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Interview With Mirna 'athxna' Nour - Girlfriend of Bradley 'ANDROID' Fodor
Mirna 'athxna' Nour is the girlfriend of professional CSGO player Bradley 'ANDROID' Fodor. She is also active in the CS scene herself as a player (for Hooked Esports), host, and event organizer. I sat down to chat with her about what it's like dating a professional gamer, how their families view their life choices, and what their goals are for the future. It was a pleasure speaking with her, and I wish both her and Brad the best of luck for the future.
(Mirna cheering for Brad at DreamHack Atlanta)
For those that don’t know, how did you and Brad (ANDROID) meet?
Mirna: I've known him for four/five years now through working events. The first LAN we both attended was EGLX 2014. Ever since then I saw him at most of the local LANs, and naturally we became close and went out for dinner with friends, etc. It's funny because we both admitted we had crushes on each other when we weren't involved in any other relationship - but we didn't start dating until February last year.
What were some initial qualities that you found attractive about him?
Mirna: One thing I noticed about Brad was that he was always caring at events - not necessarily only towards me, but always trying to help out staff any way he can, as well as being understanding when it came to technical problems/delays that came about during tournaments. His patience and kindness made me grow fond of him, so naturally, while I worked, I gravitated towards him during down times and found that we have the same sense of humor! Also, let’s not forget about that handsome face...
When you aren’t watching or spending time with Brad, what things do you personally enjoy doing?
Mirna: Playing, watching, and reading about CS takes up a lot of my free time.... I mean, A LOT. I have practice with my own team at night and love to watch CS during the slow days at home (I'm pretty sure the first thing I do when I wake up is go on the CSGO subreddit). On days I feel like having a less intense gaming night, I usually fall back to League of Legends or Overwatch for some casual games. With that said, I have a slightly smaller passion for cooking, kickboxing, and making art.
You’re also into the CSGO scene – as a player, manager, event organizer, and host. What got you into all of this and what are your personal goals within the CS scene for the future?
Mirna: My older brothers first introduced me to 1.6 when I was only 8 years old - and once I got my own laptop at 10, I pretty much only used it to have fun in deathrun or KZ modded servers. The start of my competitive drive came a year later, when the IEM 2008 Global Challenge (Or ESL Extreme masters? I don't recall the name) came to Dubai, and I got to watch professional players compete live. I think, that day, I immediately went home afterwards and searched "scrims" in the 1.6 community browser bar. Not much happened in Dubai after that - and if any LANs did pop up, I usually just gathered some friends and went to compete for fun. Once I moved to Canada, I wanted to get to know people in the local CS scene, thus came my attendance at local LANs where I eventually started to cast/tournament organize.
Much like other females in the scene, my goal for the future is being on a female/mixed team which can compete at the highest level of CS and qualify for some of the larger scale tournaments and really make a name for females in the gaming community. Some other goals I have are to start streaming and to introduce more females into the CS community by possibly getting an NA Pro female league, and just overall being an advocate for equality in esports.
Do you have any events coming up that you’ll be taking part in any way?
Mirna: I'll be casting the LANETS BYOC CS:GO tournament on Feb 8th - 10th!
What are some events that you’ve been able to attend to watch Brad play in and do you have a favorite?
Mirna: I've worked at most of the events Brad has played at in NA, so most of the time I don't get to watch as much as I'd like - but my favorite would definitely be CS Summit since i was visiting as a spectator and had a really chill time, as well as going out and about in LA once Brad had free time.
What were your thoughts on the recent events that happened with him and compLexity?
Mirna: Obviously as someone who loves and cares about Brad, it was initially upsetting for me to hear the news especially as it was during the holidays. That being said, I feel like compLexity gave him a good run for the two and a half years he was part of that organization - and I am excited to see what the future has in store for him.
What are your hopes for Brad’s gaming/CSGO future?
Mirna: I am hoping Brad finds himself a team which can bring out the best of his abilities and really push him to become the best player he can be. He works hard and absorbs all criticism with an open mind, so I've seen the improvement in his gameplay over the past couple of years and know he can really shine in a progressive and open-minded team.
Are your families supportive of your passion for gaming?
Mirna: I come from a Middle Eastern background where women stereotypes were pretty much set in stone while growing up, hence my parents never really approved of me spending hours a day playing games, let alone competing in LANs. They started to come around once they realized my passion for gaming, and that I would do everything in my power to balance my grades, physical activity, and socializing with gaming. They never really fully understood how or why I do what I do until I moved to Canada at the age of 17, and immediately made a name for myself within the local community as a caster/tournament organizer. Once I joined the female team Silhouette and began to travel and compete at tournaments - as well as practice every night - they finally realized that it was something I was really passionate about, and that I could, if I worked hard enough, have a future in this field.
As for Brad, his family is super supportive of him - they're the only people I can say are truly Brad's #1 fans. His parents @FodorLisa and @FodorSteve are wonderful and have attended many of his LANs to spectate as well as provide support at home.
Being in the professional gaming scene can lead to busy schedules due to tournaments, practicing, etc. Do you find it challenging to find time together?
Mirna: At the beginning it was really hard for me to get used to since we had to spend our first few months of getting to know each other talking over video chat. I found myself wanting to sit at my PC all day waiting for him to be done with practice, and by the time he was I would have my own team practice. The first time I visited him whilst he was in the US was a wake up call that even though I wanted to be able to see him whenever, it was pretty much impossible unless he had time off. Eventually, we made it work really well by coordinating our schedules. We spent nights playing games together and watching shows/movies online - and when he wasn't busy traveling to tournaments, I would go visit him for a week or two, even if he had practice during the day. It wasn't until recently that I went to tournaments to spectate him while playing, which made me really proud and happy, and knew that the distance is worth it.
You tweeted that one of your 2019 goals was to annoy Brad every chance you get. What are some things that you do to get under his skin?
Mirna: The thing about Brad is that you can't really annoy him - even if you wanted to you'd have to try really, REALLY hard. The only thing I have that works is singing EXTREMELY off-key. Other than that, I have yet to crack the code. Instead, I find myself getting annoyed at the fact that he doesn't get annoyed at the annoying things I do on purpose. But I still have 11 more months left this year to achieve my 2019 goal...
Where do you hope both of you are a year from now?
Mirna: As long as we're together, I know we'll both be happy wherever we are in our lives. I know for a fact that Brad is going to keep playing CS, so I can only hope his next team will be successful and will keep it that way for as long as possible! As for myself, I hope that in a year I'd have a good enough setup and stream a lot, as well as also working CS events.
As a final, fun question – if you and Brad started your own CSGO team, who else would you fill it with to make your “dream team”?
Mirna: My dream team would be a team I would genuinely enjoy playing and having fun with. Someone I really respect as well as love to play with is FNS, so he would definitely be on the team as the IGL. I'd then fill the other two spots with my teammate Bouchard and let s0m be our designated AWPer. That would be a lot of fun AND content.
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer some questions for us! Is there anyone that you would like to give a shoutout to?
Mirna: Thanks for making such a fun interview! I'd like to give a shoutout to my teammates (they know who they are) as well as my organization @HookedEsports.
Be sure to follow Mirna below!
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