Call of Duty 4

Gamereplays.org had the chance to interview Snatcch, the leader of Pure E-sports just a few days ago. Currently ranked second in North America, Pure E-sports plans to show the competetive scene down in Europe a demonstration of the vigor lurking within their battle-hardened roster. Before they left however, the team agreed to an interview with us, which was conducted between Snatcch and Verdo.

Verdo:

Hello and thankyou for agreeing to this interview. I would first like to ask how you and your team feel about being one of the only North American teams to attend the lan games in Europe this summer, and which team(s) do you think will the biggest threat towards Pure E-Sports success in Europe?

snatcch:

It's a great privilege that we play under an owner who keeps his word when stating that we will in fact be traveling to Europe for these upcoming LANs (I can think of a few organizations who do not and it's a pretty funny joke). In regards to how it feels, it hasn't really hit me yet; I don't know if I'm excited or nervous, I guess we'll see. We've been trying to stay focused and not get caught up in all the big name sponsors that will be there. Our biggest threat? There isn't a single team participating in either Outpost On Fire or The-eXperience that I don't consider a threat: we're the visiting team in every single match, and the Europeans won't be so eager to let us win on their soil.

Verdo:

Back in January of this month, you were asked a question in an interview with GotFrag where they asked about your close match with Pandemic in CEVO. You replied saying,

We made some necessary adjustments to our strats on both sides that worked to our advantage and adjusted our comms a little more to help us out. As for overcoming them, I suppose we're just going to have to prepare a little harder and have clean and positive comms come match time.

We would like to know if those same adjustments in strategy and comms will be used by your team at the lan games in Europe this summer? If not, could you shed some light on alternative ways your team will be preparing for the summer event?

snatcch:

Since we have a different lineup than that of January, we have made a vast amount of changes to the way the team functions both in-game and out. Some of the adjustments that have been core values to the team have stuck around (particularly our practice habits), but in terms of in-game tactics and strategies we have switched it all up. We're currently preparing for the summer events by practicing and adjusting here at home, but we'll be flying out to Flak's place a few days before we leave for Europe to bootcamp there, and we will be arriving in Europe two days early to bootcamp with some of the teams overseas.

Verdo:

What does the team like to do when they are not playing Cod4?

snatcch:

I'm currently pursuing a career in law, so right now I'm making sure I have everything set to apply for law school. In terms of recreation, I enjoy engaging in social functions that most people my age typically attend. If I remember them or not is a completely different story.
The rest of the team tends to socialize outside of the game, and it takes a few phone calls to get everyone online at the same time to practice given that everyone's schedule varies. I myself am currently taking a few summer classes to finish up my undergrad by September so there are times when I cannot be online.

Verdo:

In February 2009, TCA staff of the North American branch ranked your team as being the second best in North America behind Team Pandemic in North America. Do you believe that your team is indeed rank two in North America, and if so, have you made any significant attempts or changes in your team structure or strategy to usurp the title of "Best Clan" from Team Pandemic?

snatcch:

I personally believe that the rankings given in February should be thrown out the window, given the changes to the North American scene since then. Do we believe we're the second best in North America? No. It is the goal of every member of this team to be the absolute best team before we leave for Europe. I don't believe Pandemic or MoB Gaming will let that happen so easily, but with the changes in their roster and/or the activity level fading because neither team is attending any LANs soon, so there is definitely some room for defeat.

Verdo:

What do you see as the future for the eSports industry? How long do you think Cod4 can stay as a popular online first person shooter?

snatcch:

I think here in America the economy needs to begin to recover before we see any significant advances in eSports. Right now the sponsors are reluctant to spend money on tournaments for their product advertisements because they don't have as much money to spend as they used to. I'm personally just hoping it can come back to the way it was earlier this decade when gaming was on the rise and it was an exciting time; CPL champion was the coveted title and sponsors would give out around $100,000 in each event. The Call of Duty series has never really seen a big tournament like that, but hopefully MW2 will open some people's eyes the same way COD4 did and bring more attention to the competitive scene within the community. In terms of COD4's shelf-life, it is correlated with the release of Modern Warfare 2 (like almost every other COD game).

Verdo:

We frequently see professional sports stars saying how honoured they are to play, compete or perform for their country. How does representing your country make you feel and does it put any extra pressure on you knowing that you are the only other U.S. team to attend the lan games this summer?

snatcch:

It's definitely an honor to be considered a team that is "representing" America. However, it does add a bit of pressure on us as individuals because we may feel that we need to live up to what other North American teams did last summer. We aren't concentrating so much on representing our country so much as competing with all the different professional teams and attempting to come out on top. Being the only American team to attend these LANs is just a bonus.