World Cyber Games. Destination: Italy.

Atomic: Why is Counter-Strike still a part of the World Cyber Games?
NR: It’s still the number one game. You can’t beat the gameplay. If you watch the atmosphere in [the finals] you can see why it’s still so popular.

We went on to discuss opportunities for gamers to make it to events like the WCG and the growth of gaming culture in Australia. They think that given its profile, CS is one of the best, most accessible and most established launching pads for displaying professional gaming.



Atomic: What other games are you playing currently?
NR: A bit of Warcraft every now and then, but that’s about it…we don’t have time between working and training.

This came as no surprise, seeing as though they are going to Italy to represent Australia as CS specialists. But against the backdrop of the WCG, could they be forgetting that there were more recent games available that should be making an impact on the Pro Gamer scene?

Atomic: Do you see an exposure problem for new games while there is still such a focus on the 7 year old CS at this level of competition?
NR: Not really. If the game’s good enough it’s going to come out no matter what. There have been new games that are being played here [this year], like FIFA and Halo.



They acknowledged that gaming in Australia was a niche market, and that although it was growing, it wouldn’t draw the kind of fans that Korean Starcraft Pros get any time soon. Their advice to those who want to follow in their footsteps: Don’t quit your day job, because gaming at this level is so hard to make a living from that they haven’t quit theirs.