10 replies to this topic

[eRoC]

When I was at the US Open Snowboard contest at Stratton this weekend I met up with the Steel Series Gaming crew and tried out their new gear. They make pretty cool mousepads, laser mice, headsets and keyboards. The mouse I liked, i wouldn't trade it for my MX 518 but it felt pretty smooth which was surprising since laser mice usually feel twitchy to me. The headsets they had to try were really comfortable, with retractable mics, and sounded pretty decent. Best part of all? they had two sick dell XPS laptops and a counter strike 1.6 server set up to a huge plasma screen, so everyone could see. And who should be on hand to challenge the swarm of n00bs surrounding the tent? None other than John "w1zard" Kendter, pro gamer and content manager of esportsea.com, a server network that provides pro and competetive gamers with leagues and matches. As if that wasnt enough, pro snowboarder and avid gamer Tim Humphries stopped by to sign autographs and own some noobs himself. I immediately pushed my way to the front of the line full of azn and emo fag 12 year olds and declared myself next. Soon enough, I was up against the wizard himself in 1.6, with leet prizes just inches away if I could shoot him 3 times. To make a long story short, he rickrolled me 10-1 but I was happy to get that one kill. Tim Humpries, is not only is a sick snowboarder, but also a leet CS gamer. He beat the wizard 10-6 in a hard fought deathmatch, and won the top of the line headset. I begged him to sell it to me for 20 bucks and he said no.
Afterwards, I asked both dudes if they could answer a few questions about gaming, snowboarding, and life in general. they went out of there way to be friendly and even offered a shout out to all of us at Boss-Gamers, which I thought was way cool.

BoSS: So John, how long have you been playing CS, and when did you go pro?
JK: I started playing in middle school in Philly. Some kid came up to me in gym class and said I should check out this game called counter strike, so I did, and started playing it on my dads PC. I really got into it and started playing in leagues, then Cal-Invite, then played professionally for a year and a half for various teams, and now im Content Manager at esportsea.com (ESEA)

BoSS: Why do most pro leagues use CS 1.6 instead of Source? Do you ever play Source?
JK: i play Source for fun, but as far as competive gaming goes its not quite there yet. CS 1.6 has better game dynamics, hit boxes, and a better competetive base of players. You cant aim at the ground and headshot someone in 1.6, generally where you aim is where the shot goes as long as you dont spray. There is more skill required, and so there is a "skill-gap" between everyday players and people who play in matches or leagues.
TH: also with 1.6 there are more skills you learn as you play. Like you can run silently by tapping the crouch key a certain way. You can shoot through more boxes. The rate of fire and spray patterns are generally more accurate.
JK: we actually banned silent running on our servers.
TH: Really? well like John said I play Source for fun but 1.6 is way better for matches.

Boss: So how does an everyday player get mad skillz like you guys?
JK: well, its sounds simple, but practice. But practice the right way. If all you do is try to knife n00bs in pubs you'll never get any better because all you are doing is developing bad habits. Also watch demo's from competitions. Watch how top players work the angles, use teamwork, nades and strategies to win. Remember that pro and competetive gaming is 60% teamwork, so even if you are the best player in the world in a match it comes down to 5 on 5 so if your not on the same page as your team mates you'll get rocked. At the pro level its like an NFL playbook, you call a play and everyone has to do their job. Usually one person gets an AWP and the rest are assault but you constantly change your tactics by what the other team is doing. Also money is important in match play since you start with a pistol round, and if you dont win that round you are at a big disadvantage.

BoSS: Tim how do think snowboarding and gaming are alike?
TH: well most riders are gamers since we're always on the road and in hotels so theres lots of down time. sh*t, Shawn White has his own videogame! But I think Counter Strike and snowboarding are very much the same. I think the way you attack the map, and the creativity of the game itself, whether its your spray, how you use the terrain to your advantage is alot like snowboarding. Plus the competition. Like sometimes you hold back in a match and see what the other team does the first round. Same in boarding, sometimes you see what the other riders are doing and then plan your next trick.

BoSS: So what do you say to the average gamer out there who thinks he's good and wants to go pro? Should they go for it or is it all a bunch of hype?
JK: (laughs) They should definately do it. Its not hype, but its very political as far as getting on a good team. Like I said, you can be the best player in the world but if you are playing CS it all comes down to your team. Gaming opened up all kinds of opportunities for me. If you are a top player on good team you can make 50,000$ a year or more. Its not a fortune but it pays the rent. Now I help run www.esportsea.com which provides a fee based subscription service for gamers who want to play in leagues. Our invite leagues feature $35,000 cash prizes and there are multiple seasons each year. We have the most advanced cheat detection and script locks going. We have a dedicated crew of paid admins and run Lan events every year for playoffs and cash. So whether its a pro career you want, game tester, content provider, programming, what have you, there are a lot of ways to make money from gaming.


picture 1: Tim Humpries launches high above the quarter pipe at Stratton
picture 2: Tim and John pose for a shot at the SteelSeries booth

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[vet.mad hatter]

Nice job eroc...to bad you didn't get any free stuff.You should of did your homework the night before noobie!!!!Awesome job with the interview wish i would of made it!!

[eRoC]

i tried my best to shoot the dude and was amazed i got him even once but i did respectable i hit him at least once or twice most rounds. i was Ok with my performance but ya i was wanting the free gear!!

[AssHattery]

nice man thats cool sh*t i was pissed i didn't get to go this year.... stratton is only about 30 north of here.... us open is the coolest thing that hits southern vt lol not a whole lot going on

[DarkShadow]

cool stuff but honestly everyone and their mother knows source hitboxes suck cocks.

[Jack]

sh*tty hit boxes vs prettier textures

[eRoC]

the open is an awesome event if your close by try to make it next year.

i just got back from the US open after party and contest at timber ridge resort, an old ski are that is now a private snowmobile club. Basically Rome snowboards went to 3 different banks and filled a deposit sack with 3000$ in quarters and gave it to the dude who could hit a nasty quarterpipe after running a gauntlet of beer cans and a ring of fire. The event was sponsored by redbull, oakley, rome snowboards, and iceberg vodka, some cheap ass canadian brand. there was lots of drunken, barely legal snatch running around, open bar, free food and stacks of pabst blue ribbon. if you think im making this up look at these pictures.

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[Shorty Hatter]

thats cool man sounds like you had fun.

[WhiteRabbit]

Maybe I'll show up for the "barely legal snatch" next year, assuming jack doesn't show up and beat me to it.

[Black_Lotus]

Nice! Steel Series is pretty good. I have a mouse pad by them, but I would never trade my g9 gaming mouse for a steel series lol. I loves it too much. P.S. - I'm using one of those sick dell xps 1730's =p

[Duck Secks]

Nice! Steel Series is pretty good. I have a mouse pad by them, but I would never trade my g9 gaming mouse for a steel series lol. I loves it too much. P.S. - I'm using one of those sick dell xps 1730's =p

:/ 1730 I'm on a M1530 it's not bad, but it could be better. Again all I really play is css though.