Tell us a little bit about yourselves, where are you from, how long have you been playing DOA4 and what are some other hobbies of yours?

Samantha: I've been playing DOA for quite a while but not for as long as I've actually been gaming! However for quite a while now DOA has been the main stay game that I play over everything else. I enjoy sports and I have a black belt in karate and used to swim competitively. When I'm not gaming or out at the gym or playing a sport, I enjoy doodling and reading.

Mingzhi: I'm based in London and have been playing DOA sice the first version of DOA2 came out which is about 6-7 years ago. I have a lot of hobbies: playing basketball, travelling to different cities and countries and having a drink with my friends.

Think you can beat her?

You tell someone that you're a professional gamer, what is the first question that you're asked in return?

Samantha: Generally it's who got me into gaming. Simple answer being my family and having a competitive brother who I used to play against a lot when I was younger. I hated losing to him, so I practiced and got better!

Mingzhi: "Wow, that's cool. Getting paid to do what you want. Your thumb muscle must be very strong. How much do you get paid?/Do you wanna have a drink together later?"
 
How do you feel the general public in the UK respond to pro-gamers? 4Kings has long established themselves as a premium organization, do you feel Salvo is at the level or at the very least become something like that?

Samantha: I think it's definitely along those lines. Gaming is getting bigger and bigger all the time here in the UK which I think is good news! Salvo is quickly establishing itself as a pro team and as many have now noticed, Salvo is no longer the underdog.

Mingzhi: Most of them are supporting us, others have a little bit of doubt but people are accepting this very fast because of TV and internet. 4Kings is absolutely brilliant and I know one of their sponsored DOA player quite 4Kings to join the London Mint CGS team. Our Salvo community is growing very fast since we placed 3rd in the world finals, please check our fans' response on www.briminghamsalvo.com I personally received a lot of fan letters and messages from other people in the gaming community, too.

Describe how your manager interacts with your practice and preparation for matches.

Samantha: Michael makes sure that we're prepared for any situation and tries to replicate situations so that we can get used to playing in them. He makes us play when we're tired, or when we haven't warmed up to see how we react and to get used to playing like it.

Mingzhi: Luckily our manager Odee has a lot of experiences since he's a pro gamer for many many years, he can give us some real advices before the actual match and tell us exactly what we need to achieve for the whole team to win. As for practice, I did most of my practices by myself orith my training partners.

What has been your greatest challenge in playing competitively?

Samantha: Definitely playing against Kasumi Chan who is in my eyes certainly one of the very top DOA4 females in the world. Outside of that though it's been getting my nerves under check!

Mingzhi: I have to say it's fighting with myself mentally. I have to past some psychological barriers to keep winning. Do I believe myself enough? Can I handle the stress for my team and on stage? Can I beat this person? Etc etc.