If you know LMNY|Nelly, you know this interview is definitely worth reading. And if you don’t know her… Well, trust me: this interview is definitely worth reading. There are not many people like her in the whole FGC.
Twitter: @nellyFGC
Twitch: nellyfgc
Birth Year: lol
Country: USA
If you had to introduce yourself in three sentences to some SoulCalibur player who didn’t know you, what would you say?
I am a competitive player and the SC6 team captain for Luminary Gaming. I started out in the FGC as a mom, taking my son to tournaments. Soul Calibur 6 is the first fighting game that I have tried to learn.
What is the origin or meaning of your nickname?
My name is Janelle. My friends call me Nelly.
How did it happen that you ended up playing fighting games?
Back in 2005, my boyfriend at the time left his PS2, along with SC3 at my house. Though my son was very little, we would play a lot. He loved Voldo, Lizardman, and making characters. As he grew up, he continued to play fighting games and eventually started competing. Since I was already stuck taking him to tournaments, I waited for SC6 to come out and decided that I was going to seriously learn the game and compete myself.
Who do you main in SC6 and why?
I have always played Kilik and will always play Kilik. I love his design and am loyal to this character.
What is your opinion regarding SC6?
I love SC6. It’s fun to watch. It’s fun to play. The game will always hold a special place in my heart because of the time I get to spend learning and playing the game with my son.
If you could change one single thing about SC6 what would that be?
#BuffKilik (and the netcode)
What do you consider to be your greatest SC6 achievement and why?
My single biggest achievement so far has been getting signed with LMNY. I don’t have any significant tournament placings just yet. I came in 13th in the SCWB in 2020 and 9th in the 2021 EVO qualifier. I have put in a lot of work and I am a work in progress. It’s been a long road, but I am constantly improving. My day will come. You will just have to wait and see.
Do we know your son? What is his nickname? Who does he play?
My son’s gamer tag is Rooster. He competes in 2D fighting games, and occasionally in SC. Right now, he plays Strive. Some people in our community know him because they’ve seen us together at tournaments. He likes to play Groh and Nightmare.
How is it to be a gamer mom going into a competitive environment where your kid already is competing?
This is actually something that I am still trying to figure out how to manage. Usually, at bigger tournaments, I won’t play, so I can give him my full attention. My favorite thing to do in the world is to watch him compete, therefore I am willing to take a backseat. Some parents watch their kids play football and some parents watch their fighting games.
This past weekend, we both competed at Summer Jam and it was a lot for me. I am still trying to figure out how to balance it. Naturally, I am more invested in him than in me. Our pools worked out to where we got to watch each other’s sets and coach each other between games. I didn’t do so well in my tournament, but he kicked ass so that more than made up for it.
Do you own your son or is he beating you in SC6?
Every single day since the game launched, we play an FT10. I have him learn characters that I struggle with. The game will be out for three years in October and I have only managed to take six sets, so it’s safe to say that he’s owning me. We actually just got done playing. He played Yoshi. The score was 10-4 for him.
We both played in the SC Online Challenge last October. If I had won one more game, I would have had to play him.
How is it to be a woman and mom in the fgc?
Unlike a lot of other females, my experiences in the fgc have all been positive. The community embraced both me and my son when he started competing. Then when I started competing myself, most of the SC community was nothing but supportive and gracious. I was so bad when I started, but I kept showing up and continued to learn and improve. Over time, I believe I managed to earn everyone’s respect as a competitive player.
Thank you for the interview!