Pro gaming is a phenomenon around the
world. Gamers are preparing for the Intel Extreme Masters competition in
Cologne, Germany this August 15-19. Scotland’s Stephen “Snoopeh” Ellis serves
the dual role of player and manager for team Counter Logic Gaming Europe
(CLG.eu), who are currently at the top of the European scene and striving to
dominate the world scene of Riot Games‘ League of Legends.
As the only European player invited to the
Riot World Invitational 2012, he is a well-respected member of the pro gaming
community. Ellis weighs in on the European front of eSports and offers his
interesting perspective on how League of Legends could rise to the top of pro
gaming a lot sooner than some believe in this exclusive interview.
Q: How did you get involved in eSports?
A: I have always been passionate about
eSports ever since the early Counter-Strike days; however, over a year ago I
got picked up by SK Gaming after being noticed in the solo ladder. I started
out initially as a sub, then a sixth member which led to me attending my first
major tournament at Gamescom as a spectator. Witnessing the games live in
Germany drove me to get really serious about gaming. I became part of the main
line up – attending events such as Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) New York and IEM
Guangzhou, where we placed 2nd and 3rdrespectively.
Q: What attracted you to League of Legends?
A: My initial attraction was the fact it
was free to play and a bunch of friends and I transitioned over from EVE
Online. It was my first MOBA Game and I was a little sceptical at first,
however through perseverance I gradually became better and I enjoyed climbing
up the solo queue ladder chasing after the elusive Rank 1. I loved that I
didn’t have to pay money to unlock things. I got unlocked things and tried out
different team comps with friends. It was a very enjoyable experience.
Q: What has been the key to the success
your team has had to date?
A: Obviously, we are all top players in the
game, but I don’t believe that’s our key to success. The hardest part of
building a competitive team is the communication and learning to depend on
other people. When you lose, it’s not necessarily your fault and sometimes out
of your control, this can lead to mounting frustration, which isn’t what you
want in a team environment. We are one of the few teams that when things aren’t
going our way and we might be behind in a game, we maintain our focus, we
communicate clearly and bide our time to make a comeback. This was evident in
our group stage game at Dreamhack 2012, where we came back from a 27,000
deficit against Moscow 5, considered one of the best teams in the world at the
moment.
Q: What do you feel differentiates League
of Legends from the growing number of MOBAs out there?
A: Not only is League free to play, it’s
also very forgiving of the casual player – you don’t have to endlessly grind to
unlock parts of the game. It’s also known as being “Easy to Learn,” but “Hard
to Master” which is fantastic for the average player who doesn’t have the time,
nor the patience to practice as much as I do. With the work Riot Games does
doing frequent updates, the game is engaging. Riot Games works on responding to
the community feedback by creating fun map modes which are great to play with a
group of friends.
Q: What impact do you feel the $5 million
Season Two prize has had on the growth we’ve seen of League of Legends?
A: I actually wouldn’t contribute the $5
million prize pool to being the main contributor to League of Legends growth
because only a fraction of the players will ever even come close to competing
for that money and League was experiencing accelerated growth globally even
before the announcement. As an eSport however, it has most certainly helped
with its growth. It set a very bold statement in the games industry and as such
we’ve seen a lot of professional players from other games transition to League
of Legends as a result. It also helped make it feasible for professional
players to commit more time to the game, which in the past especially for team
games has been very difficult due to the lack of money.
Q: What type of harbinger do you feel the
popularity of League of Legends in Korea is for things to come in North America
and Europe?
A: Since arriving in Korea for the AZUBU
OGN Tournament, I have been very impressed by the production quality of their
studios and the fact League of Legends is the most popular game shown on OGN
TV. The gaming culture in career is very far ahead of North America and Europe
– with Germany maybe being the exception, I think we still have a long way to
go and could learn a lot from the Koreans.
