“Echo Mom” Sonya “Hasko7” Haskins proves VR and esports can be for everyone.
When Sonya “Hasko7” Haskins is playing Echo Arena, a team-based esport for the Oculus Rift virtual reality (VR) system, she’s an opponent’s worst nightmare. She soars around the virtual hangar-sized stadium, short-circuiting rivals and slinging the disc-shaped puck up the court for fast-breaks — all while laughing maniacally.
Like a game of hockey held in a vacuum tube, Echo Arena from Ready At Dawn Studios involves a range of fast-twitch actions, including goalkeeping, hat tricks and gravity-less body checks — Haskins’ specialty.
But when offline in the real world, Haskins lives a seemingly ordinary life. The devoted mother shuttles her kids around the small town of Johnson City, Tennessee in a battle-worn 15-passenger van. She’s a homeschooler who has cared for more than 100 foster children.
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Sonya Haskins (left) is one of the top ranked enforcers in the VR esport Echo Arena.
Haskins isn’t a stereotypical esports athlete chasing a lucrative career in the gaming industry. She stands out in a world dominated by fast-fingered, millennial males, who comprise around 70 percent of the audience, according to Nielsen Media Research.
She believes the spread of free-form esports like Echo Arena are attracting new types of players.
“It’s amazing how many different kinds of people you can meet playing Echo Arena,” said Haskins. “It doesn’t matter what religion you are or what your background is. It’s just wonderful to fellowship with others in an environment where your goal is simply to win.”
That simplicity is crucial. When playing Echo Arena, the Oculus Rift’s ring-shaped controllers allow natural body movement instead of the traditional method of clicking a mouse. This new active play style is appealing to mainstream audiences who would rather flex their bodies than their keyboards.
VR for Healthy Living
Haskins didn’t start playing VR games for weight loss, but she’s lost more than 40 pounds practicing for competitions. Once she started played Echo Arena, she was hooked. One of the few participants who plays while seated, Haskins pivots on her stool, shaking the controllers as if she’s performing a solo on a massive drum set.
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Source: iQ Intel