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When Warzone took over the entire gaming community by storm in 2020, as a fan, I came across a streamer called Michelle "TacticalGramma" Statham. Despite her age, the 56-year-old grandmother's skill in Call of Duty left me in awe. Recently, I had the opportunity to interview Michelle "TacticalGramma" Statham, and we had a chance to talk about her journey in the gaming world, the current state of Warzone/MW3, how she perceives playing video games as a profession, and much more.
It was a privilege to talk to her about the gaming world and the games I adore. After several scheduling problems, I finally had the chance to learn what she has to offer in the gaming community, and how she became a professional streamer while competing against much younger people from the current generation.
This interview contains Michelle "TacticalGramma" Statham's perspective of the current gaming industry, all the opportunities it has to offer, her journey, and her views of what Call of Duty is right now.
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TacticalGramma on gaming as a profession, Warzone's current state, and much more
Question 1: How did you start your Call of Duty journey? It would be great if you could share your experience of entering the gaming world.
TacticalGramma: I’ve been gaming for over 50 years now, starting with Pong and Atari. My family loved playing together when I was young. Then I met my husband who also liked to game, so I continued playing pretty much every system over the years including Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, GameCube, Wii, Xbox, Playstation and now I’m on PC.
GoldenEye is the game that got me into first-person shooters. I started playing Call of Duty when the first one came out 21 years ago. As you would imagine, I absolutely love Call of Duty and have played every one that’s come out.
Question 2: It is already quite inspiring for most people. While being older than most content creators in the gaming world, you are so skilled in Call of Duty. What do you want to say to people who think it’s too late to start a career in the gaming world?
TacticalGramma: I really don’t think it’s ever too late to pursue a career in the gaming industry. Many people immediately think of playing games but there are so many things someone can do in this industry. In fact, I’m surrounded by business professionals who are all gamers and work in this industry because they have a passion for gaming. Whether it’s lawyers, public relations, accounting, IT, marketing, HR, you name it, there are so many career opportunities.
There really is no age limit on who can enjoy gaming. Actually, it’s a bit of an equalizer because you may be older like me and unable to play a sport at a high level but you can still compete in games and get that same rush of adrenaline.
Question 3: Should more people come forward and choose gaming as a profession? Or is there a downside to this as well?
TacticalGramma: I wouldn’t really discourage anyone from pursuing gaming but people should know that it’s not as easy as just playing games. In addition to the time you spend gaming, there is a significant amount of work that needs to be done to be successful as a business.
There is also an emotional element to it as you put yourself out there in the public eye. Also, it’s an up-and-down industry with lots of stress and financial uncertainty. I always say “Don’t quit your day job” expecting to immediately make a living as a content creator. It can take a long time to develop and there’s not always stability.
Question 4: If you could share your streaming/gaming routine with the readers, they would be pleased to know that. Besides the streaming part, do you have a specific time to practice?
TacticalGramma: I typically stream Mon-Fri starting in the morning at 9 am PST and usually stopping around 2:30 pm PST which is about 5-6 hours. Sometimes I take a break and play again for 2-3 hours in the evening. I don’t really practice because I stream so much. People often ask how they can get good at it as well and I suggest playing as much as you can. There’s really no substitute for that.
Question 5: What other things are you interested in besides gaming?
TacticalGramma: I play bass guitar and while I like most types of music, some people would be surprised to know how much I listen to hip-hop. I think playing bass has given me a love for music with a strong beat. I also have a 5-year-old granddaughter and a 3-year-old grandson whom I love to spend time with!
Question 6: Coming to the game itself, what do you think of the current state of Warzone and Modern Warfare 3? Compared to Verdansk in Modern Warfare 2019, do you think Activision has done a better job this time, or was it more enjoyable for you back then?
TacticalGramma: When it comes to Call of Duty, I don’t necessarily compare each game to the one before. I kind of accept them how they are and just enjoy each for what it is. Granted, I’m not a competition player but more of an enthusiast who just enjoys playing the game. I absolutely love the Call of Duty series and while some were more enjoyable than others they have all been amazing!
Question 7: If you could change five things about the current state of Warzone, what would that be?
TacticalGramma:
1. It would be awesome if they could eliminate the hackers.
2. Modify some aspects of aim assist for controller players. At times, it provides an advantage for example in smoke, players with aim assist can still eliminate you while an M&K player has no help (although some would say, I have my whole arm to aim which is an advantage lol).
3. It would be nice to have a rotation of the big maps, Verdansk, Al Mazrah, and Urzikstan. I purposely left out Caldera because it was the least popular map.
4. Keep the Resurgence maps available to all squad sizes all the time.
5. Remove the heavy chopper.
Here is a link to Michelle "TacticalGramma" Statham's official channel on YouTube and Twitch.
