A closer look at the effects of pure, unadulterated energy fused into the game.

Like most of the people who are reading this piece, I started to get hooked on Call of Duty around when I was 14 years old. Black Ops 2 was the game where I hit the peak of my skill and love for the game. The community around me was fantastic and I enjoyed the game immensely. But there was something else that helped solidify that game in my memory as one of the best gaming experiences I had ever had. The ability for it to be an outlet for me.

Almost everyone that has attended high school knows that it comes with its fair share of ups and downs. Even though as we grow up, those problems seem less and less innocuous for our future, at the time, they were of esteemed importance. And more and often than not, I found myself exacting all that stress onto the virtual avatars of my enemies. It helped me decompress, as twisted as decompression via virtual war seems, it helped me indeed. And sometimes, it helped me work on some repressed anger, letting out a few screams of triumph here and there.

That decompression of emotion, when put to the pro scene, takes the form of what we like to call ‘hype’. Whether it be a clutch two piece in Search and Destroy to win the ninth round, or a streak of seven kills that shuts the enemy team down, you can see the emotions out on the stage. And what prompted me to write this article was one person in particular who participated in the Global Pro League this past weekend.

For anyone who is a neophyte to this world, the most apposite personification of energy in today’s game is James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks. One of the most decorated and respected veterans of the esport, Clayster has done it all, on not one but many rosters over the years. Be it the Call of Duty Championship with Denial or X-Games with OpTic, he has been a household name for the past half a decade. And if not for his immaculate gun skill or plethora of knowledge, then it is for his passion and energy that he is lauded. Every map there is always an instance of Clay’s voice resounding around the arena, echoing in the hearts and minds of the people watching and competing. But coming into this weekend, things were a lot more different for him than usual.

Clayster has always been an opinionated and vocal player, qualities which made him the leader of whichever squad he was on, both in and out of the game. Hence, there were multiple instances in his career where he has had a clash of heads and has been dealt the short end of the stick. Being dropped from the likes of Complexity, OpTic and now most recently FaZe, Clayster came into this weekend as a member of the menacing eUnited line up. But due to some issues in his personal life (of which he was highly vocal on social media!) and the circumstances surrounding his departure from FaZe, many people were worried for him. But he assured us all that he will bring it all, the fire that made him what he was was lit again. He had the hunger and the desire to prove for once and for all, that he deserves to be considered an all time great.

The eUnited squad in the past with Gunless had been somewhat of a timid roster. You would not find clips of Silly or the twins, Arcitys and Prestinni getting up and getting loud after a series or a map win. And that aggression, along with his leadership skills, was what Clay brought to the team. The effects of the change were immediate. The roster ended day 2 with an impressive 3-1 record, dropping a close series to Red Reserve and ended up qualifying taking the first seed. But it was a moment during their Search and Destroy against Red that encapsulates what I want to talk about.

In round 6 of their last map, Clayster in the final moments cuts through trains and gets a two piece in middle map to finish the round. Immediately after we see Clay standing up and letting the EU players know what he had done with some choice words. And in the immediate next round, he pulls out the sniper and gets the first blood near barn. That is exactly what I love about the man. He uses his anger and aggression and transforms it into focus. It seems that he elevates himself onto a new level after doing something good in the first place. Its a snowball effect that quickly turns into an avalanche.

That is the type of energy in this game that I find is somewhat undervalued. Not to say that players like Clay are underrated, but his effect on the overall energy of the team in my opinion goes somewhat under the radar.

However, this time around, that effect was more than apparent. The tweets from Burns, the general manager of the eUnited squad are evidence. His energy is highly infectious. Alec was seen after multiple rounds getting up, high-fiving his teammates, something that I have never seen him do previously.

Now someone whom I haven’t spoken about in detail but want to definitely mention in this conversation is Trei ‘Zer0’ Morris, the Stage One MVP for Splyce. As a player who has come in his own recently and started dominating competition around him, I would be remiss if I did not mention him in a dialogue about hype. One of the main slayers in an extremely talented European roster, Zer0 for me checks every box in the requirements of being a top player. Gunskill. Knowledge. And of course, the tendency to get loud enough so that his voice can be heard even through the crowd mics.

And at the risk of being disparaged as too serious or boring, I would like to bring up a rather contentious comparison. During the times of war, yes war; hear me out first before laughing or clicking off the article, many forces are well known to have their own war cries. A emotional beckoning that is used to excite or rally the troops. ‘Ooraah’ is one used by the U.S Marine Corps till this day and perhaps on the more frivolous side was the one used by the Vikings : ‘Odin Owns You All!’

The reason why I mention this is not to create a false equivalency between gaming and war. I do not want to be misconstrued in any way. I only do this to highlight some reactionary impulses people have in stressful situations. War cries and shouts have been used since time immemorial to rile up the troops and get them ready. It is vocal resonance being used to catalyze energy.

And that is all in all my point. I grew up an angst filled teenager, frustrated with what I saw and in need of an outlet. This game provided me with one. Helped me deal with emotions I did not fully understand. And this weekend and really all throughout his career, Clay has done the same. He came to the MLG Arena filled with a sense of wanting to prove himself, to prove that he belongs and he did. And I guess I could say something clever to end this that will make you satisfied as a reader but I think I will let the man himself see you off…

Clayster : https://twitter.com/Clayster

Burns : https://twitter.com/Potthoff

Picture Credits : https://www.redbull.com/gb-en/will-optic-gaming-win-x-games-call-of-duty