CPL Winter Event Competitor Interview

CPL competitor SirScoots is gearing up for the forthcoming Winter Event.  In between his busy schedule of being a husband and anticipating the new Lord of the Rings movie, SirScoots trains hard for what could be his journey to glory.  Anxious to know what it’s like to be a professional cyberathlete, GameZone stopped by Mr. Scoots’ gaming pad to ask him a several important questions, including: “Have you ever gone without eating in order to play a game longer?”

by Louis Bedigian

Question: Tell me all about yourself. How old are you and where do you live? What kinds of video games appeal to you the most?

Hello, SirScoots here!  I am 36 years old, married, and have been one of the leaders of Unitary Guerilla Platoon [UGP] for about two years.  UGP is one of the oldest CS clans in North America, we started beta 1 day 1. I reside in Phoenix, Arizona and have been gaming since I got my first console...Atari.  I find myself most attracted to my wife and FPS games.

Q: How did you get involved with the CPL?

SirScoots: UGP attending its first CPL last winter and had an absolute blast.  I am a professional event planner, so to see my hobby cross over into what I do for living is great to see! We finished in the top 32 and actually won some money, which was great.  We also participate in CAL, the online arm of the CPL organization and I hold a position on the Competition Committee for CAL as well.

Q: It must be incredible to know that in just a few weeks you'll be able to show off your incredible gaming skills to the entire world. Is the anticipation killing you?

SirScoots: The excitement is a fever pitch around UGP.  Not sure if that's for CPL or for Two Towers coming out. :)

Q: How have you been preparing yourself for the championship? Once you knew that you were going to be in the CPL, did you start playing games more excessively?

SirScoots: We have been practicing quite a bit...but not excessively.  Anything in excess is bad!

Q: What will you do if you win? Buy a new car? Put a down payment on a house? Go to Disney World?

SirScoots: Well for us that would be a long shot, but if we win any prize money, that money will go into our LAN fund to make the next event we attend less costly for our members.

Q: Have you been involved in any other video game tournaments?

SirScoots: We have competed at several LANS in Texas as well as California and Arizona.

Q: Are you planning on participating in any other CPL events?

SirScoots: Yes, we plan to attend the Summer event as well.

Q: Which game(s) would you like to see in a future CPL Championship?

SirScoots: Has not been created yet. :)

Q: When did you first start playing video games?

SirScoots: See #1...long time ago in the land of Atari.

Q: What would you say helped you improve your skills the most: playing against complete strangers, or playing against your friends and/or teammates?

SirScoots: I have learned and still learn an incredible amount about CS from my

clanmates as well as other members of the community.

Q: As some of the best players in the world, what advice would you give to the many gamers out there who are dying to make it into the CPL?

SirScoots: Look deep inside yourself and decide why you play the game.  If you play to

be around your friends...then do that.  If you play to end up on a top team

winning money, understand that you might be giving up the friends ideal to

win that money.

Q: What kind of a PC do you use at home? Compaq or HP? Intel or Athlon?

SirScoots: I have a fancy Dell...yes DELL!  I lease my machines for the tax write-off,

so therefore I go with pre-built ones with good business customer support.

Could I get it cheaper if I build it myself...yes, could I write it off

monthly like I can a lease...no. :)

NVIDIA or ATI? Stereo or surround-sound speakers? How much ram and how much memory does your PC have?  And what ISP do you use?

SirScoots: NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4600, SB Live, 512mb or ram, 75g hard drive, Pent4 2.53

Ghz, Cox business cable.

Q: I'm right-handed, but after playing a game or surfing the Web for too long, my right index finger tends to get a little sore, so I've learned to mouse around with both hands. What do you do to prevent your hands from being permanently damaged?

SirScoots: I soak my mouse hand in Palmolive like all the big boys do...and MADGE!

Q: As a "slightly" obsessed hardcore gamer, I have to ask you: have you ever gone without eating so that you could play a game longer?

SirScoots: Yes.

Q: Counter-Strike's default settings are good, but I usually like to customize my game's control scheme. What settings do you use?

SirScoots: ADAD...All Default, All Day!

Q: What is your favorite game of all time?

SirScoots: Well based on the amount of time invested...CS.  Remembering some of my funniest moments with buddies playing Intellivision air/sea battle has to rank up there.

Q: Thanks to NVIDIA's incredibly powerful GeForce graphics cards, PC gaming is looking better than ever. What games are you looking forward to playing the most this fall?  Are there any console games that you interested in playing?

SirScoots: Doom III and Planetside for the PC.  I just finished Splinter Cell for Xbox and loved it, so more console games like that for me!

Q: Speaking of which, what do you think of multiplayer gaming on the consoles?

SirScoots: I was a beta tester for Xbox Live and I love the idea of consoles being online.  It does open up a whole new world to those console folks not like us who live online, and also gives those of us that do another outlet to game against real people.

Q: Would you like to develop a game of your own someday?

SirScoots: I lack the skills to do that, but I would love to be part of a development team for one.

Me too.

Thanks for your time, SirScoots!

Check out the interview with the CPL competitor Gary Sanchez
CPL Winter Event Competitor Interview #2

Check out the interview with the CPL President - Angel Munoz
Cyberathlete Professional League makes superstars out of gamers with international PC game competitions