Player Team Playmakers

Name: Kristoffer Demandt Hansen
Date of Birth: 8th of January, 1988
Sex: Male
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
School Form: College (Copenhagen Business College)
Marital Status: Girlfriend
Occupation: None
Likes: Clean headshots!
Dislikes: Receiving clean headshots :(
Food Preference: Pizza
Favorite Song: Differs from week to week!
Favorite Movie: Same as the above.
Motto: "What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger."- Friedrich Nietzsche

Gaming Related Stuff:

First Game: Doom, I think... was 2 or 3 at that time ;)
Playing CS since: beta 6.6
Awards: (None international tournaments, only national)
5th ESX/CPL preliminary qualifier 2004
1st LANWorld.dk #1
5th cXg qualifier, Sweden
5th Net-X Tournament 2004
4th LANWorld.dk #4
Weapon: Colt M4A1 Carbine
Config: --
Favorite Player: zone
Favorite Clan: Don't got one in particular
Former Teams: xiapho, vivid, edge & Boomtown Copenhagen

Hello Kristoffer, please introduce yourself to our readers!

- Hi! Since you already know my name and age, I'll jumpstart a bit: I've been living in a small town called Dragoer my whole life, but moved to Copenhagen in October 2005, and I love it here! In the weekdays I go to "Niels Brock Handelsgymnasium", or "Niels Brock Copenhagen Business College", where I hope to graduate from in 2½ years. I have a girlfriend through 14 months now. I play a little bit of guitar, and workout 3 times a week to keep fit!

Besides that, I've had a complete break from computers and gaming for 13 months, until January 2006. On the side I am like any other teeenager I believe... hang out with my friends, go to the movies, stuff like that.

The international eSport scene is growing bigger by the day and is getting more and more professional. What is your opinion about it, do you see any cons?

- I think it's great! The media, and people in general, are really starting to open up towards gaming as a competetive sport. Every gamers dream is about to come true: the prize money is elevating skyhigh, tournaments are getting covered by international media, and the whole plot of gaming is blending into the world of sports. Finally those who have fought for gaming are getting what they want: approval! Cons? No cons about gaming!

As long as you have the time and discipline to stay fit, I mean, workout and stay active besides gaming everything is just fine. As long as one can prioritize, concentrate about education, work - whatever you do - I don't believe anyone will encounter damage, physically or mentally.

Let us say you would appear on a big TV show were you would have to explain how Counter-Strike works to people who didn't know how the game works, how would you go about it?

First of all, I'll of course break it down into the basics of the whole game, the sense- well, what it's all about. I'd start off by telling them that CS is a teambased game, where you play 5 vs. 5, which has two sides to it:

The anti-terrorists and the terrorists. I'll explain how the maps works as arenas where you fight eachother, and which mission each team is on. The CT's (or the Counter-Terrorists) will defend two bombsites, by strategically placing the 5 players on spots of the map to defend it. On the other hand the terrorists will
organize their attack against these two spots, having a primary target to hit at with help from certain elements of the game.

How do you manage to play Counter-Strike on a professional level without letting it affect to much of your personal life?

- In these times it's tough being a player besides having schoolwork or a job, etc. One can typically only play at evenings, which pretty much eliminates the sparetime you got for homework, your girlfriend, etc. As I said earlier, it's only about prioritizing your time. In my case, my girlfriend have been really, really understanding about the matter. She was of course a bit sceptical in the beginning, but she realizes the opportunities that lies ahead by investing time in this game... sport. Therefore she also have given me the time I need to do my thing, work with the team, practice and all that comes along with it. My view on leaving personal stuff behind you is a bit mixed: some lives for the sport, some lives for the music, others live for having a working career, but I don't like the attitude letting everything else go... not in general, that is. Personally, my dream is to compete at the top, go to CPL, ESWC, WCG, travel the world and just have loads of fun while doing so! If that means leaving stuff behind; then be it.

You are going to attend SHG Open, where teams like NoA, SpeedLink, Alternate Attax and a lot of other top teams compete. What is your goal for the tournament?

- Our goal at the moment is a top5. But recently mTw.aTi and mibr announced their arrival, so that goal's gonna be a tough one. Anyway, we hope for a top5, but with only 2½ weeks to go, and taking into consideration that we're a completely new team, maybe that is an ounce too optimistic. We'll see when the time comes!

At which point of competetive Gaming are you right now in your oppinion?

- I consider myself as a bit too rusty, but I'm getting there. I can feel that we've been doing some intense playing this week, and taking into account that there's 2½ week to go, I think I'm "fit for fight" at shgOpen. My 13 months break have of course had a huge impact on my career as a player. The game has strategically changed, new players and teams have come to surface, and my status as a player has been decreased a lot; but what can one expect?

What has been your greatest moment in eSports so far?

- Winning LANWorld.dk #1 back in the days, think it was 2003, near 2004 where I made my breakthrough with vivid. And then later on traveling to Sweden to compete against top teams like SK.swe and EYE at café [9]studios, when
they were at their best! A fun and great experience for me. But I can't brag about the amount of experience besides the national tournaments I've attended... at least not yet!

What do you think is your teams strenght, and what is it that seperate you from any other highskilled team?

- Well, I'd believe it's our chemistry. Really. We've all been good friends for a hell of a long time now, and playing together only improves our friendship. Individually I am sure believe we have what it takes to break through the border and go to the top, if we stay together.

If you were to give advice on how to become a professional gamer to young talented players, what would you say?

- A lot of factors come to my mind, but first of all: STAY together! That is my number one advice, and it will always be. If the talent doesn't lack, there is simply no reason making changes in the lineup. However, it's of course just as crucial that the team fits together socially - that is besides staying together the most important factor of them all. Having fun, being able to handle when things go bad, and situations alike is what arms a team and makes them growing stronger.

Playmakers is still a pretty new team. But how does the team prepare for upcomming Events, and how do you prepare for matches on internet?

- We try to stay in shape by playing everyday. Both doing aim maps, 1on1's, 2on2's to improve our aiming skills, and of course 5on5's to improve our strategies and such. We go over our tactics once more, talk them over, try them out, doesn't work? Try it again! I believe we do as any other team: play, play and play!

How do you think you'll be remebered? Maybe for the special weapon handling, aiming, timing or your continuity?

- My ability for shooting through nearly every wall I can get to shoot through! Well, here in Denmark, I've been known as an extreme aimer alongside with zone & whimp (the wonderkids from Dragoer). Although I consider myself more a strategian than an aimer, but that's how people tend to look at a player. They don't see what I see, you know what I mean?

Hehe, sure! Who do you think will place at the top3 at the SHG Open?

- Playmakers... playmakers...... playmakers! Nah, I think mibr will blend in the top3 together with teams like fnatic and NoA.

- I discovered it on a CD-Rom I bought with a PCPlayer magazine back in 1999 or such. I installed it, played it, told my friends, got hooked. 7 years later, and I'm still here! I don't think it's the game in general. Yes, it's loads of fun, but also a bit sloppy built. I think it's more the scene, and the whole hype around the game that attracts me. The competetive side, the social side of it. I've actually never really tried out playing the above mentioned games competetively.

What are your thougts on Counter-Strike taking up as much time as it does, do you feel you get enough time for your "real life" ?

- I try hard to mix both of them, my life as a player and my real life. It's really, really important that I prioritize my time with the school, workout, and especially with my girlfriend. It can be hard, and we've talked it over a dozen of times, but she is alright with it, when I need to practice for tournaments.

Who in the eSports Scene do you really look up to, and why?

- Since I started, I've been a fan of Potti. His playing style is one of the greatest, or was one of the greatest; I don't know actually anymore, but that would be him.

Heaton for example is famous for his posture, sitting really close to the screen when playing. Do you sit close to the screen or play in a ceartin way?

- Haha! Yeah, well... I don't tend to do so, cause I've already damaged my sight by sitting in front of a screen only running 75Hz when I started out playing. I'd say I sit infront of it midrange. If I get into a clutch situation, or a situation where I really need to depend on hitting the opponent straight in the head, I can of course go real close to the screen.

What do you think is the best about competetive eSports?

- The scene and the people! It's fantastic. When you get to know them, that is. It's still a bit too closed for new talents, and some tend to be a bit arrogant, but I won't dig further into that right now. But I'd say it's the fun you have with the people you know that makes it all worth it!

I guess we are done with all the questions now you can thank someone or do whatever you like, Thanks for the Interview!