esports vs gaming?
I've heard this question many times - I am both, a gamer and an esports athlete.
Gaming is the physical act playing a video game, so anyone who plays a game is a gamer. Gaming is spending a weekend with Resident Evil 2 remakes or games on the phone. When I am playing around just for fun I am a gamer.
esports is the shortened form of “electronic sports,” which is competitive (video) gaming, or pro gaming. Gaming is a big part of esports, but athletes have a competitive mindset and a love for the tournament. esports is competing at an event, LAN Party, or an online tournament against others. When I get serious, learn, and improve my skills to compete with others, I am an esports athlete.
To me it’s not about “vs,” but rather levels of seriousness and time involved.
What was your first contact with esports?
That must have been at the age of 9, playing “TAPEWORM” against my cousin on his ATARI 2600. I wanted to beat him, big time - but I didn’t.
Back then the term esports had not yet been coined.
My first contact with esports as a player was in 1999, when I started playing Tactical Ops and Starcraft. Later on, some friends and I established our own esports Team called “Toxic Sins esports”.
My first esports event was TI1 (The International) in Cologne in 2011.
What is your favourite game / esports discipline and why?
DOTA2, DOTA2 and DOTA2! :)
I really fell in love for the MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) genre. My first contact was DOTA as a MOD for WARCRAFT 3. Since then I have tried Heroes of the Storm, Heroes of Newerth, Smite, Vainglory and LOL, but I always come back to DOTA 2.
I also have tried other disciplines, such as Hearthstone and Starcraft 2. I never got anywhere though, so no tournaments and leagues for me.
Which esports games do you play / follow at the moment?
Today I play DOTA 2 with friends every Thursday. We call this day “DDD”… DönerDotaDonnerstag - DOTA Kebab Thursdays. (no way to make this understandable in English - something about Thursday, Kebab and Dota ;D).
I am also addicted to DOTA AUTO CHESS. Time is sacred though, so a short round is best.
What was your best esports event and was it the biggest?
My biggest event was The International 6 in Seattle. I was fascinated by the biggest prize pool in esports history, most of which was collected by the community.
I was overwhelmed by the development and changes since my first contact at the TI in Cologne. It was great to experience this, especially since I have bought the compendium for many years. Thousands of people, with the same dedication, from all over the world, trapped for an entire week at one place was worth every penny, and effort I ever invested.
It was definitely a big 5 moment in my life.
Who is your favorite player and therefore which is the best esports team?
Puppey, KuroKy, N0tail … there are so many teams and players I like. No favourite.
Let me explain why. Every time I watch a game I don’t cheer for one team; I cheer for every godlike move, perfect team maneuver, or that one majestic moment a player does to win a fight. In these moments it doesn’t matter who did it, just that it happened.
LAN Party – does this bring up any memories?
Yes, I have hosted and organized many. The first one I organized was in the garage of my parents house. I have organized bigger events together with friends were up to 50 people in local community hall. This came to an abrupt end however, when there was some killing sprees that made connections to computer games. Back then I had just invested all my earnings as an apprenticeship into hubs for the next event.
My favorite event is our annual winter LAN. 4 or 5 of us meet at a friend’s place and sit on the terrace, all of us wrapped in warm blankets… you read that right - in WINTER 😊
My latest LAN Event was last month. 16 People showed up, and we had a great two days playing DOTA and ApexLegends.
