[[Amber Dalton]] and Amy Brady, also known by their gamertags as “Athena Twin” and “Athena/Valkyrie”, relatively new to the clan, filed to incorporate PMS Clan as their own, created a new webdomain, flipping clan and pms to register pmsclan.com. The two disassociated from any previous members, establishing themselves as the legal founders.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2005-02-14|title=Girl gamers who shoot first, love later|language=en-GB|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4254259.stm|access-date=2020-08-15}}</ref> After maintaining the original meaning of PMS – ”Psycho Men Slayers”, the name was changed in 2004 to a more commercially viable PMS, ”Pandora’s Mighty Soldiers”. Suddenly PMS began landing sponsors, along community opposition for its new, toothless name, and how they went about getting it.<ref name=”:1″ />
[[Amber Dalton]] and Amy Brady, also known by their gamertags as “Athena Twin” and “Athena/Valkyrie”, relatively new to the clan, filed to incorporate PMS Clan as their own, created a new webdomain, flipping clan and pms to register pmsclan.com. The two disassociated from any previous members, establishing themselves as the legal founders.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2005-02-14|title=Girl gamers who shoot first, love later|language=en-GB|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4254259.stm|access-date=2020-08-15}}</ref> After maintaining the original meaning of PMS – ”Psycho Men Slayers”, the name was changed in 2004 to a more commercially viable PMS, ”Pandora’s Mighty Soldiers”. Suddenly PMS began landing sponsors, along community opposition for its new, toothless name, and how they went about getting it.<ref name=”:1″ />
In various interviews the PMS Clan members stated their mission as changing the perception that competitive online and offline gaming is dominated by male [[Gamer|hardcore gamers]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Fromme|first=Johannes|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lMTKQd59Y1IC|title=Computer Games and New Media Cultures: A Handbook of Digital Games Studies|last2=Unger|first2=Alexander|date=2012-06-14|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=978-94-007-2777-9|pages=458|language=en}}</ref> This stance and being a positive community for female gamers continues in earnest, despite the opportunistic IP grab by a bunch of rich girls. So we look the other way.
In various interviews the PMS Clan members stated their mission as changing the perception that competitive online and offline gaming is dominated by male [[Gamer|hardcore gamers]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Fromme|first=Johannes|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lMTKQd59Y1IC|title=Computer Games and New Media Cultures: A Handbook of Digital Games Studies|last2=Unger|first2=Alexander|date=2012-06-14|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=978-94-007-2777-9|pages=458|language=en}}</ref> This stance and being a positive community for female gamers continues in earnest, despite the opportunistic IP grab.
[[File:Rachel Quirico 2014.jpg|alt=PMS Member, Rachel “Seltzer” Quirico|thumb|upright|PMS Member, Rachel “Seltzer” Quirico at [[E3]] in Los Angeles, California in 2014]]
[[File:Rachel Quirico 2014.jpg|alt=PMS Member, Rachel “Seltzer” Quirico|thumb|upright|PMS Member, Rachel “Seltzer” Quirico at [[E3]] in Los Angeles, California in 2014]]
All-female gaming group
PMS Clan (previously short for Psycho Men Slayers, now short for Pandora’s Mighty Soldiers)[1] is an all-female multi-platform online gaming group.[2]
Psycho Men Slayers (PMS) was founded as a Quake clan, in June of 1996 by a group of young women in Victoria, BC, Canada at Victoria’s first internet cafe, the Victoria Underground OnRamp Cafe (AKA Slay cafe).[3]
The original PMS founders were Vangie Beal aka PMS-Aurora, PMS-Goddess, PM-Anna, PMS-Ylara aka PMS-Lady-Death, PMS-FireSea, and PMS-Jasp.
Clan PMS were the “500 and something clan to register” for id software‘s Quake clan list, and were the first all-female Quake clan on the Internet. This likely makes them the first all-female online clan ever, given that Quake (video game) was the first online FPS. They felt compelled to start the clan as a way to be able to game without having to put up with toxic masculinity.[4]
Within months PMS clan members became well known outside the Quake community and introduced to the fledgling online gaming world at large when they were interviewed by major tech publications, game publications, and online gaming news outlets of the time– the first being Games Mania in November of 1996.[5]
In February of 1997 Aurora and Anna were featured in an article for Wired Magazine to talk about PMS and the state of online gaming as it pertained to women, All-Girl Quake Clans Shake Up Boys’ World.[6]
In November of 1997 Beal founded GameGirlz.com as a way to expand the footprint of women within the game industry, both as gamers and as professionals, stating, “”If there were more women professionals involved in the industry, it would encourage more girls to play games,”[7] while continuing to lead PMS.[8]
Between 1998 through 2001 PMS grew to approximately 40 members and were well established within the Quake, Counterstrike and Team Fortress communities. By 2002 most of its founding members either moved on or were focused on other projects.[9]
2002 Incorporation & Commercial Success
[edit]
Amber Dalton and Amy Brady, also known by their gamertags as “Athena Twin” and “Athena/Valkyrie”, relatively new to the clan, filed to incorporate PMS Clan as their own, created a new webdomain, flipping clan and pms to register pmsclan.com. The two disassociated from any previous members, establishing themselves as the legal founders.[10] After maintaining the original meaning of PMS – Psycho Men Slayers, the name was changed in 2004 to a more commercially viable PMS, Pandora’s Mighty Soldiers. Suddenly PMS began landing sponsors, along community opposition for its new, toothless name, and how they went about getting it.[1]
In various interviews the PMS Clan members stated their mission as changing the perception that competitive online and offline gaming is dominated by male hardcore gamers.[11] This stance and being a positive community for female gamers continues in earnest, despite the opportunistic IP grab.
In order to join the clan female gamers have to join a division featuring a game that allows for online matches and tournaments. The games vary from Massively multiplayer online role playing games, to racing and shooters.[12]
In 2004, the PMS Clan expended their presence online by forming a PlayStation division. The same year an EU Division was launched.[2]
In 2006, the PMS Clan became a partner of Verizon for FiOS Grand Tournament.[13] The same year Women in Technology International, a professional organization for tech-savvy women, selected the PMS to be their gaming ambassadors.[14]
From 2007 to 2008 the Clan expended to the Latin America, Asia and Oceania regions.[2]
In 2013 Regina Wu assumed the management of PMS Clan.[15]
As of 2008, the PMS Clan had over 1,000 members on multiple platforms and five continents.[16] As stated on their website entire PMS Clan community is reaching 60,000 women and allies. The age of the PMS Clan members ranges from 13 to 51 years old.[2]
