How do you think the equipment you use helps you play better?

With the PC being an old beast, it is the equipment that plugs into it that makes the core difference for me. My G5 Logitech mouse coupled with my Qpad provides the seamless hand to game response that is required when competing at the highest levels. The Creative Fata1ty headset I have provides the robust sound performance I require. Other then that I am happy with the Logitech keyboard I have (serial connector), but for tournament purposes I recommend getting one with a USB connector (saves rebooting and getting sceptical looks from admins wondering what you’re up to!).

How did you get into professional gaming?

After two years of online gaming, I got involved with the World Cyber Games in 2000, qualifying from the UK to compete in South Korea for Age of Empires. Since then I have been a regular competitor at various UK and international eSports events. The opportunity to travel and be rewarded financially through playing video games is one of the most amazing things about pro gaming.

Was it an easy decision to become a pro gamer?

To be honest I have always considered myself more of a dedicated gamer rather then a ‘pro-gamer’. I like to reserve the latter term for those few who dedicate their lives to the activity, they are the ones who stake their lives on their competitive abilities and deserve an exclusive title because of it. I constantly juggle the demands of professional gaming with the responsibility of having a successful career, it is a source of tension for myself, which makes the decision to remain a dedicated gamer a difficult one as I get older.

How'd you join Team Dignitas?

As soon as I heard there was to be a World Tour for World in Conflict I immediately contacted Dignitas. T hey were already considering forming a team and shortly after providing my ‘gaming credentials’ I was asked if I would like to join.

What are your favourite games?

Strategy genre in general, World in Conflict, Civilisation4 and Supreme Commander excel within this category!

Who's your toughest opponent?

Myself! You will meet many skilled players as you compete professionally but I have always believed that if you don’t win you can look no further then yourself. You lose when YOU are not good enough, not because someone else is better! How you deal with the challenge of making sure YOU reach the top is the single hardest thing any gamer will ever face!

What's your favourite gadget?

Modern gadgets are both fun and useful but I would have to say, and this might be stretching the term somewhat, the humble water pump! When I’m retired I fully intend to create an extensive system of pumps and pipes that will enable me to habitually flood my garden in an amusing manor (got to keep that grey matter active somehow!).

Tell us something about one of your team mates we don’t know…

Zaccubus loves the rain, yet often finds himself at the mercy of the water gods! The story goes that he was saved from drowning off the coast of Brazil during the 2005 Painkiller World Tour. He has vowed to perform an Eskimo roll if we attend the Brazilian World in Conflict Tour stop there this year, demonstrating to one and all that he is fearless!

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