First off, we would like to thank all of you that have supported us from the beginning, back with our first Pro Gam3r Magazine issue and our former site, GamingJunky. Because of your support we are able to bring something very important to professional video gaming’s growth: a magazine that provides legitimacy to the sport. It is something very special to us and we consider it our contribution to the growing popularity of this sport.

With our third issue releasing in days, we truly hope you feel the excitement we do bringing you the next Pro Gam3r Magazine and our new site, ProGam3r.com. You, the community, have shown us such patience and faith we owe you our thanks for keeping us alive. And because of your overwhelming support we are now able to bring you what we have wanted to do for a long time: a website focused on pro gaming content and providing a unifying message for gaming.

Progam3r.com brings you original and diverse content covering all aspects of pro gaming. We are providing high quality articles, game strategies, in depth interviews, monthly columns, and dynamic league and tournament coverage. We also combine our own content with links to interesting articles and news from all of the major pro league and tournament covering sites. There’s a lot of quality tournament, gaming, and league news out there, and none of it should be ignored. We hope to make things convenient for you by putting all that content at your fingertips.

Additionally, we have a special section titled “Fight” that contains articles and news related to professional fighting game tournaments. Being the forefather genre of professional gaming competitions, we feel these exciting games should be covered for the first time in one place. We will do our best to show you how diverse and experienced this important genre is to pro gaming. Our launch lineup is a mere tribute to some classic articles related to fighting games found all over the web. Eventually you’ll find news, original content, and most importantly, up to date tournament coverage for all your favorite fighting games.

We also have two sections of the site that serve as a useful event and tournament information resource. Our “Upcoming Events” section will give you all the information you want for all the professional leagues and tournaments. Each link will be an up to date list of venue information, tournament info, website coverage selections and more all in one place. In our “Tournaments” section you’ll find a combination of news from all of the major tournaments and events. We appreciate any feedback, so contact us anytime with new league info and upcoming tournaments we may have missed.

With our future expansion we hope ProGam3r.com evolves and adapts with the gaming industry and our readers. So although we don’t cover individual game news, we will focus on certain competitive titles based on your input. Currently we have a Star Craft section that will contain some game news but will primarily focus on professional leagues and players throughout the world, especially in Korea. Star Craft news is hard to come by because the official league websites are typically in Korean. We hope to change that by combining various sources and presenting them in our StarCraft section in English. We are presently looking into a WarCraft III section. You help shape this site. So again, if you have any comments or would like us to consider other competitive games for their own section, let us know.

The “Pro Gam3r Magazine” section will give you a chance to get a glimpse into our magazine. This section will have updated news about the magazine, promotions, and contests. As a launch bonus, we are also releasing a majority of Issue One and Issue Two articles in an internet friendly version and also a PDF you can download. Check back often as we will be posting them every few days for all of you who have missed them in our inaugural and sophomore issue. This is our gift to you so you can preview a little of what this magazine is all about. If you like what you see remember to show your support by subscribing and spreading the word.

One of our other major goals is to get the gaming community involved more as a whole, instead of focusing on our common divisions of genre, game, gaming platform of choice, and even website preference. We are going to schedule weekly discussions regarding pro gaming on our IRC channel. We will announce the date and time and everyone is invited to join in. Each week we will vote on a new topic to discuss related to pro gaming. We’re going to have guests from the industry as well as professional players contributing to our open panel discussions. Just follow the “Chat” link on the home page for IRC instructions and how you can join us. For those already familiar with IRC, we will have a quick launch app right there as well. You can also join us on Myspace and Facebook. We will have exclusive blogs on gaming by us and sometimes from professional gamers on our MySpace page. You’ll find contests, pop quizzes on your knowledge of pro gaming, a full RSS stream of our exclusive articles, and much more on our Facebook page.

As we continue to grow, Pro Gam3r Magazine hopes to be able to provide bi-monthly (6 issues a year) soon. We are here to give you and this sport what it needs in a high quality publication. We are no strangers to the sport. We have writers from all parts of the world that have experience and are dedicated to the sport of gaming and providing you with all they know. We believe that every player, tournament, league, and website are all part of the same invisible banner called professional video gaming. With the continual growth in the video game industry and shared unified efforts of all leagues, teams, and gamers to establish pro gaming as a professional sport and not just a form of entertainment, our sport is on the verge of a professional boom. We here at Pro Gam3r Magazine and ProGam3r.com are dedicated to that same goal and we hope you share the journey with us.

Pro Gam3r Magazine Staff

Created by and written by Jarod Reisin and Livia Teernstra

Armed with new pants and a motor home with a dented hood, the WiFi Bandit was at it again following the narrow escape at the hands of Johan “toxic” Quick, a.k.a the Incredible Hulk JR. This time, the target was much smaller: an entire team! Fnatic is their name and Counter-Strike is their game.

Always comparing gaming to real life, the Bandit thought the escape from Toxic was very skilled, yet setting up an attack was obviously the weakness that needed improvement. Now was the time to work on planning. Because Counter-Strike required such planning in setting up an attack, the nearest team to study would be fnatic.

The Bandit had been outside of the new targets’ home for less than 3 hours. It was the house of one of the fnatic members. Through the ultimate stalking abilities of the internet, the Bandit was not only able to learn that there was a boot camp going on, but also the address it was located at. The victim’s house was tucked away in the woods on the outskirts of Stockholm, Sweden.

During this day, the team went out for some food. Feeling rushed to acquire such amazing tactics, the Bandit exited the vehicle going towards the house, almost forgetting the spy camera’s and wall hacks. But suddenly the Bandit was halted.

There was a strange twitch in their left eye. “What the?”, said the Bandit, feeling an immense urge to steal some Wifi before doing anything else. The Bandit thought “It was just WiFi, and there was plenty of time to get it before leaving”. Didn’t matter. Obeying what seemed like a little voice from inside, the Bandit quickly turned on the equipment inside the motor home that finds and hacks any WiFi nearby that the Bandit chooses. Once connected, the Bandit felt very relieved, yet concerned. The twitch was something that had never been felt before.

Checking fnatic off the “Stolen WiFi” list, there was little time to hurry and set up the surveillance equipment. But there was enough.

There were trees surrounding the house for maximum privacy. This way, the gamers could practice without the worry of other teams spying on them. Little did they know, though, that this made it even easier for the Bandit to get what was wanted.

After returning to the motor home in twenty minutes, the Bandit had nothing to do now but wait, excitedly, as his new masters returned. Thinking hard about that twitch, the Bandit soon dosed off…

JUMPING up in horror at a sound of a scream, the bandit felt as though there had been a shadowy figure watching him from the outside. “Must have been a dream”, the Bandit thought, coming to and checking the monitors on how the players were doing. Full video and sound recording on, the players were sitting in a downstairs living area. The lights were off but the room was illuminated by the glow of 5 computer screens.

So far, fnatic was only practicing. It was just about 4am and they were still at it. Unlike how Toxic practiced, the fnatic team was very noisy. Screams constantly reached the motor home of the Bandit even when the sound equipment was muted. Maybe this is what awoken the Stealer of WiFi to begin with? They were so loud, the recording volume had to be turned down because it was causing static in the video! This caused a new question to enter the Bandits head: Were the screams of joy or anger? The Bandit could not tell from the video feed. Looking closer, exerting all attention to this one question, the Bandit could not figure this out for what seemed like hours on end. Maybe this was the key to winning, the Bandit thought. It had to be known. What was needed was another close encounter to actually feel what the players were feeling; an up-close study of such noise. Putting on a camouflaged outfit, it was time to join the wild.

Even though being quiet didn’t matter because of how loud the team was, the Bandit, crunching leaves and branches under each step, quickly made it to the window connected to the room fnatic was playing in. Finally, the question that had been burning in the back of the Bandit’s head was going to be answered.

Looking as hard as possible, the team had gone silent. It seemed as though there was little action going on at this time in Counter-Strike world. “Why now?”, thought the Bandit. Then BAM! Something happened and one of the players stood up and yelled, grabbing their head and looking up. Unfortunately, the Bandit had to look away because there was a small sound nearby; some sort of a crunch. The Bandit knew that it was probably a small night-time animal. This was a forest, after all.

Anyways, the Bandit decided to ignore it and turned back to the window and out of nowhere felt a wetness in the camouflage pants. The entire fnatic team was staring right at the Bandit! Frozen, the Bandit didn’t move. How could this happen again? How many pants are needed for this job? Apparently, the team could not see outside the window, into the dark forest. They must have heard the same crunch the Bandit heard, and just looked that direction. Once again, luck was on the Bandit’s side and the players returned to their game, leading the Bandit closer to the goal.

Suddenly, and once again, the Bandit heard another sound. This one sounded as though something was climbing up the tree right behind. Something was wrong. Something felt wrong. Someone else was there in the forest, the Bandit thought, but didn’t want to turn around to see.

After about 2 minutes of heavy worrying, the Bandit decided the sound was nothing and had to just be one of many possible animals scurrying around. Acquiring the nerve to turn around, and see, the Bandit’s eyes slowly traced the tree up to it’s top. When scanning the tree, the Bandit notices a large mass near the top but couldn’t make it out. Was it a bird’s nest? Out of nowhere it moved! The Bandit ducked in fright as the shadowy figure from the nightmare came to life and jumped from the tree to the balcony above. Right then, the window the Bandit had been so eager to occupy suddenly broke in a CRASH! The Bandit fell to the wet ground as 2 small objects flew into the opening. What the hell was going on?!?

Ironically, as the room filled with gas, the fnatic team sounded no different then if they had been playing, with yelling and screaming. The Bandit didn’t know what to do! There was no plan for this. The one thing the Bandit was good at was escaping, so that is what was done, or at least, attempted.

Running full speed and rounding the house, the Bandit saw the same shadowy figure standing at the front door. It was a ninja! “How could it be so fast?” the Bandit thought, hiding in the first bush that could be found. “How did it get to the front door from the second floor so fast?” At this thought, the front door busted open! Along with a lot of smoke, two more shadowy figures came out with what was clearly a fnatic player with a cloth bag over his head. Could this get any weirder? The Bandit couldn’t take anymore of this. At this rate, there would be ninja’s falling out of the sky!

Taking off Bandit style, the run back to the vehicle was a bit further then the last escape. Looking back when running, the Bandit saw nothing and slowed as the motor home was approached. Safe at last, NOT!

Not thinking to look upwards, one of the ninjas was standing on top of the motor home, looking down on the Bandit. The Bandit saw the new thief on the block clearly this time. The figure had a black ninja mask on, yet nothing else ninja. Instead, he had on black flannel pajamas. Ninjas in pajamas?! What is the world coming to? The Bandit didn’t care. Once again there was only one option: get away or suffer the consequences.

The ninja on the roof quickly jumped down towards our favorite victim. Running around the back of the motor home towards the driver’s door, another ninja suddenly appeared in the Bandit’s way. Stopping in between the two ninjas, the Bandit didn’t know what to do. What could be done?

All three of them stood still, no one moving. Eyes connected as the Bandit looked at one ninja and then the other repeatedly. Was this the end of the Bandit? Why aren’t they doing anything? After what seemed like an eternity, the ninjas suddenly bolted away, disappearing in a matter of seconds. The Bandit, it seemed, was free to go. But that didn’t make sense. Entering the vehicle slowly, looking around as stressed as ever, the Bandit started the motor home and drove off.

Thirty minutes later, the Bandit pulled into a grocery store parking lot. Still trying to figure out what had just happened, it was remembered that the whole incident was recorded! A fnatic player was stolen and the Bandit had the proof! “Which one was stolen and why did the ninjas let me go”? It had baffled this victim for too long.

Quickly going to the back of the motor home, the Bandit hit play on the video player. Watching the incident, it wasn’t clear which fnatic player had been taken. But there was hope: the smoke started to clear out. The distinctive red hat of Oskar “ins” Holm was nowhere to be seen amongst the leftover players. Looking closer to make sure, the screen started to mess up. Then a loud FIZZ sound and smoke came out of the player and frightened the Bandit. When the smoke had cleared, everything made sense. “The ninjas knew I was around all along. They threw the smoke grenades through the window I was at, hoping that fnatic would think I did it. I was a decoy. One of them broke into my vehicle while I was at the house and rigged my player to break once I played it. They let me go because they knew if I told anyone, they would reveal that it was I, the Wifi Bandit, that stole fnatic’s player. And what would I say to the authorities? Who would believe that a bunch of Ninjas in Pajamas stole a fnatic player I just so happened to be spying on”?

The Wifi Bandit was amazed at such planning, such tactic. It was realized that much more research was going to be needed to acquire such knowledge for gaming and knowledge for how to maintain pants. “Where should I go next?” thinks the Bandit as their left eye starts to twitch again…

To view additional Wifi Bandit adventures, click below:

The Wifi Bandit #1 - The Close Encounter With Toxic

The Wifi Bandit #3 - The Unthinkable in the Air

The Wifi Bandit # 4 - The Crazy Man

Created and written by Jarod Reisin and Livia Teernstra

Thirty six hours had passed since the Bandit first parked in a safe, WiFi-reaching, distance from the apartment building. Surveillance equipment had been set up for the target and he had been monitored for the past day. He being Johan “toxic” Quick, the current best Quake 4 player in the world. The Bandit was fascinated by Toxic because he had managed to pull off so many consecutive wins in Quake 4 in international tournaments, something which only few others had achieved. And those others would come at a later date. To visit these people on the list, the Bandit had planned to go where he knew they would be. If they were going to be at a tournament, then WiFi would be stolen all the way to that tournament. If their home addresses could be found (with many thanks to Yahoo people search), then that was even better. Not only could the Bandit observe them in their gaming element, but they could also be observed in their daily lives. That was very fascinating to this crazy character; it was everything. Between the obsession with stealing WiFi, and the obsession with gamers lives, this character was out of control.

The list was short and sweet, with the Bandit adding names to it as the love for gaming, especially professional gaming, grew inside their once bleak heart. These people were targets for the character because of their achievements in gaming tournaments and skill. Even those that don’t win were listed, because the path they are on is an amazing journey, and one the Bandit needed to know as well.

The online persona of these players was usually the first thing the Bandit tried to learn. Infiltration of different channels on the IRC chat program was a must because it had professional gamers chatting or idling in there. As an obsessive stealer of WiFi, however, the Bandit did not want to make it known to the professionals the intent of the plan, as not to arouse suspicion about future visits they would be unknowingly receiving. No doubt, this person was a little insane to pack up everything and leave on a crusade to observe and steal Wireless Internet and information from professional gamers.

Many people aspire to be professional gamers. It sounds easy, right? To play games all day, bring home cash prizes and possibly even salary, from your sponsors. To the WiFi Bandit, being a professional gamer was more than just that. To become one, the plan was to live, breathe and consume everything about known professional gamers; to mimic and eventually become exactly what they were. Imagine a combination of all the great gamers of all time: Thresh, Makaveli, Zero4, CZM, Fatal1ty, Cooller… and that is just to name a few from Quake! By being able to essentially “absorb” their “essence”, the Bandit thought that becoming #1 was possible.

Lying on the bed built in to the motor home, and watching the screen of the infra-red video feed from Toxic’s apartment intently, the Bandit saw him doing push up after push up; his muscular physique very evident. This was one guy the Bandit did not want to anger as if he could unleash any kind of rage like he unleashes in-game, the Bandit was in big, big trouble. Toxic had finished with his press ups and evidently it was time for him to play some Quake 4. This was boring to watch from the spy cam angle so the Bandit opened up the “All Seeing Eye”, a program which allowed him to find out what server Toxic could be playing on. Damn, the server was pass-worded as usual. Toxic knew how to be secret about his training alright.

Early the next morning, after a breakfast of raw eggs in a giant glass, Toxic left the apartment building and took notice of the mysterious motor home that had been parked there for the past 2 days. Not the suspicious type, however, he shrugged it off and headed to the gym. This was the Bandit’s opportunity to get inside Toxic’s apartment and find out his secrets.

Armed with some lock picking equipment and a USB stick, the Bandit waited until Toxic was well out of sight before entering the apartment. Inside, it was found that Toxic clearly lived alone and was very much a minimalist. Everything in his apartment was perfect. He had a taste for expensive things but nothing was cluttered. The Bandit realized that Toxic’s prize money was not being dwindled away at stupid crap that most people would spend their winnings on. But the goldmine of information about Toxic was what the Bandit wanted, and the place to find it would be on the computer.

Readying the USB stick, the Bandit was very pleased to find that the computer was not pass-worded and straight away the demo folders and configs of Toxic were being copied over. Whilst this was happening, the stealer of internet took the liberty of rummaging through Toxic’s things, interested in what he ate, wore and slept in. The minutes passed quickly.

Losing track of time, a key was heard turning in the lock. The Bandit knew that it had been amateur to stay inside so long. But the fascination with this player, the way he lived, the modesty, the grace, the perfection, the Bandit wanted it all.

Entering the apartment, the Bandit froze. Upon closing the door and turning around, Toxic was face to face with his wireless internet thief. The Bandit could do nothing but stare into the eyes of his supplier. Toxic quickly became very angry finding an intruder in his apartment. “Who the f*** are you?” he asked the Bandit. Receiving no reply, a torrent of Swedish profanities and surprised words came out of Toxic’s mouth and the Bandit then knew there was trouble. Backing away slowly, grabbing the USB key while doing so and not looking away from Toxic’s increasingly reddening face, decision making time. The Bandit took off, diving right in between Toxic’s legs as he tried to grab the thief. Making it to the door, running down the stairs and out of the apartment building door, the safety of the motor home was all too far. Right as it seemed as though the Bandit was not being followed, the apartment building door was busted down as Toxic was coming in full force; at full speed. Legging it double time, the Bandit finally made it. Once inside the motor home, the sound of a loud crash, like an earthquake, came from the outside. Knowing earthquakes didn’t happen in Sweden all too often, the only other Quake that it could be was from the master of it, TOXIC! Shaking the Bandit’s world and banging on it like a maniac, the Bandit’s end was near. Toxic was mad. He seemed unstoppable. Ripping his shirt off in the style of the Incredible Hulk, the Bandit froze again, dropping the keys to the floor of the motor home. Death was the only option. Toxic was just too big and angry. There was nothing that could be done. Game over.

Once reality kicked in with the cracking of the windshield, the Bandit gained hope. For one second, Toxic stopped the pounding. Staring at the Bandit one last time as a vein was popping out of his sweaty head, the Bandit knew this was due or die time. Either get the keys and get this thing started, or face the consequences.

Muscles steamed with rage, Toxic yelled out and smashed the front of the vehicle, only this time, he ripped the hood completely off the car! Throwing it into a neighbor’s house, the Bandit dropped the keys again! Toxic was making his way to the door! The Bandit had no more time! As Toxic seemed to be pulling the door off its hinges, the Bandit finally got the keys and smashed them into the ignition. The motor home stalled! The door was coming off and Toxic was grunting with all his strength! The bandit could see the veins in Toxic’s eyes! The Bandit had the secrets to Toxic’s excellence, and he wanted it at all costs! The final turn of the key, all sound seemed to stop. Was the Bandit dead? Did Toxic’s rage fulfill its intent and swiftly break the poor Bandit’s face?

As the Bandit looked around, everything seemed to be in slow-mo. Upon turning and looking out the window to the left, the Bandit made one final eye contact with Toxic but this time, Toxic seemed to be sliding sideways. The Bandit had escaped! Putting the car into gear and driving away as fast as possible, the Bandit left Toxic behind with his fists raised in anger. That was close. It was time for a change of pants. Until next time…

To view additional Wifi Bandit adventures, click below:

The Wifi Bandit #2 - The Shadowy Figure

The Wifi Bandit #3 - The Unthinkable in the Air

The Wifi Bandit # 4 - The Crazy Man

by Jarod Reisin

In a time of growth and decline, gaming has had its fair share of good decisions and bad. No one really has the divine knowledge of which is which but one thing is a certain fact: no matter how many leagues professional video gaming gets, no matter how many tournaments with different sponsors, pro gaming has no unity.

When you look at other sports you will see location banners on team games, be it the city, State, Country, or district, you typically have a location. Clanbase and the Electronic Sports Leagues (ESL) both attempt this with their respected Nations Cup and European Nations Championship, but as their name implies, it is for Europe. The Championship Gaming Series (CGS) is attempting to build on those shortcomings by having a total world championship, yet each team is under the banner of only the CGS. And the CGS is exclusive to itself and although players of the CGS can participate within other single tournaments like the World Cyber Games (WCG) and the Electronic Sports World Cup (ESWC), they are not free to participate in other competing leagues.

In individual sports, the country is mentioned, and that is about where the separation other than skill ends. The league or tour where the individual competes is under one banner where all tournaments work together for the whole of the sport, like in the Professional Golf Association (PGA) or the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Some gaming leagues attempt this like Major League Gaming (MLG) but still do not allow their players to compete in other top skill events. The now defunct World Series of Video Games (WSVG) and the Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL) have stuck with this classic formula, which is more along the line of a standard sports league. However, gaming leagues are still doing their own thing and have not found that united goal in gaming with standards, rules, goals for growth and fair treatment for all.

Most professional sports that include teams and/or individuals inevitably have a hierarchy of skill that is obviously understood by any who play. This skill separation exists and all fit in one way from top skilled to bottom. Under the top leagues/tournaments of each respected sport exists different levels of sub pro skill competitions that can begin at qualifiers for pro events, circuit tournaments, to college, and down on to recreational, high school and so on. This is the natural progression of most competing sports. You have the best, and then you have each skill below in their own category. They all unite under one national or international banner and there is order for the top; for the best of the best.
Whether those organizing the sport began united or not is a matter of history but most have ended up that way perhaps with the exception of boxing. As possibly the most popular sport in the world, even soccer (known as football outside of the U.S.) has unity far above what pro gaming has ever known to attempt. They are united under the banner of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (International Federation of Association Football) or FIFA. Under this soccer government, there is unity and everything to help any sport thrive, even one of the biggest sports. In addition to FIFA, the world of soccer has an additional organization to utilize, called the International Football Association Board (IFAB). IFAB is responsible for the rules in soccer, which includes 50% FIFA representation.

In combination with FIFA, the ATP, the PGA and every other international professional sporting organization, pro gaming should have all the examples it needs to succeed. These leagues are the top of their respected sports and have few separate tournaments that don’t participate in tandem. The Olympics is one example but is still respected as top, nonetheless. Currently, pro gaming leagues do not have that.
What we have is one league after another looking to profit by doing what sponsors say, by catering to theories with limited research and exposure of a classic side vs. side dilemma, and by consistently competing for the masses attention only to profit. Being a sport built on capitalism makes me ashamed of being a part of it. Capitalism is supposed to come after. What we need is league unity.

Come back next week for Growth Through Unity: Round 2 - Pro Player VS Organizations

Issue 3’s print date is February 12, 2008. Below is a list of our features. (league coverage not included)

The Championship Gaming Series - from conception to the World Championships, we cover it all.

SK Gaming - their recent return to the the top deserves some mention

Sports Psychology - how other pro athletes require similar mental approaches as pro gaming

Eduard ‘eddy’ Schmidt - his return to gaming since his well-known ban

Fighting 101 - An introduction for you noobs to the wide world of professional fighting games

Lifestyle - Lauke

Gaming Personalities - DJ Wheat

How to turn a Halo Hater into a Fanboy in ONE WEEK.

For details on subscriptions, go here

By Sam Lingle

PDF available HERE

The camera swoops down from overhead, surveying the action as two teams sit face-to-face at the computer stations with which they’ll do battle. Steady, confident; one squad looks almost arrogant as they casually prepare their strategy for the upcoming bloodbath. Their foes hardly exude an aura of calm as they frantically try to think up the wily strategy that could finally defeat their seemingly invincible opponents.

When the gates open and the battle begins, it’s only a matter of moments amid the ruthless battle-cries and cheers from the crowd before Pandemic leaps from their seats pumping their fists and hugging each other as they secure yet another title to add to their illustrious list of accomplishments.

There are an elite few that exhibit true dominance in their field of competition. While Pandemic may never be as famous as the 1927 New York Yankees, their epic ‘07 run will go down as one of the most dominating eSports performances in history right along other greats like the vintage SK Gaming of ‘02-‘03, the Johan ‘Toxic’ Quick of ‘06, and the Final Boss team from ‘04 to ‘05. Pandemic not only won four straight 3v3 World of Warcraft major events, they utterly dominated each one and dictated the evolution of a budding metagame.

It’s rare a team shows the dominance Pandemic has exerted on the 3v3 WoW realm since the game was adopted by the WSVG in any sport, and even rarer in World of Warcraft, a game lambasted for its random qualities and questionable emphasis on individual skill. That Pandemic has managed to post four straight tournament victories while posting a 112-6 individual round score through that run is a testament to the most dominating eSports team of this year.

While they didn’t start filling their trophy case with their undefeated WSVG run until early this year, the players of Pandemic are no strangers to competition, playing World of Warcraft Player-versus-Player (PvP) at a high level since, well, before it was even a rewarded mechanic in the game. Before the emergence of WoW as an eSport, and even before Blizzard implemented their honor system and battlegrounds to foster PvP combat, Pandemic’s coach, Jared ‘Vhell’ Coulston, hosted roaming 5v5 battles, and later, when Blizzard implemented Battlegrounds, a Warsong Gulch league, where his former guild, Nurfed, competed against his current one, the most legendary PvP guild in WoW, Notorious.

The Notorious have held a hallowed place in the annals of WoW PvP history as the top guild in the early goings of the popular game, and they’ve continued that legacy as World of Warcraft has pushed into the true competitive realm of eSports with their premiere team, Pandemic. The team formed at the start of the year when Blizzard announced their first arena season with Noktyn and Vhell forming the basis for what would become the best team in WoW history thus far. Adding Malice, Nitrana, and Panzer, longtime members of Notorious, a roster was born that only became what it is today when they added the competitiveness of Sck and the talent of Kintt after a few weeks revealed what weaknesses they needed to shore up. With the Notorious team set and dominating Blizzard’s 5v5 ladder, it was only a matter of time before eSports organizations began to take notice.

“Ironically, Notorious was not the first guild that we contacted in our decision-making process,” laughs Pandemic’s current owner, Chris Lemley, on finding his diamond in the rough, “We (Lemley and then-Pandemic owner, Mark Dolven) looked first for popularity, guild size, and reputation, and with neither of us having proper backgrounds in the game, we were very fortunate to be instead directed to the lineup that Pandemic now represents today.”

Pandemic came to Notorious because they were the top ranked team on the most competitive battlegroup in World of Warcraft. In WoW, different server clusters are sectioned off due to hardware restrictions and each group of servers forms a “battlegroup” where only players on those servers are able to compete against each other. Battlegroup Nine, or Bloodlust, quickly built a deserved reputation for the highest level of competition in any cluster, and that kind of competition helped forge the team into the powerhouse they are today.

Pandemic offered Notorious the means to take their game to the next level, attending any tournament they wished. While only select members could compete at the 3v3 events, due to smaller lineups than the 5v5 competition that got Pandemic noticed online and class requirements, the team pushed for stipulations in their contracts that allowed their other teammates to attend to cheer them on, a sign of the team solidarity and loyalty that’s helped them stay on top of their game all season long.

“From day one of getting signed we all knew it was everyone who got us there,” explains Jared ‘Vhell’ Coulston, “we wouldn’t have been #1 online without everyone’s help.”

And so, Pandemic’s fateful voyage would begin in Wuhan, China, May 1^st to 3^rd, at the World Series of Video Games’ inaugural 2007 tournament - and the first tournament in World of Warcraft history. Pandemic would run a Warrior, Mage, Paladin lineup that was standard among the top three teams at the tournament, Pandemic, Fnatic, and MoB TurtlePower, but the individual talent and coordination of the Kintt, Noktyn, and Malice lineup was simply too strong as Pandemic secured the first title of many to come. In China, the Burning Crusade, Blizzard’s first WoW expansion and the game platform for the tournament, had yet to be released, so the level of competition outside of the three international threats was poor. That, though, was about to change when the WSVG moved to the States.

The WSVG stops at Louisville and Dallas would prove to be the real test and challenge for a Pandemic team everyone was gunning for. The Americans had the opportunity to practice the game and saw what they were up against, but Pandemic was one step ahead. In Louisville, they were the only top team to truly take advantage of the WSVG rule set that allows you to switch your class lineup at certain points in a series. Unlike most of the other top teams at the tournament, Pandemic sent a five-man lineup to Louisville - Kintt, Sck, Noktyn, Malice, and Nitrana, with Vhell as coach - allowing them to feature multiple counters to their biggest threats. Using a balanced Warrior, Priest, Paladin group as a base, Pandemic rolled through the event until the later rounds where their Rogue, Mage, Priest group simply dominated their biggest competition in Insurrection (now Fnatic) and both MoB teams. In Dallas, only one week later, other teams were more prepared for Pandemic’s strategy. Even then, though, they remained one step ahead of their foes with a knack for exploiting their opponent’s weaknesses on their way to another victory.

Toronto would be the real test for the top team: rivals like Fnatic, MoB TurtleBeach, MoB TurtleForce, EG, Check Six, and more were adding players and practicing enough different lineups to even make Pandemic proud. The Rogue, Mage, Priest lineup they popularized at Louisville and Dallas became the standard as most teams favored that group or a Warrior, Shaman, Paladin setup as their base composition. Even then, though, Pandemic was one step ahead as they pulled out a secret weapon in Canada: Rogue, Shadow Priest, Warlock. Their 3DPS inspired by a similar lineup ran by MoB TurtleForce in Dallas team obliterated the more balanced teams they faced, securing their fourth straight WSVG victory after a dominating win over MoB TurtleBeach.

While Pandemic dominated the WSVG and 3v3 competition, it is true they had a minor hiccup in the Blizzard-hosted Arena Season One tournament. Dominating their battlegroup online, Pandemic faced hardship as one of the many teams hurt by some of Blizzard’s questionably unfair disqualifications entering the LAN qualifying stage. Despite a weakened 5v5 lineup, without their two Priests, Kintt and Vhell, Pandemic persevered and managed to qualify for the world finals at Blizzcon with a pitiful class lineup compared to their competition. There, they placed 7^th in the world, but the question will always remain: could they have beaten MoB TurtleBeach if they had their full lineup? Either way, their performance showed just how tough the team could be in hard circumstances.

Four WSVG wins in a row is a tough feat for any team to replicate, and Pandemic could have promised more if the World Series of Video Games had lasted long enough to finish their season. Even with no leagues to compete in for the time being, this won’t be the last you’ll hear from Pandemic.

So… what makes them so dominant?

In a recent blog post on the WoW 3v3 metagame, Amine ‘Uthgar’ Issa, coach of Fnatic, stated that 3v3 WoW is 30% skill and 70% class combination. Pandemic proved to be masters of that concept as the season progressed, staying on the offensive by developing counters to popular lineups and implementing them with perfect efficacy. “They seem to always be the ones taking control of the flow of the game,” says Lemley, musing on his team’s dominance, “They put their opponents on their backs before they ever get a chance to execute their own gameplan.” With their coach, Vhell, doing a scouting job that would make any NFL franchise proud, Pandemic was ready for anything their foes threw at them. Even then, there’s a lot more to Pandemic’s success than their skillful manipulation of the metagame.

Coulston, on the other hand, credits that invaluable “it” factor that so many championship teams have in a variety of sports, electronic and otherwise, for his team’s shocking consistency and success in the high-pressure tournament environment.

Even when Pandemic clearly had a class composition disadvantage at the WSVG they still managed to come out on top , a fact demonstrated no better than by their finals performance against Fnatic in Dallas. There, Pandemic opened with a Warrior, Paladin, Priest lineup that had trouble against the sustained mana-drain and crowd control of Fnatic’s Priest, Mage, Warlock, yet they managed to post a 1-1 record in that matchup while nearly stealing the first game from right under Fnatic’s noses.

In a new eSports title, and in any MMORPG, for that matter, it’s a tough task to really judge the caliber of talent, but it’s safe to say every player on Pandemic could be called the best in their class. Talents like Kintt, Sck, Noktyn, and Nitrana have become the faces of their class and World of Warcraft in eSports just as the WSVG used Pandemic as the face of their league.

Now, with the World Series of Video Games gone, the future remains unclear for the most dominating eSports team of 2007. Recent rumors indicate that Blizzard may adopt the 3v3 format for their Arena Season Two tournaments, but, for now, nothing is official. Whatever happens, Lemley plans on involving his team with the Dell Unleashed college tour while waiting for more options to become clear. Whatever happens, you can be sure the now-legendary Pandemic will be ready to prey on their unlucky opponents.

Meet the team:

Joseph ‘Noktyn’ Romano
The captain of Pandemic, Noktyn has always held a place in World of Warcraft history since his roots in Nurfed where he became the first - and only - player to possess the unique legendary Talisman of the Binding Shard. As Pandemic’s Warrior, his knack for choosing the correct targets keeps his team on point.

Nathan ‘Kintt’ Quinn
Pandemic’s part animal, Kintt has also been labeled the Best Player in WoW. He’s the only member of the team that’s played in every 3v3 match they’ve had at the WSVG and earned recognition as MVP of both Louisville and Dallas. Easily the best Priest at WSVG, Kintt also played Warlock at Toronto and even Paladin in China.

Dave ‘Sck’ Quick
The ultra-competitive Sck won’t take anything less than victory from his teammates. When he was added to Pandemic, they evolved into the powerhouse they are today. Perhaps the top Paladin in the world, Sck mentored Kintt and turned him into the powerhouse Priest he is today.

Mason ‘Nitrana’ Groendal
While he never received the same attention as other “rogue heroes” like Zecks, Nitrana’s resume speaks for itself. The only player on Pandemic who is as of yet unbeaten in tournament competition, Nitrana proved his clutch talent by winning a 1v1 against MoB TurtleForce’s Druid, Spoh, in Toronto.

Greg ‘Malice’ Risselada
The always-smiling Malice may be Pandemic’s quietest member, but his talent speaks for itself. Longtime friends with Nitrana, Malice has attended every tournament with the team and played like their MVP at their first tournament in China.

Jared ‘Vhell’ Coulston
Pandemic’s coach took a step back from playing when his work schedule forced him to step down for Kintt early in the first arena season. Vhell’s vast experience in competitive PvP ranging from Dark of Age of Camelot to World of Warcraft helps keep his team focused on the task at hand.

Chris ‘Panzer’ Pancini
As a Hunter Panzer has never had a chance at WSVG’s 3v3 competition, but he’s attended a few events to cheer his team on. He formed the core of Pandemic’s 5v5 team in season one built to outlast foes by using the Hunter’s traps.

Chris ‘Douja’ Cossey
The most recent addition to the team, Pandemic added the Shaman Douja, a longtime member of Notorious, to update their 5v5 lineup for season two. Douja and Sck used to play together against Noktyn and Vhell during the roaming 5v5 competitions before WoW implemented their battleground system.

By Livia Teernstra

PDF available HERE. 

Paul Chaloner, better known as ReDeYe, has been bringing the broadcasting excitement of professional gaming to the homes of the masses via internet since 2002. Today he owns his own broadcasting company called QuadV and also commentates matches in the Championship Gaming Series along with Marcus “djWHEAT” Graham and Johnathan “Fatal1ty” Wendel. Born on November 11, 1971 in Shoreham, England, Paul is no newbie to gaming; “I played games way back when my step father bought a Dragon 32 and then moved through all of the usual suspects; Spectrum, VIC20, Commodore64, Atari ST and Amiga and eventually got a PC in 95/96. That’s when I first played things like Quake, Doom and Duke Nukem 3D. I played a little online, but never that much. Then in 1999, I really loved Unreal Tournament when it came out and played on the old 28k modem, night after night.”

The beginning

Paul found a love for capture the flag (CTF) and played it both in Unreal Tournament and a little bit in Quake 3. He was then picked up by a team called frUT where he was playing in the most prestigious online capture the flag tournament, the EuroCup. This is how Paul got introduced into the world of gaming commentary. An administrator for the league Paul’s team was competing in (he went by the name Yash) asked Paul to do some shoutcasting (commentary) for some of the matches in the Eurocup. “I had no idea what it was, how to set it up or what to do, but after a few days of help and setup I gave it a go. It was fun and people really seemed to enjoy the commentary, although at that time it was more about tequila and calling people noobs on air.” Apparently that’s what people loved, as Paul started to bring his passion and love for the game to people who were interested. This led to him commentating more often and a little more seriously for ClanBase radio.

In 2005 Marcus “djWHEAT” Graham asked Paul to join him in the ranks of Radio iTG, a largely popular online gaming broadcasting company. Although he had never had ambition to go any further with his shoutcasting or join a station, iTG was different; “They were like a second family and I loved it.” This was really when his shoutcasting began to take off. Paul traveled all around the world with Radio iTG, broadcasting all the major tournaments in the USA, China and Europe. “I loved it more than life itself, mainly because I had found something I loved doing and it combined my other two loves which is traveling and photography.”

Going full-time

It wasn’t all fun and games though. Before starting work full-time as a game commentator, he was a fully qualified law and finance expert for a multi-national company. Half-way through 2005 the company made Paul an offer he couldn’t refuse - a year’s salary to leave the company and not work for anyone else in the industry. This enabled him to fund one year out, doing the thing he loved - shoutcasting. He was not paid for most of his casting during this time.

The Start of QuadV

At the end of 2006, Paul left iTG. He didn’t really like where things were going in the way of a lack of live streams and their move towards more video-on-demand based coverage. However, he mainly left because he simply could not make enough money from shoutcasting to support his family. The entire community was saddened to hear of his retirement but luckily it was short-lived. “I had planned to go back in to finance and law and had a job lined up, when Oliver (aka Jester our Technical Director) approached me and discussed the possibility of starting up a new broadcasting company.” After spending 3 months weighing up the decision, they decided to go for it. After recruiting some talented technical staff and great shoutcasters, the popularity of QuadV snowballed.

Family Support

Since the offer from Paul’s old company could effectively only keep him going for a year, in 2006 his wife, Sara Chaloner (a.k.a MrsReD) was actually the one to support him with incoming wages. Unlike other family members of some gaming personalities, she did not think he was nuts in wanting to follow a career in video game broadcasting; “She really supported me and still does 110%. I was the one who thought it was a nuts thing to do and Sara persuaded me that I could do it and make a living from it one day. It’s an old cliché perhaps, but I certainly could not do it without her support or love.” Sara was the one who kept things together when times were becoming difficult for the family. When Paul was depressed about the lack of money it was she who would instill the belief that he could “make it” back in him. “Things were really tough, but this year things have broken (as she always believed they would for me) and we now earn comfortable money… but It’s not the hundreds of thousands people seem to think we get.” he says with a wink.

Today Sara is heavily involved with QuadV; “Sara always wanted to take more of an interest in what I do and help out and she has many talents, one of which is organization and planning. So when we formed the new company, we needed an admin team and she was more than willing to help on that side of things. As a LTD UK Company, she is now officially our company secretary and has also filled in as our make-up artist for TV shoots too. See, I told you she was multi talented.”

Breaking into the CGS

Paul would watch with envy when his colleagues from iTG would go off and do Championship Gaming Invitational (CGI) events back in 2006. He really wanted to go and do one but it just never seemed to happen. Things did start happening though when he left iTG; “Doors that were previously closed opened up for whatever reason and CGS approached me initially with an email and a phone call.” They wanted him to work on a show planned in July of 2007 and after a short period of negotiation, he agreed. It seemed that the CGS was keen to see him in action and two days later he received a phone call if he could get to Los Angeles to cover the Bridge event which was two days after the phone call!

“I did that event in the movie theatre with djWHEAT and really enjoyed it as well as working with some of the very best TV people in the world. Then of course we had the US combine event and the playboy mansion draft show and from there on to the 7 live shows on DirecTV. I got a break, I guess you could say and I took it with both hands. Fortunately they liked what I did and I got the role.”

Being a professional gaming commentator

The defining moment that made Paul realize that he wanted to be a shoutcaster came when he was on stage at the WCG finals in Singapore “Walking on to the massive stage, to take my place in the commentary booth, in front of 4,000 people in the crowd and realizing that it would be shown to over 2 million people on live Korean TV. THAT was when I realized I was doing something I loved and would not want to do anything else. It gives me goose bumps thinking about it now.”

With that spectacular event in mind, Paul is now a commentator for the CGS which is available in 16 million homes all over the United States. Despite the many events that he has covered, it is still a scary thought to think about how many people could potentially be watching him broadcast on live TV. The good thing is that even though a shoutcaster as seasoned as Paul can still get jitters before a show, it is easy to get lost in the game and forget about the cameras; “I certainly don’t think about when I’m up there commentating, that’s for sure. Sometimes it really is [easy to forget about it] and you have to be very professional and remember you are there to provide a service to the watching audience and I have to check myself and make sure I explain the action, rather than just enjoy it, but when someone pulls of an amazing move or shot, I can’t help but enjoy it.” The fact that Paul does genuinely enjoy the matches though is what makes him such a great shoutcaster to listen to. “If I can help other people become enthused about what we enjoy through my genuine enthusiasm then that’s fantastic and exactly what I would hope to happen.”

Preparation for an event is something which is seen as extremely important. According to Paul it is the key to the job. Sometimes you won’t need it (if the game is going great) but sometimes if the game is boring or flat, the preparation really pays off. Before the CGS shows he would spend three to four hours every evening of the combine reading mock drafts so that he would be ready for the draft. This was that so he would have a good idea who would be picked. Before the live shows it was four to five hours of preparation that would be done each night, making notes and statistics sheets for himself, Fatal1ty and djWHEAT.

When having to learn a totally unfamiliar game, Paul will spend weeks playing them and getting to know the communities; “I like to fully understand not only the game I’m commentating but the general feeling and players of that community too. Sometimes that’s easier than others. For example, when Quake 4 came out it was pretty easy as I already knew most of the players and the game itself. But for example, learning Dead or Alive (DOA) was much harder. Not so much as a game to play, but to really understand the skill involved and the players who play it really well. I’d say I’m still learning DOA now, three months on from starting to play it. It really is very technical and far more so than the naked eye would see.”

Being a good shoutcaster though is more than just the above. “There are lots of things, but sadly some of them you are born with and they can’t be trained, so I guess you could say some shoutcasters are just lucky they have a great voice for radio or TV.” You must be well-informed, incredibly well prepared, know the ins-and-outs of the game and sincerely enjoy what you are commentating on. “I dont think casting is difficult and most people could pick it up very quickly, but it does take something extra to become someone who is respected for TV work and used time and time again, such as djWHEAT or Stuart “TosspoT” Saw for example.”

Still, there are very few English speaking professional video game commentators today and that does say a lot. Paul loves his job and his main goal is to bring professional gaming to the level where a mainstream audience can watch, understand and enjoy it regularly, like any sport. “I love the actual job; it never feels like a job to me, ever. Nothing is ever a chore for me whilst casting videogames.”

Click here for Pro Gam3r Magazine’s Article. Interview: Paul “ReDEyE” Chaloner.

By Alex Meswarb

Just earlier, I thought how some of Team Fortress 2’s capture point maps had designs that would be great for capture the flag (CTF)as well, and that it wouldn’t be too big of a leap to decompile them and put flags in. Valve apprently has thought the same thing, and saved me the time of doing so as ctf_well was released last week along with some other minor bug fixes. ctf_well is for the most part the same as cp_well, with the large rooms with rockets removed. In addition to this, two entirely new maps will grace servers everywhere at some point in the next two months. Of these, Goldrush will showcase a brand new gametype, and the other, Badlands, will share heritage with an old favorite from Team Fortress Classic remade.

Goldrush features a mine cart one team must push to the other side of the map, through the opposing team’s defense. The more players within close proximity to the cart, the faster it moves. This simple yet clever game mechanic promises to provide some very fast, frantic gameplay. Additionally, Valve plans on breathing new life into the old classic Badlands. Badlands was a very frequently played map in Team Fortress Classic, almost to the degree of Counter-Strike’s de_dust2. Those looking to relive days on ctf_badlands may be in for a surprise, however; the new version will be very different from the original much in the same vein as ctf_2fort and cp_well have changed. Badlands has changed to the Capture Point gametype, and its layout has changed significantly, putting more emphasis on vertical movement.

These new maps aren’t the only new content slated to be rolling out soon. Valve announced last month that they would be incorporating some major changes to TF2’s balance and gameplay. In many cases, gamers would shudder if a company made such an announcement. However, Valve has an excellent record of tweaking and balancing game mechanics and for good reason too: they track everything. The Washington based studio keeps metrics on everything essential to their product; they conduct hardware surveys, and they look at what goes on in-game. They see what weapons are killing people the most, how often classes are being played, and they even create heatmaps of where deaths happen on different levels. All of this data contributes towards balancing the game with surgical precision, revealing things such as the fact that the soldier’s rockets account for 25% of all the damage that occurs in the game, and that the medic is the least played class. Valve decided to tweak the medic, and gave more incentive to play as one.

Included with the two new maps are two additional weapon loadouts. There will also be 32 new medic achievements. The weapon loadouts will be unlockable, with the first being unlocked after a player reaches 16 of the new achievements, and the second after the player gets all 32 of them. The first unlockable is called the “Overhealer”, which allows a medic to effectively double the health of a player upon healing him. Conversely, he builds his ubercharge considerably slower, and Valve is toying with the idea of disabling it altogether. Not much is known about the second loadout, other than its rumored to be called the “heal ray”, causing some to speculate that it will be an area of effect heal, curing multiple people instead of just one at a time.

Valve looks to be keeping Team Fortress 2 fresh for now, and new content and updates like those posted above should keep the game interesting for a very long time. Valve plans on revisiting each of the nine classes in the same way as they have the medic, so we should be seeing updates like this very far into the foreseeable future.

http://www.sirlin.net/archive/super-street-fighter-2-turbo-hd-remix-gameplay-part-1-design-goals/