Bsl, these last few years of gaming we have seen you make the transition from a player to a manager for theCGS and since theCGS went down we have seen you offering your skills as a commentator for the World Cyber Games, firstly I would like to ask what made you take the offer to become a manager for theCGS franchise team “Berlin Allianz”?

I had succeeded as a player and fulfilled the goals I had. After I stopped playing I worked as a journalist and felt I was done with the competitive side of esports. But the offer from CGS and the challenge that lay in it made me really want to try it – and that’s why I accepted.

You, unlike some of the managers for theCGS, always kept busy, we could see you actively doing news on the team website, getting the team involved in promotional events and photo shoots. Do you feel like this helped the team mentally knowing they had support?

I don’t know. I certainly agree that I was more visible than other GMs. Some took the great wages we received for granted and felt like they didn’t need to work for it. My position was that I need to work hard for the team and the concept and league. I didn’t want it to fade away because of lack of effort. As for how that was perceived I think you need to ask the players how they felt I was as a GM.

You are known as a professional Counter-strike player predominately from Counter-strike 1.6, you were now a manager of a team with Counter-strike Source players, FIFA, Project gotham racing and Dead or alive players, did you worry about what you could offer to the players from the other game genres?

I did, prior to the first draft. I was honest though and knew I had zero experience with any games outside of CS. However, after five minutes on the floor of the first combine I felt confident. The traits you need to succeed in competition are the same whether you play CS or FIFA – and I was looking for people with those traits. It didn’t matter that I did not have the first hand knowledge of the other games.

Now theCGS is over and you are seen mainly commentating in gaming would you see yourself going back to management if the right offer ever came up or is that part of your life over?

The thing with CGS which made it stand out from everything else in esports was that it offered a salary system that equals that of the real world. That made me, a 27 year old at the time, able to put in the time. The biggest problem with esports is that we are at virtually the same amount of prize money as we were in 2001. The salaries for players and managers are also infamously low. This is why most people have to get other jobs or quit the scene altogether as they grow from their mid twenties. That’s sad. I would love to continue to work in esports. But right now, it seems it is hard to be able to make enough cash to justify the time and effort while knowing there are bills to pay at home.

You were a feature writer for Gotfrag from june 2007 to October 2008, how much did you enjoy that job and did your work at Gotfrag help you obtain your current job for Norways oldest newspaper?

I absolutely loved the time at Gotfrag. Their vision at the time, of sending people to cover the events, was something I also identified with. I worked hard to help provide the best possible coverage for the community and the reader and that definitively helped me evolve as a journalist. As for the job I have now I did that part time in the newspaper while I was still at Gotfrag, and doing CGS so I was very busy at the time. I feel sad that Gotfrag now has crashed. And I don’t think there’s a site out there that can offer the same independent coverage of esports events. That’s sad and a problem for the community.

You have always been seen as a motivator in gaming, whatever role you do. You always seem happy and you are very charismatic, do you see this as the reason why you have adapted into so many different roles and teams? For example playing with MIBR and being part of the first truly international team (NoA).

It’s hard to come up with a definitive answer here. In my own identity I just think that I am the kind of person that can get stuff to work, and people to work together. When I also was an accomplished player those traits helped me in building top teams in several different parts of the world. Again, the traits you need in the US are the same as those you need in Norway and Brazil. You work with human beings so if you can find your “recipe” then you can work anywhere – and I think I found mine to help me get stuff to work.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years time? Do you think you will still have some involvement in gaming?

I can only say I hope so. As for looking into the future I won’t embarrass myself by trying. There was never a time where I thought I was going to be a pro gamer somewhere down the line, nor did I think I would be on TV worldwide as a manager and I certainly never saw myself doing mainstream journalism. I guess we’ll wait and see how the world spins :)

For anyone out there looking to go further in gaming whether it is as a player, management or other what advice would you offer?

Work hard. Don’t ever make promises you can’t deliver on. Be honest with yourself and others. Work hard.

(bsl the world round traveller)