Fnatic - A profesional gaming team

A few weeks ago, FnaticMSI added a new squad, Xbox Call of Duty. Recently, Cameron got the opportunity to interview the captain of this new squad in order for you, the fans, to learn more about them.

You are one of the newest members to Fnatic, welcome!  Would you care to give a brief introduction of yourself to the Fnatic community?

Hi, my names Andy aka DopedGoat, im 26 and the leader of Fnatics Xbox Call of Duty Squad.

How is it that you came to be a new team for the Fnatic organization?

We used to be the CoD team for TCM-Gaming, so i've worked and known Neil for sometime now. Fnatic has always been the #1 org we've wanted to join, and thankfully through our success Neil has given us that opportunity.

For the people out there who don't know what the difference is between console and PC COD, could you explain a little about what makes them so different?

Although i've never played CoD on the PC i've seen many videos. I suppose straight away the first difference you will notice is Console play 4v4 and PC 5v5. Not only that our rules are different, we play 3 Gametypes not just 1 (S&D). We prefer the diversity as S&D over and over can get rather tedious.

What made you decide to play the console version as opposed to the PC version?

I used to play CS on the PC for many years and really enjoyed it, although I hated the fact you were never on a level playing field. Different peripherals, different hardware can gain you an advantage over others. Console everyone has the same system. Not to mention you don't have to spend hundreds, even thousands to enjoy the game.

Your team is seemingly the best in the world.  Could you give us a little background on how that came to be?

We've all basically been playing Competitive CoD since it came about, myself and Gunshy have teamed together for near 2 years now and XLNC a year or so. Which is quite a while in our scene. We all know exactly how each other play and know how to motivate each other when necessary. Dedication and Experience playing together for such a while has paid off.

You now play on a predominantly PC based pro-gaming organization.  Are you worried at all that you wont get the attention you want/need since you are a console team in a PC organization?

No not at all, its actually nice been out of the lime light for a change. Not having to deal with 'politics' etc we can simply get on with our game.

Being the captain of the worlds best console COD team must be a tough job.  What exactly do you do as the captain of the team?

I think what don't I do would be a bit easier to answer :) Generally I deal with all the 'paperwork', most organisational requirements, sorting Lan events, making sure were up to date with tournament schedules and of course deal with any problems the team members are having. Not forgetting actually playing as well :)

Is there any added pressure being the captain?

I used to feel pressure maybe a year or so ago, but i'm so confident with my teammates abilities, it makes it easy to lead them.

When you arent playing COD, what can we find you doing?

I love going out with my mates, most weekends i'm out about drinking or at a party somewhere or other. Other than that, I love a game of golf when the weathers right or go 'hunting' for rabbits with my amazing .22 air rifle :)

Was joining a professional team always the goal for you guys?

Not particularly, our main goal was to be the best at what we do and to help achieve that you need backing from an organisation as going to events can be quite expensive. Joining a prestigious team like Fnatic means we don't need to worry about that and can purely concentrate on our game.

If there was one thing you really wanted to tell skeptics of competitive gaming, what would it be?

We get paid to travel the world and earn some great money at a hobby. What do you see wrong in that exactly? :)

Were there any players or people that you looked up to when you were trying to become the best?

Not really on console no, although back in my CS days (from beta 5.2 till 1.4) the likes of HeatoN/Liquid(Mangiacapra) inspired me to keep plugging away and achieve whatever possible.

What are your goals for the team now that you have joined a professional gaming organization?

Obviously our main goal is to keep our virtually flawless record going. The next step for us is Black OPs in November, new game fresh start where we'll try carry over our success to that game.

What event are you most looking forward to competing in and winning?

ECL just passed was the big one for us, CoD4 made a comeback due to age restrictions in the UK and we hardly got any practice time in with our newest member (Mak). Winning that with the short space of time we had together was awesome. Although current Champs on MW2, EGE Lan end of October is setting out to be one of the best console events going, so really looking forward to defending the crown there! :)

Halo is easily the most popular console title, why did you choose COD instead of that as a console player?

I'm not into floating space men with laser guns. :) heh. No really, I prefer the realism of Call of Duty, i've got maybe 10 hours of Halo playtime in my entire life and I just find the game extremely boring. It just seems so repetitive to me.

If you were to give any advice to someone trying to become a pro, what would it be?

I've been asked this quite a lot now and it's always the same answer.. Dedication and Teamwork. I truly believe our success is down to sticking together for such a long time and being mature and professional when things go wrong. Work on what went wrong and don't just throw the towel in.

What is your role as a player within the team?

Apart from the leader and calling the next plays/strats. I play objective and try to keep all the guys focussed on their game. I'm constantly looking at the radar and making sure players are in the right positions/setups.

How would you describe your own personal style of play?

Extremely aggressive. We all have our set roles to play, I am the 'gambler' of the team and most the time plays will pay off because I can fully trust the guys to watch my back.

What is the next event we should look out for you guys at?

EGE (European Gaming Event) in Amsterdam 30th-31st of October.

Any last words or shoutouts for the fans?

Big thanks to the sponsors; MSI, SteelSeries, BigFoot Networks, Ugame.net and Slappa and Fnatic Management!! :) Thanks for the interview Cameron.