After securing victory at last month’s Super Girl Gamer Pro tournament, Stefanie “Stefanie” Jones sat down with Micahel Kelly to discuss her journey towards becoming a pro gamer, Dignitas’ recent triumphs, as well as look ahead towards this week’s upcoming Game Changers event.

For those of you who don't know you yet, please tell us a bit about yourself and how you ended up joining the Dignitas VALORANT lineup?

Stefanie: Well I actually came from Fortnite and I used to play on a controller, so VALORANT is really my first real FPS game. I started playing VALORANT for fun because Fortnite started to get really boring and I just wanted to try playing a game with a mouse and keyboard. I started to grind ranked VALORANT and the word got out that I was pretty good. Then, I tweeted out that I was looking for a team, and within two days I was trying out and starting for Dignitas. I got lucky — really lucky.

What inspired you to jump into the professional gaming scene?

Stefanie: Pro gaming kind of just came to me. It helped that I’m a really fast learner. I picked up the strats really easily and I was naturally able to aim with the mouse and keyboard.

Why did you pick VALORANT as the game you would go professional in?

Stefanie: I like the abilities and how they make the game different from most FPS titles. I like how you can build a comp that utilizes different abilities and play around them. They make VALORANT stand out and honestly, make it more fun.

What’s it like playing alongside so many experienced players from the FPS scene such as Emuhleet and Showliana? How have they helped you learn and grow as a player yourself?

Stefanie: Oh my gosh, they teach me SO much. They came from CS:GO, so they’re pretty well-experienced in the genre. I learn every day from them because they’re literally insane at this game. It’s such a blessing to play with them because I learn something new every day and I can feel myself getting better just by playing with them. They have all the experience. I’m literally so new to FPS, but thanks to them, we’re pretty up there now.

What have they helped you to learn and perfect, specifically?

Stefanie: I’ve only known my teammates for two months, but they’ve helped me break down specific strategies and how to execute elements of the game so much better. They’ve taught me how to do certain things and where to go specifically. Before I played with Dignitas, I thought VALORANT was all about the free-for-all, play-for-picks kind of style, but here, we have strats for every possible situation.

Dignitas is presenting another Game Changers event with 32 representatives competing. What can a huge tournament like that do for the scene as a whole?

Stefanie: I think it’s good there are so many teams who are getting out there more and more. With each tournament, the prize pool gets bigger and the teams get more noticed. If a team like ours is involved — which has a pretty big following to begin with — everyone else involved will probably gain some sort of following, as well.

From a more competitive standpoint, how does your team prepare for events like these?

Stefanie: We’re going over our VODs every day and we’re scrimming together a lot more. We also have a performance coach who is helping us with our mental focus. He helps us with our breathing techniques and things to do in between rounds as well. His techniques help us to reset mentally whenever we need to.

You helped the team secure its first tournament victory at the SGGP Championships last month. What do you think it’s going to take to keep that momentum going and continue to rack up those tournament wins?

Stefanie: I think we have what it takes to win again. We’re very hard-working so all we have to do is just stay on top of our comms and keep ourselves from getting tilted. I think we can win any tournament as long as we don’t lose momentum. I just think that the high energy that we have really helps. We’re all positive players and I think we have what it takes to overcome any obstacles.

As the newcomer to the team, what are your expectations and goals for Dignitas throughout the second half of 2021?

Stefanie: I’m just the duelist for the team, so I just want to do what I know I can do best. I want to be the best entry player that I can. I want to get the first pick every round, and I want my teammates to be able to count on me to make room for them. My goal is to never stop and continue to get better and better alongside my teammates.

Make sure to follow Stefanie on social media!

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