Interview with GamesTM Magazine

[PGL]

Ok guys for any of you guys that have attended some competitive gaming you have a chance to get yourself into a UK based magazine that is doing a story on PGL......... what you need to do is reply to this thread answering the questions and then post a picture of yourself....... thanks guys...

Questions for pros:

- How did you get into gaming and did you realise you had a talent from an early age?

- How did you get into tournament play and could you describe in some detail the most exciting bout you've had to date?

- How much practice do you need to be at the top of your game?

- What's the best thing about being a pro gamer?

- What's the worst thing?

- Do you make a decent living from gaming? Realistically do you think it can be a long-term career?

- Do you have to be psychologically tough to be at the top?

[CheekyMonkey13]

Dan Sherven aka Cheeky
15, Regina SK
GT: CheekyMonkey13




(Picture coming soon)




- I started gaming way back in my pre-school days, playing Mario Kart 64 at my cousins house. I just could never get enough of it, I wasn't even any good at the game and would get worked playing against my cousins and their friends, but that didn't matter, I was having way to much fun.

- Tournament play eh? Well I have always been VERY competitive when it comes to gaming and so it was only natural that I would start trying to play at tournament level. I suppose that it started when me and a few friends would just throw our money in a pool, play a few different games and the winner took it all. (I won every time:p) Then while looking to get my name out there I heard about the world of professional gaming, and what was the biggest game? Halo 2, my game. Now I was never really good at Halo 2, but I watched the pros play with awe, copying their strats and admiring their teamwork.

A few years later I was browsing the internet looking for Halo 3 tournaments (Now that I could actually play) and I stumbled across PGL, the rest is history.

I would say that my favorite series I have ever played would be us VS 4o3 in the Winnipeg Loser's Bracket Finals. Leading up to the game all our teams had been doing was trash talking, scrimming, and trying to get in each others heads. One of our teammates was actually unable to make it to the event and so we picked up a player that had been on 4o3 which just added to the rivalry. Not to mention we were the only two teams with a coach, and our coach just so happened to be a great help to us. You see in the Winners Bracket Quarter-Finals it was us VS 4o3, and we beat them on what we thought to be their best game type, only to lose the next two (we lost 2-1 sending us to the LB) Very discouraged we finished up our gaming for the day and we went for supper. It was here that our coach and one of our teammates (the one 4o3 dropped) realized what we had to do to beat them. (Slayer on The Pit)

So playoff day came and it was The Button Mashers (us) VS 4o3 all over again, and after a very close series we were sitting in the lobby waiting for game 5. Just our luck, it was Slayer on The Pit. Our chance at redemption, and with our new strat we were able to plow through one of PGL's best, 4o3, taking the series 3-2, and causing one of their teammates to put his controller down and another to kill himself in the game, out of frustration. And I've gotta say, after all the months of trash talk that went on between us, nothing could have been more satisfying at that moment then pulling the trigger and hearing, "GAME OVER"

- "Practice beats talent when talent doesn't practice." One of Halos biggest pros once said this and it stuck with me. However, I don't really like the word practice, I mean I just play for the sake of playing, and I'd say that on an average day I play anywhere between 5 to 6 hours a day, with weekends rounding out at around 8-11 hours. (If I'm lucky.) I basically try to get on whenever possible because hey, practice makes perfect.

- You would be amazed at how many girls actually think that pro gaming is somewhat cool. Basically, today I got home, removed my rumble packs out of my controller, played Halo for about three hours, and then got a call from one of the hawtest girls in my school to go hang around. (I didn't hear the first call because I had the sound on my gaming headphones to loud:p) I guess I'm living the dream, eh Kyle? But besides that I mean, I'm playing Halo (something I would be doing anyway) for money, where is the negative? I should also mention how many great people and places you get to visit, a lot of places that I am looking forward to going to to play Halo professionally I've never even been to. And of course, now I can hands down own my cousins.

- The worst thing? Wow, well I guess that I do miss out on quite a bit of school work while I'm gaming, but hey, I always catch up. Other than that I guess the only thing that bothers me is all of the long road trips. (Although those can also be very, very fun.)

- Money REALLY has nothing to do with why I play Halo. I always tell people when they talk about the money, "I would've tried just as hard if there was no money on the line." For me its more about the glory and screaming in the losers face:) As far as the money is though, I would say that I make an alright amount of money off of gaming. (Especially for a high school freshman.) I think that if I am able to keep up with and surpass a lot of my fellow gamers, then I have a shot at this becoming a real career for me. This might sound stupid to you, but there are teams right now that are signed to million dollar contracts + endorsements + prize money. Another example, look at how quickly pro poker has evolved over the last few years. As PGL creator Kyle Gronning often says, "All these guys are making money off of playing poker professionally, why can't that be the same for gamers?"

- If you aren't in one way or another psychologically tough, you will have one insane fight to the top of the gaming world. I mean you can only practice your aim to a certain point, but things like outwitting people and knowing how and when to attack and when to defend you can never really perfect, and this is why games like Halo never seem to get old, because the game is constantly evolving in synchronization with players psychological power. And truth be told, I am really not too great when it comes to aiming in Halo, but my ability to know what other players are going to do before they know it is a big part of my contribution to my team, The Button Mashers, who recently won 2nd at PGL Winnipeg. (And are in need of a sponsor!!!)

[OrnateFilly]

Arlen Speakman
20, Calgary AB (currently in NYC though)
GT: OrnateFilly

- I've always been big into gaming. It all started for me when i played the original Nintendo when I was really young and eventually just moved on with technology to nintendo 64 and eventually to the xbox. I always played a lot with my friends and my older brother, but competition without internet can only go so far. I won a couple of local tournaments in 'golden eye- 007' when the N64 was around. But when i saw previews for xbox, halo, and ghost recon; it blew all of the previous games out of the water. So I made sure I puchased an xbox ASAP. Since ghost recon was the only first person shooter for online games, I played a lot of that to test out my skills. My team played a lot of that competitively and we placed first in North America 2years straight (online tournys). I was probably 15 at the time.

-I got into tournament play when I orginally played Ghost Recon. We had a few online tournaments for playoffs. But it wasnt until halo 3 came out when i actually went to tournaments in person. My first Real life tournament was in March when i heard that the PGL was coming to my home town.

-In order to be at the top of your game its important to get a lot of playing time in. I probably played halo 3 a few hours a day in order to work on my shot, strats and most important- teamwork. The more you can get practicing with your team the better you will get. Practice makes perfect!

- Theres a few perks to being a pro gamer. I honestly dont know what Cheeky monkey is talking about when he said "You would be amazed at how many girls actually think that pro gaming is somewhat cool". I think he's hanging around with some pretty nerdy girls hahaha. But i do think its pretty cool to get to meet in person some of the guys that you play online with all the time. I had a few guys fly up from different parts of the USA for a few tournaments and they all stayed at my house, so that was pretty cool too.

-The worst thing about video games is it can be addicting!! lol.. I need to get my fix in pretty much every other day at the very least.

-I definately dont make enough money to make halo a career. Perhaps if I were sponsored by a company (hint hint), then maybe it would be a career. But for now its just a hobby unless something changes.

-You definately have to be psycologically tough to be at the top. You cant let other players get in your head with trashtalking and you have to stay mentally strong. Especially if your losing a game; its always crucial to stay focused and play smart so that you can come back and win. Often times when teams start to lose they start making stupid decisions which makes the lead even more drastic.

(anyone have a good gaming pic of me from pgl? I'm not on my computer so i dont have any pics... i'll try to find one when i get home)

[K3YGUN]

Keagan Johnson
20, Saskatoon SK
GT: K3YGUN


- I started gaming back when all my friends stopped bmxing because they had gotten their drivers license. It wasn't until i was invited to a Halo 2 release party that i found something to fill the void. I traded in my ps2 and got an xbox with halo the very next day. Within a year i discovered the addicting online gameplay and have been basically playing only this game ever since.

-My competitive playing began back in halo 2. I was on the "pro" team for a clan with 300ish members. The 4 members of that pro team had to defend their position constantly and that kept me motivated to practice. The clan was planning to sponsor us to go to an mlg event to represent and recruit for the clan, but that fell apart in the end. Since then i have just been waiting for something like PGL to provide a challenge that small local events couldn't provide.

Currently I'm on the Button Mashers and we have done very well lately placing 2nd at PGL Winnipeg. The two series against Team 403 at that event are the most memorable so far. The first series we ended up losing in the final game which caused us to drop to the losers bracket. From there we had to fight our way back to the loser bracket final where we had to play 403 again. This time we sent them home in the final game of a best of 5 series and gained 2nd overall.

- I try to put in 4-5 hours a day, but being a full time engineering student does cause me to not play since exams and projects need the priority. Luckily this year i will be working to save money for my final 2 years of a 5 year program.

-The best thing about being a pro gamer is being able to say you have made money playing a video game.

A bunch of us were hanging out and a friend of friend said that he was going to go home and play halo. I told him i played and he dropped a challenge. Instantly my friends, some of which have no interest in halo, started trash talking to him for me. It was hilarious and I ended up destroying him.

-The worst thing is that it eats up a lot of time to practice or even maintain your skill. Even a whole week without playing will cause the game to feel awkward.

Secondly, it costs a lot of money to attend events located throughout Canada. Soon sponsorships will become more common in PGL and the Button Mashers could always use the help.

-Realistically I don't think this would work for my career. The gamers who are talented and yet 5 years younger may have a shot if they continue to put in the time. The quality and quantity of the competition in the halo community is never ending and those few who rise to the top deserve to have long term careers.

-Without a doubt, being psychologically tough is required skill to be at the top of your game. Frustration is your worst enemy. It grows exponentially when you let it shift your focus and cause hesitation. Having one teammate rattled from another's comments can cost you the game.

[SReid]

Name: Spencer Reid
Age: 15
Location: Regina, Saskatchewan
Team: The Button Mashers
GamerTag: PGL SReidy


(picture coming soon)

I first started gaming way back when in the 90's. There was no N64 for me just classic Gameboy, with a copy of Super Mario. I started playing Halo 1 year ago with not Halo 2, but yes Halo CE for the PC I played for hours and hours.

A few months after i bought my Wii. It was a cold October Night, i was bored of my Wii had 500 dollars to burn so i said, hey why not go but an Xbox360 and a copy of Halo 3. Got home put in halo 3 hooked up xbox live and logged in hours and hours within the next couple of months.

I started playing in tourneys when my buddy told me about a league called PGL. we played in the first PGL with Me, Cheeky( One of my current teammates) and 2 guys from school. we shockingly got 5th, expecting close to last. After The Regina Tourney Me and Cheeky Dropped our 2 other Teammates(And Friends:() And we picked up to other guys to get a good team together. We recently placed 2nd in PGL Winnipeg witch we were happy with.

The best moment I've had so far was this year at PGL Winnipeg. We came of a loss against 4o3 the previouse day and then we had a rematch against them in LB Finals. It was an exciting series that was about to go the final game, Game 5. We lost to them in the previouse round in the Final Game with the same game type. Slayer on Pit. We were worried, but i was confident we had it. The most satisfying part of the Game when i saw it was 47-35 for us. so i started to sing." Na Na Na Na, Na Na Na Na, Hey Hey Hey, Good-bye."

The Practice Time needed to be put in is not so much Individual skill but Your Team work and Strats. This can take Weeks to Months of practice. You need to know what your team plan is for every map and gametype. Also needing to know what your indiviual role is on the Team.

The best thing about being a pro gamer Isn't The ammount of money you make, but just being able to go home to My school where i get bashed for playing Halo, because no one else plays Halo. and say," I made money of Halo."

The worst thing about progaming (Well for me atleast.) is having to drive to all of the events. lack of money means cant get a plane ticket, so driving there is only means of transportation. Me only being 15 means i cannot drive till next year. So my wonderful mother put up with driving me the whole 6 hours to and back from Winnipeg.

Making A Living of PGL, No not yet. but in a few years as the League grows and can hook teams up with sponsors i can see people being able to make tons of money off Gaming in PGL.

Being psychologically tough is huge in Gaming if you ever go into a game thinking your going to lose because your a huge underdog, or going in frustrated with your-self or Teammates, you will not win the game. You must be confident with you and your teammates.

We are still looking for a sponsor and any sponsor even a minimal one would be appreciated.