Anja Suder is the girlfriend of professional CS:GO player Finn “karrigan” Andersen from Faze Clan, who was recently loaned to Team Envy to participate in the American Minor and, hopefully, in the Major. Since he spends the majority of his time traveling around the world to different events and tournaments, it can get hard to maintain a healthy and durable relationship. We had the chance to talk with her about this topic, as well as others related to her life and Finn’s.

Hello Anja. Let’s start the interview with you. Could you tell us a little more about yourself, what do you do, hobbies, etc.?

Anja: I’m originally from Aarhus and moved to Copenhagen to study psychology, where I’m about to start my 6th semester, so that means I am almost done with my bachelor. I’m having the elective course “sports and esports psychology” next semester, which I’m really looking forward to, since that’s what I’m planning to work full-time in the future, once I’m done with my masters and hopefully do more of that part-time next to my studying before that too. I’ve been interested in psychology for many years, so my high school was done with the goal to get into university to study psychology and meanwhile I’ve been exploring the world of esports. Every exam where I could decide for myself what I want to write about has been about esports and the gaming community, so I’ve already immersed myself in subjects like “professional esports athletes and competitive personality,” “the effect gaming has on socialization, friendship and peer-group,” and “how gaming can develop and improve certain social skills such as cooperation and communication.” I would love to further evolve the esports scene by working with motivation, performance, and overall well-being from a psychological perspective.

For my interest in gaming, it started very early, as often it’s influenced by older siblings. I have 2 older brothers and one of my first gaming memories was with my oldest brother, who brought me to a gaming café when I was 7 years old, gave me a Snickers and a Coke and showed me Counter-Strike 1.6. He was controlling the keyboard, I was controlling the mouse and he told me when to shoot every time we saw an enemy. My brothers and I always bonded over gaming in one way or another, either by playing together, me spectating them, or going to events together. My oldest brother used to play in a Danish team called “GateKeepers” for a while, where he became best friends with Sunde. Because of that, my family and me began following the esports scene back then to watch how Sunde did when he moved to mTw, and that’s how I got familiar to it from a young age. The older I got, the more I started playing myself, with my brothers and friends I made in the game.

I don’t have much time for hobbies, since my study requires a lot of time, so that is really my hobby, but I really love to cook. My family is from Poland and we have an apartment in Kraków that we travel to every summer. There I’m volunteering at an animal shelter and would love to be able to spend more time doing that.





How did you and Finn meet?

Anja: We met first time at the first Blast Pro afterparty in Copenhagen. It was really late at night and the club was closing. We didn’t really get to talk much, we were in a smaller group and I was about to go home. So, he made a call, that they all make sure that I get safely on the train and he didn’t want to leave the train station until the train arrived, I got in and the train leaved the station, because it’s not safe to leave a girl alone at that time of night. We then met again for IEM Katowice after the finals, where we go in a smaller group to a bar Sunday night. Suddenly he remembers me as “that girl that lives in Charlottenlund (right outside of Copenhagen) who’s name is Anja and we had to make sure got home safely” and we started talking. We spend the entire night on a bar, drinking tea and talking until the shuttle to Kraków at 10. After that we started talking every day, hanging out as much as possible, and getting to know each other for a few months before we started dating.

Anja and Finn on their first vacation together, in Barcelona.

What made you attracted to Finn? Do you remember some of the first qualities that you noticed about him that you really liked?

Anja: There’s something special about Finn that is really noticeable when you talk with him, but also when you take a step back and spectate. He has an incredibly positive energy around him. If we are out in public, he treats everyone with respect. When he meets a fan, you can genuinely see how happy he gets and he tells me time and time again how much he appreciates interacting with fans, because they are the reason for why he is able to do what he loves. He has an amazing humor, it’s contagious wherever we go. If we’re in a cab, he makes the driver talk and laugh, when he meets new people, all I see is smiles from everyone. You can genuinely see how he makes others feel good, just by the way he is. I remember one time, we went to a shisha café in Cologne and there’s a fan approaching him.

I noticed 2 other guys watching from another table for a while, who seemed a bit too nervous to approach him. The first guy asked for a picture, and the two others came to ask for one as well. Long story short, they all end up sitting with us, looking at fan-made videos on YouTube, talking about CSGO, and exchanging advice. Another story, we were in Tivoli (amusement park in Denmark) and a young boy was with his family. He saw Finn, his jaw dropped, and he froze, like, unable to move or say anything. Finn walked back, asked him what’s up and they talked for a while and took a picture. What I’m trying to say is, that his interaction with people is so heart-warming and so genuine and I could honestly sit back all day and be a spectator to these things.

As for me, he has from day one showed so much respect. We took it really slow going into the relationship; he said that no matter what, if this will be a relationship or just friendship, he wants me in his life, one way or another. There more I get to know him, the more amazing sides I see of him. The first night meeting him shows how caring he is. The situation with other people and fans shows, that he is like that to everyone, he doesn’t have any hidden intentions when being a good person, that’s just how he is. He is extremely intelligent. I can have long talks with him about everything in life, even about my study, because even though he hasn’t studied psychology, he has so much wisdom and intuition about people, that it’s an easy and learning conversation for both of us. We really got to know each other, before we started dating, and during our talks I knew immediately that he is very intelligent.





Were you already familiar with CSGO and esports in general before meeting Finn?

Anja: As mentioned before, with my family, I have been. I’ve been to 5 CSGO tournaments before Finn and I started talking together. The atmosphere, the games, and the community are what kept me coming back and now it’s the same and also adding the honor of being a part of Finn’s professional career.





Having a relationship with a professional esports athlete can’t be easy, especially with one that plays a game as big as CS:GO. The traveling and days spent outside Denmark can really have an impact on you both. How do you deal with the time away?

Anja: At times, we don’t get to see each other as much. When he is at home practicing, we spend time together in the evening or during their dinner break. If he’s travelling, we find time to text and talk with each other. We’re both busy during day, he is with practicing and I am with my studies, so I’m not sitting around and waiting for him, which I think makes things easier. When we have time together, the quality is so high, which is, in my eyes, more important than the quantity. But obviously, we try to spend as much time as possible. But when we do spend time together, we often talk with each other about what’s going on in our study/work life, so we supplement each other in that way. Anyway, we have time in the evening when he is home. If not, then we talk and message each other every day.





Do you often go with him to events? What is it like for you to be at these events with him?

Anja: I’ve been lucky to have the opportunity to come with him for many events. It’s interesting for me to come to these events, because I get to visit countries and cities I’ve been wishing to see for a long time, go to an amazing event and watch some great games and, also, I get to see how he works. It’s interesting for me in many ways, especially for my studies. I get to see team structures, how much work and dedication people put into it, it inspires me for my studies and also, I get to see more of Finn and see more sides of him, how he is in a competitive environment, where his passion truly shines through.





And when you stay home, do you watch all of his matches and cheer him on?

Anja: Yes, I try to watch every match. Obviously if it’s in a time zone where I have to sleep and I have lectures the following day, I can’t be up watching (well, I shouldn’t be, but sometimes I do). If he’s playing during my lectures, I check the scoreboard on HLTV to see how’s it going and if I have the time, I watch the games either alone, with my family or Finn’s family.

Facetiming while Finn is away at tournaments is part of their lives.



How did your family react when you told them that your boyfriend makes a living from playing video games?

Anja: No surprise, since we’re a family that has known esports ever since 1.6, so it’s not surprising for them that you can make money out of playing video games. All that mattered to them was that he treats me right and he had to come to my hometown (Aarhus) with me to get to know him and approve of him before we could officially date, and they did more than approve of him, they loved him instantly.





And how do they feel about his career now? Do they support him and ever watch his matches with you?

Anja: My mom watches every game she can, unless it's during work hours. If not, I have to call or text her and tell her how it’s going. If I’m in my hometown, we do watch together though. My brothers try, but since they also have busy studies and have work on the side, they more use HLTV to keep up with results. Anyway, they all support him and keep up with how he is doing.





Now that Finn is on loan to Envy, who are based in America, he’ll be further from home. How do you feel about this new opportunity for Finn?

Anja: I think it’s a great opportunity. He was from the start being very considerate of me, he wouldn’t make the decision before talking it through with me, so making me a part of the decision means a lot. He gets to show his amazing skills and talent once again, seeing him being fueled with passion and dedication, being in front of the computer, prepping and practicing, from 11 am to 3 am, does not only amaze me, but also motivate me to also put all my energy into my passion for studies. I’m proud of him every day and think he deserves nothing less than to show what he is capable of doing. On top of that, he gets to spend time in another country, which is also a great experience and he gets to play and work with some really good people in Envy. Of course, I miss him when he’s away from home for a longer time and I might have shed a few tears when he was leaving, because I knew I wouldn’t be seeing him for some time, but that’s only because it feels so good spending time with him, so essentially it’s a good thing to be a bit sad.





Life is not all about professional gaming of course. What do you two enjoy doing together outside of gaming?

Anja: When he finishes late, we usually chill at home, watching Netflix or meeting up with our friends and hanging out with them. Some nights we do our “hygge”, make some popcorn and tea, put on a movie/show/comedy, and enjoy each other’s company. As much as he loves playing, after a full day of games we do something away from the PC, because everyone needs a break from what they’re doing all day every day.

We have already been on many holidays together, this is also the time were we really get to spend some time together. If there’s a pool or a sea, we make sure to bring a ball to play together. We also enjoy getting to know the local wildlife at our holiday destination, every breed of birds gets a made-up name based on its looks or sound and ever since we’ve been snorkeling at coral-reefs, we are looking for places where we can do that.





His career had a lot of success but also some rough moments. In these rougher moments, how do you support him?

Anja: When he’s having a rough time, I focus on reminding him of who he is, how talented and accomplished he is. Being a professional gamer and a public person, you will experience criticism and often you’re your own worst critic. It’s a part of being as passionate and ambitious as he is, so sometimes it’s about reminding him of objective facts. He has an amazing fanbase and I often get very supportive DMs from his fans and I show every single one to him. When Finn is having a rough moment, he always knows what to do, he does his studies hard and he is very quick to find a solution and together we talk about the pros and cons of what solutions he sees as the best fit. I’m not the one to tell him what to do, because he knows what to do, I’m there to ask the right questions, so he is completely confident in his decisions.





If you had to imagine him in another job than a pro gamer, what job do you think would suit him best and why?

Anja: To be honest, if he wasn’t a pro gamer, he should be a comedian. I’ve never seen someone being so quick to come up with jokes. He’s so good at reading other people. When we’re having a friendly banter, he can imitate me so well that I can’t even be mad, it’s just so spot on. He loves having a good time and it’s clear to see i.e. on his tweets, you never know if what he is writing has a hidden meaning in it.

As a serious note though, he has an MSc in BA and Auditing, so obviously he has the full knowledge behind that. But he’s that kind of person, that no matter what he puts himself up to, he would be able to accomplish it. But I think he will stay in the scene, as a coach or something like that, since he has a huge talent in listening to players wants and needs, recognize their skill and potential and is able to utilize it.





Do you have any final shoutouts to the readers?

Anja: First of all, thank you for reading. I also want to thank the community for making people like Finn be able to do what they love so much. Being in a highly competitive environment can at times be stressful, even though the players love it and thrive in it, so having such a big part of the community supporting the players, write them encouraging things, and follow their professional career is really beautiful.

Also, a shoutout to Finn, for showing me what love is, how happiness can be shared between two people and for all his support in making my dream in my personal and professional career become a reality. Shoutout to his family, who has taken me into their loving life and showed nothing else but compassion and warmth. Shoutout to my own family, for being supportive also in every aspect of our lives and my brothers who made me into a gamer and made me become a part of this great community.





I want to thank Anja for her immense collaboration during the interview! Be sure to follow her on social media:

Instagram

Twitter

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