMYM news.[21]
Other key media appearances in 2010 include an interview by Singapore's leading newspaper Straits Times in an article titled "New Game Queens"[22] featuring the girls at their home base. Dawn "pinksheep" Yang was also interviewed on two occasions by The Straits Times on Razor TV[23][24] where she shared what it takes to be a competitive gamer, juggling work, life and gaming; and in Straits Times bookends, where she shared her preferred reads.[25]
In 2009, Asterisk* was also featured on StarHub[26] in a documentary on Cyber Wellness. In the program, the ladies shared how they balanced life and gaming, as well as a few cool tips for girl gamer wannabes.
In 2008, the team appeared on Malaysia's 8tv live show, Quickie,[10] as a post-SMM Grand National DOTA Competition feature in Kuala Lumpur.
In 2007, leader Tammy "furryfish" Tang was also featured in "Shifting Perspectives", a documentary discussing the changing landscape of gaming. This was broadcast on Singapore's leading news channel, Channel NewsAsia, which aired on 21 November 2007 at 8:30 pm. The documentary was produced by The Right Angle.[27]
In 2006, Cynthia "w4ndeRz-" Santa Maria was interviewed and featured on "Get Real", a current affairs program discussing her gaming habits. This was broadcast on Singapore's leading news channel, Channel NewsAsia, airing in August 2006.[28]
Achievements
Event | Placement | |
---|---|---|
2006 | ||
Avalon Tournament | Top 16 | |
World Games Tournament | Top 16 | |
Compaq AMD Pro-Gaming League (CAPL), Open Category | 8th | |
Compaq AMD Pro-Gaming League (CAPL), Premier Category | 4th | |
2008 | ||
World Cyber Games (WCG) | Top 32 | |
2009 | ||
Electronic Sports Thailand Championship (ESTC) | Top 16 | |
2010 | ||
Iron Lady Championship[21][29][30] | 1st |
Event appearances
Event | Location | |
---|---|---|
2005 | ||
World Cyber Games | Singapore | |
Compaq AMD Pro-Gaming League | Singapore | |
2006 | ||
World Cyber Games | Singapore | |
Compaq AMD Pro-Gaming League | Singapore | |
2007 | ||
World Cyber Games | Singapore | |
World Games Tournament | Singapore | |
Compaq AMD Pro-Gaming League | Singapore | |
2008 | ||
World Cyber Games | Singapore | |
SMM Grand National DotA Tournament | Malaysia | |
Malaysia Electronic Sports World Cup | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | |
Masters of Paris | Paris, France[31] | |
2009 | ||
World Cyber Games | Singapore | |
Cyber Gaming Festival | Singapore | |
Electronic Sports Thailand Championship (ESTC) | Bangkok, Thailand | |
SMM Grand National DotA Tournament[32][9] | Malacca, Malaysia | |
2010 | ||
Electronic Sports Thailand Championship (ESTC) | Bangkok, Thailand | |
Digital Youth Awards | Shanghai, China | |
Game-To-Read Hour | Singapore | |
World Cyber Games | Singapore | |
License2Play | Singapore | |
Iron Lady III Championships[21][30][33] | Shanghai, China | |
2013 | ||
Pinoy Gaming Festival (PGF) | Manila, Philippines |
References
- Lim, Nicole (23 March 2017). "Asterisk* League of Legends: Rise of eSports in SG". Red Bull. Archived from the original on 6 September 2019. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
- Wau, Jessica (9 June 2016). "Girl-gamers group Asterisk* on sexism, money and careers in e-sports". CNBC. Archived from the original on 6 September 2019. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
- "Forums - PMS - H2O Clan Website". Archived from the original on 26 September 2018. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
- "ABOUT ASTERISK*". PMS Asterisk*. 11 August 2022.
- Mischz, Mischz. "ASTERISK*". Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
- "Sweet Assassins". 5 October 2011. Archived from the original on 5 October 2011.
- "MYM - DotA News: PMS - Asterisk* girls talk ESTC". Archived from the original on 24 October 2009.
- "[采访] PMS女子战队专访 电竞不只有男生 - 超级玩家DOTA专题站 - DotA6.61b - DotA6.63 AI中文版下载". Archived from the original on 26 October 2009.
- "Photo Gallery 2: SMM 2009 Malaysia". Archived from the original on 30 November 2009. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
- "Girl gamers – PMS Clan hit 8TV Quickie". 25 November 2008. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
- "SteelSeries Dota Lady PMS – Asterisk* 战队简介". 22 January 2010. Archived from the original on 13 April 2010.
- GosuGamers (23 March 2010). "GosuGamers DotA | News: New girls enter the scene". Gosugamers.net. Archived from the original on 25 February 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
- Mischz, Mischz. "ASTERISK*". Archived from the original on 6 November 2009. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
- "ASTERISK*: DotA 2 Team Trials - The Conclusion". 22 June 2013. Archived from the original on 1 May 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
- "the story of a fish..." Archived from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 22 March 2010.
- "Custom Gaming Computers - PC Gaming At Its Best". Alienware. Archived from the original on 1 April 2010. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
- "Singapore's Cybersports and Online Gaming Association - Singapore's Cybersports and Online Gaming Association". Scoga.org. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
- "Cyberwellness". Scoga.org. Archived from the original on 5 March 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
- "SteelSeries Iron.Lady 2 - SteelSeries". 23 March 2009. Archived from the original on 23 March 2009. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
- "[快讯]《电子竞技》杂志2010年3月(上) 精彩上市 锐派网 - 中国第一游戏竞技互动门户". News.replays.net. 3 March 2010. Archived from the original on 4 March 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
- "MYM - DotA News: PMS titled Iron Lady". Mymym.com. 31 January 2010. Archived from the original on 6 December 2011. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
- "PMS | ASTERISK*: PMS* on Straits Times Life". Pmsasterisk.blogspot.com. 19 July 2010. Archived from the original on 4 March 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
- "Dawn Yang loves playing games (Gaming for money Pt 5)". Razortv. Archived from the original on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
- "Dawn Yang loves playing games (Gaming for money Pt 5)". Razortv. Archived from the original on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
- Mischz, Mischz (12 July 2010). "PMS | ASTERISK*: Newsflash - PMS* Headlines for July". Pmsasterisk.blogspot.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
- AdrenalineSG (17 May 2009). "Youth Scene Cyber Gaming". Archived from the original on 25 March 2016. Retrieved 20 January 2016 – via YouTube.
- "Test Page for Apache Installation". Archived from the original on 28 March 2010. Retrieved 24 March 2010.
- "Get Real". Archived from the original on 20 October 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2010.
- "[图片] 钢铁与玫瑰的盛会 IronLady第三季闭幕集锦 | DotA中文资料站 DotA AllStars | DotA6.73c 中文地图下载 | Dota.Replays.Net". News.replays.net. 2 February 2010. Archived from the original on 4 March 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
- "IronLady DotA tournament kicks off". Archived from the original on 2 February 2010. Retrieved 18 March 2010.
- "MYM - ESWC Masters of Paris - Beta". Archived from the original on 11 July 2008.
- "MYM - SMM Grand National DotA Tournament 2009". Archived from the original on 1 December 2009.
- "PMS Asterisk* crowned Steelseries IronLady Champions". Archived from the original on 4 March 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2010.