2GD Interview

Over the course of your career you have probably seen more sides of eSports than anyone else, from being a player, to team manager, then from eSports manager to caster/host and managing a studio, and you are even leading the production of Reborn. What have been some of your favourite experiences, and what can you see yourself doing in the future?





Winning the biggest MechCommander tournament (entitled WW3 haha) at a young age of around 15. The tournament was a 3v3. It felt very cool to lead 2 medical students, who went on to become doctors, to victory. But the camaraderie and sharing in the moment was amazing. I still have them on Skype to this day. They're very good at telling me what kind of STD I might have.



Going to my first big LAN event, Insomnia by Multiplay in the UK. The excitement of meeting everyone was not containable, I was on a permanent high the whole event. I still remember that feeling, and my Grandparents even took me, bless them.



Being scouted as talent to play for UNR in Q3 by 'Rude'. I was pretty bad compared to Blokey and others at first, but having someone believe you were good at your passion and willing to give you the opportunity to be more. It really fueled me to see how far I could go.



My first UK Quake win. It was the 1v1 RA3 Covlan tournament. It wasn't so much the win, but instead having a crowd of people behind me watching, and hearing their comments between rounds on my Shaft. I don't get so many people commenting on that these days, but maybe that's a good thing.



Commentating an Unmatched (legendary German team) TDM game on Winamps Shoutcast plugin back in 2004. Only 20-40 people tuned in, but it felt exhilarating to do something I didn't know I could do or not. I seemed to pull it off, as I got a lot of encouraging messages via IRC.



Signing a contract to be a professional gamer with Dignitas back in 2004. ODEE even spoke to my parents before I signed. It felt nice just to look at the contract once I got it, It felt more like a ticket than a contract. A pass to do something I loved. I went to America for the first time because of team Dignitas, It was awesome.



Finally making it to the finals of a major event at Quakecon. I beat Jibo & Cooller to get there. It's always a great feeling when hard work pays off.



Encouraging Toxic to play better after losing his first Bo3 vs Fatal1ty in the finals of WSVG in NYC. The whole crowd was cheering for Fatal1ty. I thought Toxic needed a bit of encouragement or support from the crowd. He went on to destroy the series and was crowned the Quake 4 world champion. I selfishly felt I was a small part of that. But it was great to see a friend win something I felt he deserved. I'd been looking after Toxic throughout the event since his English was particularly poor. We even shared a hotel room which came with one bed. I slept on the floor since I figured he would need good rest for the finals.



Running Fnatic as GM. I'd like to think Sam Matthews is great at spotting talent. It was really enjoyable to be given the opportunity to assist in the running of his company. I learned a lot here, and got amazing opportunities to grow as a person. I was overly under qualified to do the job though



Hosting the eSport awards for ESL. I was really drunk throughout the show and made a lot of jokes. I didn't think I'd pull off a semi stand-up comedy show & hosting, but it seemed to work.



Meeting & working for Stunlock Studios on Bloodline Champions. I've never been surrounded on a day to day basis by such a talented and enjoyable group of people. Not to say the GD Studio guys aren't great, but Trance needs his regular happy meal to cheer him the fuck up



Hosting DreamHacks SC2 Invitational in 2011. It was my first time back hosting after 2 years, and to a new audience. It was a very enjoyable post event read on team liquid. Felt good to host again.



The ending of our first GD Studio show in March 2012. Was awesome sharing the evening with the very happy and talented team which are The GD Studio.



Playing the first Reborn demo. It was shit. Only jking



All the positive emails I get from the community. I remember a lot of them. I think the one that hit home with me was an email from a viewer, stating after watching us on The GD Studio he felt it was acceptable to play video games in his life, and generally was getting on with life with a more positive attitude towards who he is as a person. James: Favourite experiences; well it's been a lengthy journey, so let's go on an adventure!Winning the biggest MechCommander tournament (entitled WW3 haha) at a young age of around 15. The tournament was a 3v3. It felt very cool to lead 2 medical students, who went on to become doctors, to victory. But the camaraderie and sharing in the moment was amazing. I still have them on Skype to this day. They're very good at telling me what kind of STD I might have.Going to my first big LAN event, Insomnia by Multiplay in the UK. The excitement of meeting everyone was not containable, I was on a permanent high the whole event. I still remember that feeling, and my Grandparents even took me, bless them.Being scouted as talent to play for UNR in Q3 by 'Rude'. I was pretty bad compared to Blokey and others at first, but having someone believe you were good at your passion and willing to give you the opportunity to be more. It really fueled me to see how far I could go.My first UK Quake win. It was the 1v1 RA3 Covlan tournament. It wasn't so much the win, but instead having a crowd of people behind me watching, and hearing their comments between rounds on my Shaft. I don't get so many people commenting on that these days, but maybe that's a good thing.Commentating an Unmatched (legendary German team) TDM game on Winamps Shoutcast plugin back in 2004. Only 20-40 people tuned in, but it felt exhilarating to do something I didn't know I could do or not. I seemed to pull it off, as I got a lot of encouraging messages via IRC.Signing a contract to be a professional gamer with Dignitas back in 2004. ODEE even spoke to my parents before I signed. It felt nice just to look at the contract once I got it, It felt more like a ticket than a contract. A pass to do something I loved. I went to America for the first time because of team Dignitas, It was awesome.Finally making it to the finals of a major event at Quakecon. I beat Jibo & Cooller to get there. It's always a great feeling when hard work pays off.Encouraging Toxic to play better after losing his first Bo3 vs Fatal1ty in the finals of WSVG in NYC. The whole crowd was cheering for Fatal1ty. I thought Toxic needed a bit of encouragement or support from the crowd. He went on to destroy the series and was crowned the Quake 4 world champion. I selfishly felt I was a small part of that. But it was great to see a friend win something I felt he deserved. I'd been looking after Toxic throughout the event since his English was particularly poor. We even shared a hotel room which came with one bed. I slept on the floor since I figured he would need good rest for the finals.Running Fnatic as GM. I'd like to think Sam Matthews is great at spotting talent. It was really enjoyable to be given the opportunity to assist in the running of his company. I learned a lot here, and got amazing opportunities to grow as a person. I was overly under qualified to do the job thoughHosting the eSport awards for ESL. I was really drunk throughout the show and made a lot of jokes. I didn't think I'd pull off a semi stand-up comedy show & hosting, but it seemed to work.Meeting & working for Stunlock Studios on Bloodline Champions. I've never been surrounded on a day to day basis by such a talented and enjoyable group of people. Not to say the GD Studio guys aren't great, but Trance needs his regular happy meal to cheer him the fuck upHosting DreamHacks SC2 Invitational in 2011. It was my first time back hosting after 2 years, and to a new audience. It was a very enjoyable post event read on team liquid. Felt good to host again.The ending of our first GD Studio show in March 2012. Was awesome sharing the evening with the very happy and talented team which are The GD Studio.Playing the first Reborn demo. It was shit. Only jkingAll the positive emails I get from the community. I remember a lot of them. I think the one that hit home with me was an email from a viewer, stating after watching us on The GD Studio he felt it was acceptable to play video games in his life, and generally was getting on with life with a more positive attitude towards who he is as a person.

You've now been the host of the previous two Internationals. What are your thoughts on how it has evolved, and what do you think can be improved for next year? Are there things other tournaments can learn from The International? Are there things Valve can learn from other tournaments?

James: Valve and the community have been learning from each other for a while now. I generally feel Valve make very calculated steps regarding improvement with the International, but I'm very sure they are aware of the communities efforts. The better we are outside of the international each year, the better the International will be. That's all I know for sure.

With the departure of SingSing to Kaipi, has there been any discussions on the future of QPAD Red Pandas?

James: QPAD will support the remaining players, which will give them time to build up a new team if they wish. QPAD are really good with players and understand team dynamics. A lot of the staff there have played in CS & Battlefield teams so they are very understanding of the situation

Korea's Dota 2 scene is starting to ramp up. Do you think the Korean eSports engine will be able to create top tier Dota 2 teams? If so, when do you think we will start to see them?

James: I'm certain Korea will produce top tier teams, the question is when. I guess I'd say sooner than we expect.

If you were Icefrog for a day, what is the one balance change you would make, and what is the one thing you would add to the game?

James: I'd improve Axe's late game presence, he's overly good early and mid game, but when you get to late game it doesn't matter how well you play, you feel somewhat under-powered. As for what change, I'd just make him more manly... if that's even possible!