A certain Dignitas Smash Professional, Joey 'Lucky' Aldama, who is known for his fast, flashy Super Smash Brothers Melee play, has been competing under Dignitas since January 2018 and playing Melee for going on 12 years. His girlfriend, Cathy'GummyOctopus' has also been a member of the Melee community for just as long, and can be found frequently streaming late night on Twitch, hunting for shiny Pokémon, and playing a variety of other games. We got the opportunity to ask her a couple questions about what it's like to be in a relationship with a pro player like Lucky, as well as how she got into gaming.

You’re the girlfriend of a pro gamer but you’re quite the gamer yourself, right? Please tell us how you got into gaming and how you ended up streaming.

Cathy: I've been playing video games since I was 5 years old. I was fortunate enough that my parents decided to buy me my first console for my birthday, which was the Sega Genesis. Ever since that day I was hooked on video games, and I had cousins who were into video games too. We spent a lot of summers together just playing every console or handheld. As for streaming, I found out about Twitch four years ago-ish, and after one year of watching a handful of different broadcasters I decided I wanted to give it a shot. I was very inspired by one particular streamer named Wittzgirl (name changed to Renae now) and wanted to form my own community that loved/shared passion with the same games I loved.

How did you and Lucky meet? Did the romance start online or offline?

Cathy: The romance definitely started offline haha. We met late 2007 at a Melee tournament called UCLA Monthly IV: The Return. Our friendship didn't develop until 2008 though and at the time I was dating another Smash player. Throughout 2008 we ended up speaking to each other a lot through AOL instant messenger, attending the same tournaments, which lead to us finding out we had a lot in common!

Since you’re a gamer, do you find it an attractive feature that he’s very skilled at games and competes at the highest level? Does it matter at all?

Cathy: I actually have always found it attractive ever since we first dated haha.

What other good qualities do you find attractive about Lucky?

Cathy: His positive spirit has always lifted me up. He helps balance my not so positive spirit times and is always there for me when I need him. He cares a lot for the people he loves and it shows. Another good quality is how hard working he is when it comes to his passions or goals. Plus he makes me laugh all the time which is a huge bonus.

A pro gamer has a busy life at times: daily practice, frequent tournaments, hours behind their console. How has Lucky’s pro gaming career impacted your life?

Cathy: Oh man, at times it gets pretty rough with communication and the busy schedule. I would say I'm way more used to it now, but when it really started to pick up with things it was a bit on the frustrating side. Thankfully we got through it and I'm grateful that we both learned how to handle the busy life, more or less. After ten years, you end up having way more patience then you think!

Lucky has mentioned before online about how supportive/helpful you are with him at tournaments. How often do you go to tournaments with him and what do you do at these events?

Cathy: Sadly, I can't go to a good chunk of the tournaments due to my job, but when I do I'm so thankful to be there to help him when I can. I'm usually with him at local tournaments no problem and majors I can only go so often. I tend to remind him about some match-ups, whether it's tips/experiences that I remembered, and make sure to breathe during matches. It's really important to be super supportive of their matches and to understand what the player is going through. It's not always easy at first but after some time I have a bit of knowledge on what is going through his head after a match. I also just make sure he has water, snacks, and other important things during his long day.

What has been your best/most memorable tournament experience and why?

Cathy: Oh, that is hard after 10 years of them haha. I would say Joey getting into top 8 at Genesis 5 was really exciting. Words couldn't explain how proud I was of him.

When Lucky goes away for a tournament, how do you feel about him leaving? Do you watch his matches and cheer him on from afar?

Cathy: I am fine with him leaving to tournaments. I understand it's his passion to do this for a living, and I want to be supportive as much as I can. It gets hard during the summer when it's so busy with tournaments, but streaming has helped a lot with the busy months. I do watch his matches at my house (or while I'm out with the parents) and I'm always popping off when he wins his match.

How do both of your families feel about his career and both of your passions for gaming? Did any of them ever come to an event with either of you?

Cathy: Our parents are supportive of his career, and passion for gaming. Sometimes I have to realize that I'm lucky to have such supportive parents about our passions. My parents have not gone to an event, but Lucky's mom just recently attend The Mango.

You both stream a bunch on Twitch, how do you guys balance streaming into your lives? Do you stream at the same time, have schedules for hanging out, etc?

Cathy: This can get tricky to be honest. Sometimes, I don't know how I balance streaming into my life because I work a full time job, go to the gym, have a relationship, and stream. We don't stream at the same time usually, unless Lucky decides to stream late at night like I do. I have always been a late night streamer due to my schedule. Honestly we usually only hang out during the weekends due to our distance, but we make enough time for hanging out! Rare occasions we stream together during our hang out days and play some fun games.

How often would you say you go out in real life to do something together? Do you perhaps have any hobbies together?

Cathy: We actually go out a lot believe it or not. Whether it's going to see a movie, walk around Disneyland, go to the gym, eat delicious Japanese food in Little Tokyo, visit breweries, etc. One major hobby we enjoy together is drinking craft beer at different breweries in SoCal. I may have also got him into being a big fan of Disneyland, so we make it a thing to go at least once a month haha.

What do you think is the main difference between a gamers' relationship and a normal relationship (if any)?

Cathy: I don't find a whole lot of difference between the two, but I know patience and understanding is a huge part in a gamer relationship... especially if they are a pro. The distance and traveling can feel like a lot, and that puts a lot of stress on the relationship overall. But in general, I think we balance a lot of gaming and normal things in our relationship, which is perfect for me.

Where do you see you both a year from now?

Cathy: Hopefully living together finally and working even harder on our goals/passions.

Any shout-outs you want to give?

Cathy: My parents for being supportive of our lives and always being caring to me. Super shout-outs to Dignitas for giving Lucky a chance to prove how awesome he is to everyone, and to my Twitch Team 'Twitch Treehouse' for being like a small family to me. Lastly to my stream community for being amazing, and supportive with everything I do. :)

Follow Cathy on Twitter @GummyOctopus for her latest updates. You can catch her streaming Pokémon and other various games at twitch.tv/gummyoctopus.

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