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Manuel 'Grubby' Schenkhuizen is one of a very few players that have actually transcended the game they play. He has won every event you could imagine possible for a Warcraft III player and he has shown no signs of even slowing down. Recently Manuel got married to former professional Warcraft III player, Cassandra 'Cassandra' Ng, also known as PPG. Cameron caught up with Manuel a few weeks after the wedding and got to ask him a few questions about his marriage, Starcraft II, the Warcraft III scene and more.

Hi, thank you for taking the time to do this interview. You recently had your wedding, do you feel any different now that you are married?

Almost the same, but I'm testing out starting sentences with "My wife said..." It still sounds a bit weird, but makes me feel incredibly proud saying so :)

What made you guys choose Malaysia, how was your entire trip? 

It was one big faerie tale. Malaysia is beautiful; the hospitality, the nature and the food are three major reasons.

Do you think this event having so few players show up to the NGL ONE finals is a sign of things to come, possibly the death of Warcraft 3?

It's only dead if people keep saying it is. The tournaments are the backbone of the industry. I think that we're seeing that after a moment where it seemed everything is possible, there was a small breakdown. It's good to build up the pieces again from anew, start out realistically again. We see some smaller leagues get more recognition now because there's more appreciation for those leagues now that not everybody takes everything for granted anymore. I feel positive for further development of the game. A patch would be nice, of course, though.

Do you think that after so many years, with so few map changes, that the game has finally stopped evolving?

It hasn't stopped, but it's slowed down a little. I always try to view it from the positive perspective, though. With less general evolution of the game, any deviation that does take place in the play style, is all the more special. I loved HasuObs' games in the EPS finals, and to come to victory in such a way where he's used virtually 10 different strategies in 10 different games with daring build orders, gives me a sense of joy about our game as well.

What in your opinion needs to happen in order to spice things up again?  New maps? New units?

Anything you mentioned would be OK. But it can also just be a rebalancing so that everyone's forced to re-think their strategies.

A few players ended up changing their race over the years, have you ever thought of changing your race to something else?  If you were to change your race, what would it be?

I've thought of it, but since everyone's gotten better now than they were 3 years ago, it's not as easy to learn another favored match-up anymore. I used to be able to beat pro-gamers with Elf vs Human, Undead vs Human etc. Now, I doubt that I could without many months of practice. There's too much specialization.

Have you ever thought about changing games?  Maybe to an FPS, or possibly Starcraft?

Apart from the question of whether I have an ounce of talent for FPS, first and foremost I have to say that it doesn't interest me as much as RTS's and RPG's do. So I wouldn't try to play a game which I don't think is inherently as fun for me. Starcraft II seems very fun, but the future will have to tell.

You have played Starcraft 2, what are your thoughts on it as an E-Sport compared to Warcraft 3?

I really couldn't say, it's not retail yet so nothing's final.

Starcraft 2 has obviously gotten a lot of attention in regards to patches, fixes and balance changes, do you fear this might push Warcraft 3 further into the dark, giving it even less attention from Blizzard?

At first I was a bit afraid of that, but not so much anymore. I think it may even help, because Starcraft II's older brother is Warcraft 3. SC 2 is opening up the genre to a whole new audience, I'm sure, and they may in time be interested in playing or even just watching Warcraft 3 pro games.

Would you change the current balance at all in Warcraft 3?

I would. I'm not sure if I could do as good a job as Blizzard, because they have to take into account all game formats, like 1v1, 2v2 and FFA and so on, like it or not. Keeper used to be mad imba in team play but was underpowered in 1v1. Such considerations take a bit more thought than impulsive decision can reach. But I do think a few things which require change are obvious, both based on statistics and to improve the entertainment value for the general populace.

Starcraft has seen many different players rise to top; however, Warcraft 3 seems to be the same group of guys year in and year out, only changing when someone leaves the scene, rarely if ever, does a new player come to surface.  Why do you think that is?  

Outside of Korea, that's not true. Grandpa White-Ra is still grandpa White-Ra, and if I'm not mistaken, was one of the best SC 1 players outside of Korea. Basically, when the eSports game fails to attract new players in an area, you're going to see the same faces be successful. In Korea, there's constantly new players, but there's also a few that stay on the top for much longer than one or two years. So there will be exceptional players who can survive the tides of the game. Secondly, it's generally just hard to break through to the top. It does happen, but it helps if the environment is conducive to the rise to the top of a newcomer. In Korea, apparently that is just so.

You seem to be the last good player (that consistently places in the top tier of major events) in the Western world, do you feel any sort of pressure to perform better because China and Korea dominate so much of the Warcraft 3 scene?

Not much more pressure than usual, and definitely no less. I believe a lot of the pressure I experience is purely internal anyway, produced by my desire to do well.

In a recent interview with Moon, he mentions that the amount of players is dwindling but the amount of events keeps increasing, would you agree?  Is this a good thing, or bad?

A successful eSports doesn't necessarily have to be played by many to be liked by many. This was debated quite a lot in Copenhagen at the eSports Symposium also. As long as the crowd understands, appreciates and follows the game, we (the gamers and events) create entertainment. This has value. Value is a good thing for the success of an eSports.

You have won every event under the sun, what is next on your list, what do you hope to achieve during your career?

Everything. Lol, I want it all. GOGOGO! But seriously, ESWC is next, and I am very driven to achieve. 

Looking back, what was your most memorable game to date?

Oh, the BlizzCon 2005 or WCG victories. I sometimes played above what I thought I could do, and it creates an unreal memory for me which entertains me when I think of it.

Is playing professionally still fun for you now after so many years, or do you treat it as just some sort of day job?

I enjoy it so much, that it's sinful. I've always said and will always tell anyone, that if I hadn't enjoyed training itself (let alone the tournaments which are even more fun), I wouldn't still be doing what I'm doing now. 

You have been to more countries than I can think of; however, is there any place you haven’t been yet that you would like to go to?

I would love to visit Darwin's place of fascination, the Galapagos Islands, and drown in Nature's Beauties. Also, I've never been to Australia or Japan, and people who've been to those countries speak very fondly of it. So I hope I could enjoy going to any of these places once upon a time. 

What was your favourite place to visit (not necessarily tied to E-Sports) and why?

Perhaps Malaysia, on my wedding trip. Haha, surprise surprise.

What race do you play in Starcraft 2? Also, what is your ladder/rank?

Protoss, I only played a 150 games or so total, and I was rank #1 on 2v2 Platinum with my now-wife, and rank #20 on the solo Platinum ladder, lol.

Do you have any closing words for your fans?

Thanks for all the congratulations on my wedding and thanks for the gameplay tips that I've been getting sometimes! I always give advice serious consideration, no matter from who or how bad they fear they are. Good ideas may hide in any mind, and it wouldn't be the first time I've implemented something that a fan has told me into a real game plan. Hope you enjoy my future games!

Image Credits: mymym.com, and Gosugamers.net