This 5th number of the « eSport backstage » is dedicated to Marie-Laure "Kayane" Norindr, semi-professional gamer of fighting video games in the Mad Catz team, with Soul Calibur as her favorite saga. Besides being a gamer she is also an event organizer with in particular the “Kayane Sessions”. She is also co-presenter specialized in eSport in the TV Show « The big debate of Game One, special eSport » with Marc “Marcus” Lacombe.
Thanks to her auto-entrepreneur status (a french law disposition allowing to create easily its own business), she also participates as a professional demonstrator in game shows to play against the public/audience on a stage or stand attributed to her by the companies or organizer that. Finally she promotes frequently of video games at their releases thanks to the excellent relations she has with several editors such as Warner Bros Games with Injustice, launched recently, or also Namco Bandaï Games of whom she is the ambassador of the Soul Calibur saga.
Marie-Laure "Kayane" Norindr (Credit : kayane.fr)
Since she is 8, she “criss-crosses” France and the world to challenge her opponents in versus fighting (remember the good old plane of Street Fighter II which is flying halfway around the world!). During those years she managed to impose her in this almost exclusive man’s world and she brings her woman’s touch by her gamer skills first, and then by relationship qualities and an outstanding communication, so today Kayane’s participation to an event is itself an event!
Profile
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Name: Marie-Laure "Kayane" Norindr Nationality: French City: Paris Age: 21(June 17th, 1991) Studies: INSEEC Business School, Paris (2nd year) eSport activities: - Since 2001: Gamer of fighting games, on the Soul Calibur franchise and less importantly Dead or Alive, first at amateur in the Triade team (from 2001 to 2002), but then as a semi-professional in the French team against All authority (from 2003 to 2011), of the Belgian structure Low Lands Lions (from April 2011 to March 2012) and now the Mad Catz team, her personal sponsor since 2013. - Since February 2010: Organizer of the « Kayane Sessions », events planned about every 2 months which to gather a big number of gamers (around 100 in the actual size) of various fighting games in order to grow the community and encourage the help between gamers (the 15th edition took place the 21th of April at the occasion of the release of « Injustice Gods Among Us ») |
Credit : Carmelo Giordano |
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- Since January 2013: Co-presenter specialized in eSport with Marc "Marcus" Lacombe in the monthly TV show « The Game One special eSport Debate » on the French channel dedicated to video games, Game One. - Occasionally: Ambassador working for the most famous video fighting games editors by assuring the promotion of versus fighting games at their lauching.Links : - Personal website : kayane.fr - Facebook : Kayane.fr - Twitter : @KayaneFR |
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Biography
Once upon a time, a little girl playing video games
Just shortly after stopping drinking from a feeding bottle, the little Kayane with her 4 years old, started to play, not with dolls as the other girls of her age, but to video games, fun and simple as TETRIS, confessing today that back to this time she was « a real boy and did not like dresses ». Around 7 years old she then started playing fighting games with Tekken, Soul Calibur I and Soul Age to copy her older brothers Maxi and Kero, among the best Tekken players at this time, and who were sharing the Champions and vice-champions of France and Europe.
At the beginning, seeing their young sister kicking ass, the two brothers took her under one's wing and taught her the basis at Tekken. But shortly after that, Kayane fell in love with Soul Calibur and Dead or Alive, which were not her brothers’ favorite games. That’s how she started to train alone and to learn in autodidact way the combos by analyzing how the IA of the computer plays. Her two brothers were completely amazed by such precociousness, and feeling a huge potential in their young sister, they started to encourage her to participate to tournaments.
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« Zerg, soooo cute! » |
She was not mature only in fighting games since at 7 she was also playing to Final Fantasy VII or also Valkyrie Profile. She also played Brood War and others real time strategy games. RPG or RTS, she was completely addicted to video games, especially because her brothers gave her this taste for playing even if the universe of those games did not look very adapted to the childhood world. For example, on StarCraft, Kayane told us she loved the Zerg since her younger age even though it is an insectoid disgusting race and scary in appearance. At the contrary, she thought Zergs were « so cute » because her brother explained the game by taking the overlord to moms, and the eggs to babies (« as there are 3 larvae, it mades triplets! », so when she was at 200, the little Kayane was more feeling she has made a big family than a monster army! |
At 7 years old, she attended her first tournament, or almost attended. Indeed, the tournament was organized by Score Games (French video games shops) for the launching of Soul Calibur I. There was an arcade mode on the game, and to be qualified you had to beat all your opponents in a short time, and then go to the Score Games shop to validate it by making this performance again. Despite her brother’s wise advices talking her to take a bad ass as characters as Astaroth who can kill enemy in one shot or kick them out of the ring, Kayane to keep her favorite character, Xianghua, the Chinese sword fighter. The D day she went to the shop but realized a higher time than the one she used to do at home. Indeed her character, even being quick, was not powerful enough to kick off her opponent as fast as required, and in an other hand, it was the first time she experienced stress and pressure. Finally she was not selected for the main tournament.
This first experience really let her a bitter taste because after that, her brother, attempting to cheer her up, proposed her to play against the people there in the shop, so she did it, and worst part, it that she actually beat everybody including the Score Games sales men! Anyway, she left the store, feeling very upset, thinking that she had been selected she would have won the tournament…
Kayane at 9, reading Rurouni Kenshin
(Credit : kayane.fr)
First tournament, first podium and first hentaï manga!
It is at 9, wearing her « beautiful orange coat » (about she feels very ashamed today!) that Marie-Laure attended a first real tournament in October 2001 on Dead or Alive 2. She did not go with one of her brothers but with Johanna, Maxi’s girlfriend who was considering her like her little sister.
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They both went to the organizers to explain them that the small girl wanted to register to the tournament. Those last, thinking it was a joke, did not believe it first, and finally agreed, convinced by Johanna’s arguments. Then they asked Marie-Laure the conventional question « What is your nickname?» She was a bit unprepared because until then she did not have one! While thinking quickly, the first things she got in mind were her two favorite female characters, Kasumi and Ayane at this time, so a mix between both and that’s how her username « Kayane » was born! |
« Kasumi + Ayane = Kayane ! » |
And then it comes the time for the participant call to play the first games. There was a hundred of players, exclusively men, of course older than the 9 years old little girl. When the organizers called her name, she said « yes » with her tinny child voice, there was a huge silence, and everybody turns to look at the girl who was not higher than 1m30. This very impressive moment stayed in her mind, because just after the crowd laugh so loud. Every participant thought they were very lucky to play against this kid because this seemed to be an easy win. Even if she was very upset Kayane took on herself, thinking she has to answer them not with words, but with results…
Here comes the first game, she won easily, and the first reaction of the others players was to say that she was cheating, or got lucky. And then it comes the second opponent and not any random guy since Kayane considers him as the most outstanding in her whole career up to now. The guy in question was wearing sunglasses, came with his buddy’s crew cheering for him, he was very cocky « like in a movie », and although he was asian as Kayane, he did not respect her at all. So he sat very relax on his chair like he was watching a movie, and then asked her « Is it ok? Do you know how to play? Do you want me to let you the first round? », Kayane answered him « No, it’s ok, you can play hard », and he was conclusing the chat by « Well, I would warned you! », before adding when the round was starting « I will let you hit me anyhow ».
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« Pan, Kayane as a child? » |
Deadly mistake because on Dead Or Alive, if the opponent is launched in the air, it is possible to chain combos about a fifteen of hits before his enemy finally could fall on the ground. Seeing he was not on the ground anymore, the guy stopped the game and asked Kayane « Are you really playing here? » and she answered « Actually yeah! Is it ok, could you start the game? ». The game continued and of course Kayane won. Her opponent removed his glasses and put his hands on his face to hide his shame. And that’s when Kayane told herself « I have a role to play in this macho world, even if they are not all like that, some of them need to be put in the right way by proving them girls and kids can be as good as them! ». This fury of beating never left her. The competition continued. Kayane got a series of wins until the final when she finally was defeated by a player who become since her friend. For her first tournament she took the second place: a 9 years old little girl, France vice-champion, who could believe that? No way, but Kayane is beating male opponent since this moment, men who are several times her age, height and weight just like Pan, the granddaughter of Son Goku during the world arts martial (« Tenkaichi Budokai » in japanese) in Dragon Ball! For the record, among the rewards she got at this occasion, organizers were pretty embarrassed because there were also… hentaï mangas! |
Kayane will try several fighting video games with each time as favorite characters « female characters, fast and agile, asian as me, real heroines, girls who know how to fight » : Xianghua and Viola on Soul Calibur, Chun-Li on Street Fighter, Lili and Alisa on Tekken, Ayane and Kokoro on Dead or Alive. She explains choosing this character profile because they look like her and she can identify to them. That’s how she goes completely into the game universe and becomes completely addict because this passion is the origin of her motivation. By the way when a beginner asked her how to choose his/her game to start, she answers that « first you have to play games you like and not taking the first one you saw because it is competitive, especially if you consider to play at high level because you will need to be motivated and passionate by the game you chose! ».
Falling in love with Soul Calibur, and awarded by the Guinness World Records
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Her first France vice-champion title acquired in 2001 on Dead or Alive 2 is the first of a long story still going 12 years later! In 2002 she joined La Triade team with Le Temple as rival team and she stood out as one of the best Soul Calibur French player. Kayane explains her particular attraction for Soul Calibur first because of this game universe: she felt in love with this medieval ambiance, epic musics, characters with their own behavior, and this story which links each character to the others. She also loved all the game modes which allowed her to personalize the game. That’s how she spent hours to watch over and over the introduction trailer with different settings for Voldo clothes of Sophitia hair cut, or also admire the gallery pics of characters. She discovered in this game her favorite character Xianghua she really likes because « she is an Asian as me, it is myself materialization ». The Soul Calibur community also played in her attachment to the game but later, it is first the global aspect of the game which seduces her. Later she meet the community via tournaments and forum, and it makes her more addict to the game, moreover, it is the first community which welcomes her as a real member. Her brothers advised her, drived her to sessions so she could train, understand the game, and make herself known. She could meet some people in real life, people that up to now were only aka and that made her want to keep playing and progress. |
Xianghua, favorite character of Kayane |
Kayane went through her teenager at the rhythm of weekly training (2 to 3 hours a day) and tournaments during the week-end (twice a month to stay in shape!). She is making her a huge winning record like this, with among the results some very prestigious:
- France vice-champion on Dead or Alive 2, at 9 years old
- France vice-champion on Soul Calibur I, at 10 years old
- France vice-champion on Soul Calibur II, at 12 years old
4th (on 128 participants) at the Soul Calibur World Cup, at 12 years old
- France vice-champion on Soul Calibur III, at 16 years old
- 4th at the Gnouz Ranking on Soul Calibur IV, at 18
- 9th at the world Soul Calibur IV tournament during the 2009 EVO in Las Vegas
- 9th at the 2010 WCG on Soul Calibur IV in Cannes
- World champion at the female tournament on Super Street Fighter IV during the 2010 EVO in Las Vegas
- Vice Champion on Soul Calibur IV during the MLG Spring Championship 2012 in Los Angeles
Kayane, winner of the EVO World Female Tournament SSFIV, 2010 (Credit : Kinedo)
But be aware, the young girl did not lose her mind and always knew how to keep her cool by taking her studies very seriously. It was something very important for her parents, who were quite worried and severe about this, because at their arrival in France they had to manage by themselves without having a chance to follow long studies. She explains that in her experience there is kind of virtuous circle between gaming and studies. Indeed as she really wanted to play, she was working a lot to get good marks and so have time to give herself over to her gaming passion. And the fact she was attended tournaments helped her to deal with stress and getting more confident so she did not fell any pressure and was very serene regarding her exams even for the high school degree (called “baccaulauréat” in France) she got with honors.
At school she was almost never speaking about her video games passion to her friends, she was scared to be misunderstood; it was her “secret garden”. Next and it is still the case today, her class mates are learning about her gamer side when they are seeing her on TV. Exposed, she has to agree and is suddenly besieged with questions, sometimes bit sillies like « Is it tiring for your thumbs? ».
Next, it changed in the sense she was ok to accept her passion by saying she was a pro gamer when we asked her what she was doing in life besides school. It b began t high school and she started to share her passion with the others, and more over in college, especially in business school. Some of her class mates did not like her to speak about it, blaming her: « It is not Kayane.fr here! ». Some others at the contrary took her defense by cheering her to keep talking about it, saying they were proud about her success, they found it was awesome she could live fully her passion, and she should not pay attention to sarcasms of jealous people in her class…
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Kayane's Guinness World Records Certificate |
During her semi-professional gamer career, she knew several teams: - The Belgian structure Low Land Lions (from April 2011 to November 2011) - eLive Pro (from November 2011 to March 2012) - and currently in the Mad Catz team, her personal sponsor since 2013 |
A true eSport ambassador in France and a formidable businesswoman
The Kayane’s popularity quickly reaches peaks by building up a reputation of fierce competitor with a solid mind. We have to admit that a nine years old kid who manages to impose herself in a man’s world as fighting video games where you can count on your fingers women, it is not unnoticed. The words used are very strong since we are now speaking about a “Kayane’s phenomena”.
At her beginnings, around the age of 10, she explained that she had been undergone this fulgurate even violent exposure, which was something very new for her, especially since she was not prepared for it. At the Japan Expo she was kind of an « attraction » with what she called the « Kayane’s challenge » and she confessed she was not really prepared for that at the beginning
Over the years she finally adapted to this environment, not hostile, but intimidating, and she started to act from her own, not to become an attraction but to be attractive in order to unite people around her and her eSport passion. In 2010 she launches herself into the organization of her own events the « Kayane Sessions ».
Those events are organized almost every 2 months. At the beginning, the first edition gathered around 50 players at the cybercafé Milk Opera in Paris. Nowadays, in the actual form, it is over a hundred player who come together to play to several fighting games. It a very friendly atmosphere which is privileged and as it is not a tournament, it allows players to help each other. Plus, there are more casual gamers at this events compared to tournaments, than competitors. It can also help competitors to train before tournaments and casual gamers to spend a good and fun time to play to their favorite games with the community. The 15th edition took place the 21st of April at the launching of « Injustice Gods Among Us » at the « Dernier bar avant la Fin du Monde » (bar called « Last bar before the End of the World ») in Paris.
Participants to the Kayane Session XV (Credit : Kayane's Facebook)
Since over a decade Kayane is going through France and the world to attend numerous events: eSport tournaments, professional salons, cultural events. If she often participates as a gamer, she also has more than one string to her bow: shoutcaster, presenter or guest. Since the beginning of the year she attended to the Cap Arena at Capelle-la-Grande in last May, to Polymanga 2013 at Montreux (Switerzland) at the end of March, to the 2013 Pax East at Boston (MA, USA) and also to the Mad Catz Unveiled Party (a private party hosted by Mad Catz) in the USA or also Paris Manga 2013 at Versailles (France) last February where she was competing against volunteers in the crowd, blind without looking at the screen!
Kayane fighting a crowd candidate, blind, Paris Manga 2013.
She is also very contacted by several media, including general medias. That’s how she granted many interviews from comicsblog.fr to Le Point.fr (a French general newspaper) and also by the French community MadmoiZerg. Moreover, she is also frequently invited in radio shows as on NRJ, Le Mouv’ or the Late Late Boudoir Gambetta where Alvin and Chloé hosted her on the 1st of February, and also in TV shows as in the « Nouvelle Edition » or the « Journal Du Jeux Vidéo » (French TV shows on video games) where Frédéric Moulin received her from the launching of Injustice in Bonnka Lim’s company, the Warner Bros Games represent, or also at the « Fat Show » on Enorme TV (a French channel) presented by McFly and Carlito.
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Kayane with Mc Fly and Carlito |
Kayane with Fred Moulin |
Thanks to her good availability and thanks to her communication skills, Kayane knew how to create many contacts among major eSport personalities she met during her career. That’s how she becomes today the natural and favor for event organizers, manufacturers, informatics suppliers, video games editors and more specifically fighting video games producers such as que Katsuhiro Harada (Tekken), Hisaharu Tago, Daishi Odashima (Soul Calibur), Yohei Shimbori and Yosuke Hayashi (Dead or Alive).
The icing of the cake, her complete devotion to the Soul Calibur franchise which drives the game editor Namco Bandaï Games – to add a character named « Kayane » in Soul Calibur IV Broken Destiny and in Soul Calibur V. For the launching of the last opus at the beginning of 2012, she finally became the French muse of the saga, when her image was used with the Scud’s one, big Soul Calibur IV champion, in the press and internet campaign and by her participation to the launching party.
Something nice to know is that the producer, Daishi Odashima, made her a surprise by naming one of Soul Calibur IV Broken Destine, Kayane, at this time Kayane did not own the PSP and learnt about this by other players. She did not believe it first, and when she got the screenshot she was totally hallucinated and almost crying when she saw her name appeared on the game she loved for 10 years. Her first reaction was to send them an email to thanks them.
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French official advertisement for Soul Calibur V |
For the story, it was not completely by chance because Kayane already met the game producer several years ago, when Daishi Odashima came with a japanese gamer group to France for a Soul Calibur tournament. At this occasion, Kayane and he played against each other (mirror game Xianghua vs. Kayane won on the score 5-1 and the Japanese stayed shocked by the girl level. After the game, he asked her many questions (thanks to his translator) and also proposed to teach her many Japan techniques. Kayane was also charmed by him, both senses: « I was 10 and it was the first time I saw a Japanese man. I was fan of japan animation, so it was for me like a crush from a little girl. » Unfortunately, he left suddenly without telling, and she did not think she will see him until this day when she was offered this gift and found out he was working at Namco Bandaï on Soul Calibur IV.
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Then he became Soul Calibur V producer and offered her another huge gift for their reunion at an event organized in London for the release of the game in Europe. The gift was a Xianghua and her daughter Leisha artwork made by the official illustrator, the only and original copy. He gave her at the end of the interview and Kayane was so surprised she could not contain her emotion and started crying in front of the producer, who was very embarrassed, japanese modesty oblige.
But the young woman activities in the eSport do not stop here. Since January she is also working as a specialized animatrice in the eSport TV show entitled “Le débat de Game One spécial eSport” proposed and presented by Marus on the French channel specialized on video games, Game One. In this show Marcus and Kayane hosted four personalities of the eSport world to talk about a specific topic. The last show for example was dealing with the place of women in eSport. The first season just ended and a second one is already planned to start in next September.
Spank, Samy Ouerfelli, Kayane, Marcus, Llewellys et Gen1us in the Game One eSport debate:”How to become a professional gamer?”
Far from resting, Marie-Laure is pursuing her studies in business school and she is always challenging herself with new eSport projects. Of course, she will continue to organize her own events, the “Kayane Sessions” every 2 months, hoping to find new partners and sponsors to help the project growing.
In the next months, Kayane schedule will be overbooked with a lot of animations planned in video games events, whether in France or abroad. After Monaco, Boston (USA) and Montreux (Switzerland) at the beginning of the year, the next destinations of this infatigable globe-trotter (thanks god she love travelling!) until September are the following: Las Vegas (USA) for the E3 and with the Comic Con beside of the EVO, Saint-Martin (The Carribean), Tokyo (Japan) and Cologne (Germany) for the GamesCom. Well, she has a lot to do!
When we ask her about her long term future, Kayane answers she does not like too much to project in the time, but she hopes she will still be a professional gamer for at least a big decade, adding on a joking tone, “if I manage to hide my age, but asiat’ always look so young!”, then to continue working in the events as long as she can. And if she beats our national Jeanne Calment (french oldest person!) by her longevity and sees herself awarded with the world eldest by the Guinness World Records? Do,not laugh crazy people; do not underestimate her, ever, and always keep in mind that impossible is not Kayane!
Trivia
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« Kayane, le Pro Gaming au féminin ! » |
- The origine of her nickname « Kayane » comes from the fusion of her two favorite female characters from the fight game Dead or Alive « Kasumi » et « Ayane ». - She participated to her first video games tournament at 9 years old when she became the France vice-champion on Dead or Alive 2. - In 2012 she was awarded with the world female record of the podiums in fighting video games by the Guinness World Records, with 42 podiums for over 80 tournaments! In 2013, she has not received yet the official certificate but she should establish a new record with 48 top 3! - She speaks perfectly english and is learning Japanese to become fluent.- On the sweet point of view, her weaknesses are the candies such as Kit Kat, Maltesers, Kinder, and Bubble Tea. - She is fan of entertainements: mangas and animés (Elfen Lied, Death Note, Fate Stay Night, Hajime no Ippo), dramas (Hana Yori Dango, My boss my hero), TV shows (Game of Thrones, Desperate Housewives) and movies (fantasy, SF, horror, drama and thriller) - She started to learn piano on the late, but is now playing almost every days. For now, she plays At Zanarkand (FFX), Aria di Mezzo Carattere (FFVI) and Lilium (Elfen Lied). Aeris theme is in learning process! |
