

It’s Tuesday morning, and after much poking and prodding, Cognitive Gaming’s Kaeyoh has agreed to talk with me. He is one of my best friends, and I know how private he is, but he gives in to sharing his views on Smite and some insight into his personal life. It’s early, but he’s already smiling his shy smile as we say hello.





Good morning! Thanks for doing this; I know how much you hate things like this. Let’s start with the basics. Do you have a real life name you’re okay sharing and how old are you?

Kaeyoh: Sure, my name is Kurt Ocher, and I’m 22 years old.



And how tall are you? All the Smite players so far seem to be giants.

Kaeyoh: 6'0.



Another giant!

He laughs and smiles here at the idea of being a giant.



So do you go to school or work?



Kaeyoh: As for school or work, I do a little of both. Freelance writing and web design are my job outside of Smite, and I'm working towards a BS in computer science eventually.



With all that height, did you play sports in high school?



Kaeyoh: Nothing super competitively, but I did play basketball and water polo with a team.





He’s a little softer spoken here. It’s obvious he doesn’t like to brag about himself.



Water polo?! That's a different sport, how'd you get into that?



Kaeyoh: My close friend who is from England actually. He took me to a practice, and I enjoyed it and continued playing it throughout high school. I actually miss it a lot; it's difficult to find a place or group to play it with here.

The friend I was talking about, he continued with it and is now coaching pro water polo teams and playing for the national team back across the pond.



That’s awesome! Water polo is like soccer in the water, right?



Kaeyoh: Yeah, basically.



Very very cool! So where is here?

Kaeyoh: I live in Florida, on the west coast.



So what do you do outside of Smite for fun?



Kaeyoh: Usually I'm playing other games with the team or friends, quite honestly. Sometimes I go out with our little local Smite community here. I also enjoy playing guitar/piano. Besides that I'm watching shows or playing some other game for fun!



What kind of games do you like to play? Like, what's your favorite game to play to relax from smite?



Kaeyoh: I like games all across the genre spectrum. Usually playing some new sandbox MMO with friends like DayZ or Minecraft, but I also sometimes enjoy getting into a big rpg. Just depends. I've been enjoying Scrolls and Cube World a bit lately. Looking forward to FF14.



So what’s your favorite food?



Kaeyoh: In honor of my fallen comrade Stermes, bacon.



He and I both laugh at this. I try to picture him munching on a strip of bacon. I can't. I can see from the set of his shoulders that he’s finally starting to relax a bit.



Favorite color and why?



Kaeyoh: I like deep orange because it looks nice.



Got a girlfriend or boyfriend?



He looks tense again, and I feel a little guilty asking knowing what a private person he is.



Kaeyoh: Negative.



Any relationships at all?



He gives me THAT look, the one that tells you you’re pushing your luck, but he still answers.



Kaeyoh: Not right now. I’ve had relationships in the past, but I don’t really have time right now. I’m not into casual hook ups.





I feel a little guilty dragging all of that out of him, so I move on.



So let's talk Smite. You've always played ADC, right?

Kaeyoh: Yeah since BLG days, my competitive role has been ADC(or side lane carry since for awhile it was mages I was maining). I play the other roles outside of team practice and feel comfortable on all.



Why the ranged adc? What about that role appeals to you?



He looks comfortable again now that we’re talking Smite. His eyebrows do this (in my opinion, cute) little draw together showing that he really is giving my question thought.



Kaeyoh: I like being the 'shred damage' of the team and putting out consistent dps in teamfights. as well as being that siege tool for the team. I am also good at keeping myself alive, and so it works well being on ADC where you need to survive teamfights to keep the sustained damage coming.



What advice would you give to people who want to become pro players?



Kaeyoh: Lots of meaningful practice. Don't just grind games without goals. Analyze your play and constantly think about how you could improve.

Watch pro replays/tourneys and learn the meta, in Smite there a lot more subtle unintuitive metas with the patches adding big curveballs (like double jungler). However don't just copy the best players, find out how to counter the current meta and implement that into your strat.



Kaeyoh asks for a break at this point so he can go meet up with Lass at the gym. He promises to come back and finish after the workout.





When he does come back, I’m happy to see he kept his promise. He has that post workout glow on his face, and his hair is still wet from the shower.



So, how was the workout?



Kaeyoh: It was great. Lass and I worked on chest today, so it was intense.



Since the splitting of the EU and NA scenes, they've both developed distinctly different types of play. What do you think the difference is?



Kaeyoh: Both regions have some really talented players, but to be honest I don't think the styles are that different. It's hard to say with the drastic changes coming regularly in each patch. Both regions are doing things to innovate or capitalize on the new metas.



So who is your favorite god to play and why?



Kaeyoh: Probably Neith. It fits my play-style well and I love being able to secure kills across the map in ganks without having to commit my presence to that part of the map (like Apollo). Her backflip takes priority over most cc abilities in the game, too, so she can survive aggressive kill lanes.

How do you think HiRez could expand the competitive scene?



Kaeyoh: I think they are doing a great job so far. One big thing I would love to see is more opportunities for amateur teams to work their way into the top tier. Having amateur only tournaments with a prize would be great. Currently most new teams that want to give the tournament scene a shot end up facing the number 1 or 2 seeded teams and get crushed first round; which is only disheartening.



Speaking of tournaments, I hear you’ve been invited to Pax Prime! Congratulations and how do you feel about it?



His eyes light up like he’s five and it’s Christmas morning.



Kaeyoh: I'm super excited for PAX!!! I can't wait. Those events are so much fun. The prize is pretty big so we are really working hard to get ready. Having four full teams there is going to be awesome.



What do you think about the ddosing in the EU tourneys?



Kaeyoh: I think ddos'ing is an issue in all online tournaments and part of the responsibility falls onto players to fix and protect themselves against it. It's really unfortunate that its consistently happening to the EU teams. HiRez has stated they are working on a pause feature, which should really help with these situations.



It’s almost time for the patch notes, and I know he’s anxious to watch so he can start theory crafting.



Anything else you want to share before you go?



Kaeyoh: Thanks for the interview! Shout-outs to my teammates from Cognitive Gaming. Thanks to Hi-Rez for making this great game and their support of the competitive scene. I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone at PAX!



I’ve been Kaeyoh’s friend for a little over three years now, so I knew coming into this interview how likeable he is once you get to know him. He really is one of the most friendly and down to earth people to talk to, and while he takes Smite very seriously, he never lets it keep him from being his shy, sweet self. If you’re lucky enough to meet him at a tournament, you’ll see exactly what I mean. He’s always nice enough to play a few matches after the patch release with me, so if you see Kaeyoh playing with someone who’s feeding, that’s probably me. It’s Tuesday morning, and after much poking and prodding, Cognitive Gaming’s Kaeyoh has agreed to talk with me. He is one of my best friends, and I know how private he is, but he gives in to sharing his views on Smite and some insight into his personal life. It’s early, but he’s already smiling his shy smile as we say hello.He laughs and smiles here at the idea of being a giant.He’s a little softer spoken here. It’s obvious he doesn’t like to brag about himself.So what’s your favorite food?He and I both laugh at this. I try to picture him munching on a strip of bacon. I can't. I can see from the set of his shoulders that he’s finally starting to relax a bit.He looks tense again, and I feel a little guilty asking knowing what a private person he is.He gives me THAT look, the one that tells you you’re pushing your luck, but he still answers.I feel a little guilty dragging all of that out of him, so I move on.He looks comfortable again now that we’re talking Smite. His eyebrows do this (in my opinion, cute) little draw together showing that he really is giving my question thought.Kaeyoh asks for a break at this point so he can go meet up with Lass at the gym. He promises to come back and finish after the workout.When he does come back, I’m happy to see he kept his promise. He has that post workout glow on his face, and his hair is still wet from the shower.His eyes light up like he’s five and it’s Christmas morning.It’s almost time for the patch notes, and I know he’s anxious to watch so he can start theory crafting.I’ve been Kaeyoh’s friend for a little over three years now, so I knew coming into this interview how likeable he is once you get to know him. He really is one of the most friendly and down to earth people to talk to, and while he takes Smite very seriously, he never lets it keep him from being his shy, sweet self. If you’re lucky enough to meet him at a tournament, you’ll see exactly what I mean. He’s always nice enough to play a few matches after the patch release with me, so if you see Kaeyoh playing with someone who’s feeding, that’s probably me. Edited 1 time(s). Last edit by xFoxtrotx , 1 month ago at 12:43 am on Jul 24th.