My first professional event in my playing career. We ended up placing 7th which isn't great but as a team, we performed well.
This is my journey. my dream.
I started playing Battlefield 4 in my spare time in 2014 and I realised I was actually okay. So I quickly started playing something called "Versus" on ESL gaming. This is where other players join a matchmaking queue, playing against other really good players and even some professionals!
The first few games were shaky, nervous and I felt a different type of pressure, I know if I don't perform my team would lose. that night, that first day of "VS" I was hooked.
I kept playing and playing and I soon realised that I'm somehow still outperforming 90% of the players in a team environment.
After the versus season ended. I think I logged over 200 hours of competitive battlefield 4 and I already started growing a presence. Some good, some bad.
Before the next season of versus started, I went to Gamescom 2014 with my brother, the biggest gaming event hosted in my home country. I was excited beyond belief, it's the first time I travelled to a gaming event.
1hr 40 later, I landed in Cologne from Manchester and I met my brother. My brother managed to book an Airbnb 40 minutes away from the arena which is actually quite close for the size of the event.
The biggest surprise and unknown to me that weekend was the game that I have been grinding, the game that has kept me up for days had an event on!
This was a complete surprise and shock to me, I quickly rushed to the area where the event was being held with lights in my eyes, I was so excited to see the game that I was playing, live on stage with players that I have played with and against. it was surreal.
I sat down on the second row right behind the pro players. I was listening to the comms (communications) and tactics between halves and games. When the next game started I turned to my brother and said.
"I will sit on stage playing, I guarantee"
Fast forward a little bit. Gamescom was fantastic, this was the first time I was surrounded by the same type of people, all the same interests, no matter what age or gender.
GAMES
Once I got home the only thing I wanted to do was play battlefield, I made a promise after all. Straight away I went on the grind, to improve even further and I started to get noticed!
Halfway through the new season of VS, I played against 2 pros, xpLo and LAGZR. I played really well and got some messages of approval from them! A couple of days pass and I receive a message on the ESL website.
It was LAGZR, he wanted me to join his new team! This was my breakthrough, I was brimming with excitement and I knew this was my chance to get my foot into the door of a real competitive battlefield!
When I introduced myself to LAGZR and xpLo I quickly realised that they have already played on stage, but not just on any stage, they played on stage in Gamescom....2014 and I sat right behind them!! What a small world!
This new team was created for the purpose of winning Go4, a weekly competition where the best teams play against each other in a knockout format with the winning team receiving €100.
We practised on new strats, learning each others strengths and weaknesses and after a week of practising, we were ready.
Unfortunately, we lost in the Quarterfinal against PlanetKey Dynamics and not much longer after that the team disbanded. I was gutted, I believed that this was my only chance to play on stage. My morale was low but I had to keep going, I had a taste of a semi-professional environment and I wanted more.
I just kept playing Versus season after season, even won a season with one of my friends Johannes coming 1st and 2nd.
After multiple rejections joining teams I had a MAJOR breakthrough.
An established eSports organisation based in Germany called MhSV eSports wanted to invite me to a trial after seeing my performances on versus and previous Go4 competitions.
The trial was on a map called Operation Lockers which was a CQC (close quarter combat) and we played against Planetkey Dynamics, the team that I previously lost against in my first Go4. I played out of my skin and performed the best on the team. After the game Pateo0, the team manager at the time just said.
"Sign the contract"
And I never looked back, I signed for my first professional team and I was one step closer to playing on stage, just like I promised to my brother.
After months and months of playing with MhSV, winning a Go4 along the way, we qualified for ESL One. The major competition for Battlefield, the competition that every competitive player wants to take part in.
On the 18th of April 2015, 9 months after I promised my brother that I would play on stage. I did it, I accomplished what I went out to do. The journey was tough, mentally and physically but it was worth it, I even got a cheeky interview as I was the only one in the team that can speak fluent English.
This is my journey. my dream.
I started playing Battlefield 4 in my spare time in 2014 and I realised I was actually okay. So I quickly started playing something called "Versus" on ESL gaming. This is where other players join a matchmaking queue, playing against other really good players and even some professionals!
The first few games were shaky, nervous and I felt a different type of pressure, I know if I don't perform my team would lose. that night, that first day of "VS" I was hooked.
I kept playing and playing and I soon realised that I'm somehow still outperforming 90% of the players in a team environment.
After the versus season ended. I think I logged over 200 hours of competitive battlefield 4 and I already started growing a presence. Some good, some bad.
Before the next season of versus started, I went to Gamescom 2014 with my brother, the biggest gaming event hosted in my home country. I was excited beyond belief, it's the first time I travelled to a gaming event.
1hr 40 later, I landed in Cologne from Manchester and I met my brother. My brother managed to book an Airbnb 40 minutes away from the arena which is actually quite close for the size of the event.
The biggest surprise and unknown to me that weekend was the game that I have been grinding, the game that has kept me up for days had an event on!
This was a complete surprise and shock to me, I quickly rushed to the area where the event was being held with lights in my eyes, I was so excited to see the game that I was playing, live on stage with players that I have played with and against. it was surreal.
I sat down on the second row right behind the pro players. I was listening to the comms (communications) and tactics between halves and games. When the next game started I turned to my brother and said.
"I will sit on stage playing, I guarantee"
Fast forward a little bit. Gamescom was fantastic, this was the first time I was surrounded by the same type of people, all the same interests, no matter what age or gender.
GAMES
Once I got home the only thing I wanted to do was play battlefield, I made a promise after all. Straight away I went on the grind, to improve even further and I started to get noticed!
Halfway through the new season of VS, I played against 2 pros, xpLo and LAGZR. I played really well and got some messages of approval from them! A couple of days pass and I receive a message on the ESL website.
It was LAGZR, he wanted me to join his new team! This was my breakthrough, I was brimming with excitement and I knew this was my chance to get my foot into the door of a real competitive battlefield!
When I introduced myself to LAGZR and xpLo I quickly realised that they have already played on stage, but not just on any stage, they played on stage in Gamescom....2014 and I sat right behind them!! What a small world!
This new team was created for the purpose of winning Go4, a weekly competition where the best teams play against each other in a knockout format with the winning team receiving €100.
We practised on new strats, learning each others strengths and weaknesses and after a week of practising, we were ready.
Unfortunately, we lost in the Quarterfinal against PlanetKey Dynamics and not much longer after that the team disbanded. I was gutted, I believed that this was my only chance to play on stage. My morale was low but I had to keep going, I had a taste of a semi-professional environment and I wanted more.
I just kept playing Versus season after season, even won a season with one of my friends Johannes coming 1st and 2nd.
After multiple rejections joining teams I had a MAJOR breakthrough.
An established eSports organisation based in Germany called MhSV eSports wanted to invite me to a trial after seeing my performances on versus and previous Go4 competitions.
The trial was on a map called Operation Lockers which was a CQC (close quarter combat) and we played against Planetkey Dynamics, the team that I previously lost against in my first Go4. I played out of my skin and performed the best on the team. After the game Pateo0, the team manager at the time just said.
"Sign the contract"
And I never looked back, I signed for my first professional team and I was one step closer to playing on stage, just like I promised to my brother.
After months and months of playing with MhSV, winning a Go4 along the way, we qualified for ESL One. The major competition for Battlefield, the competition that every competitive player wants to take part in.
On the 18th of April 2015, 9 months after I promised my brother that I would play on stage. I did it, I accomplished what I went out to do. The journey was tough, mentally and physically but it was worth it, I even got a cheeky interview as I was the only one in the team that can speak fluent English.
