STACK #181 Nov 2019

GAMES FEATURE

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How do you stay focused in the lead up to a competition? I stay focused by doing mindfulness. Mindfulness keeps me level headed and focused on the competition. Who are your arch-rivals? I would say our arch-rivals are Wildcard Gaming. Over the past year we have played them several times and all the games have been close. It's only been recently that we beat them in Pro League, but regardless of the results the competition between us and them is always high. How does the Australian esports scene differ from the overseas market? The Australian esports scene is still in its infancy unlike Europe and North America. Organisations in EU and NA can give teams more support like a full time salary, support staff and a workplace. This is more than what your typical Australian organisation can offer. What set up do you use? Razer DeathAdder for my mouse; Razer BlackWidow/Huntsman for Keyboard; Razer Hammerheads for my in-ears; and Razer Gigantus for my mouse pad. How closely do you work with your sponsors? We work with our sponsors very closely. We promote our sponsors' gear online and whenever we go to an event, we'll always go to their booth and promote their merchandise. How do you see esports developing globally? Global esports is on the rise and this year proves that with competitions like the Fortnite World Cup, LoL World Championship and the Dota 2 International. Esports is rising and I have no doubt in my mind that there will be bigger tournaments than this in 2020 and beyond. Esports is still a new industry and I'm intrigued to see where it will be in 10 years from now. What advice would you give to people trying to break into esports? If you want to be a professional gamer you have to put time and effort into the game you want to succeed in. Try and strive to be the best and compete in local and online tournaments, but most importantly just have fun.

Founded in early 2018, Oddity are already making waves. STACK spoke with Jake 'God_Legion' Harris. Words Adam Colby ace ODDITY

How has the pro-gaming scene changed since you first started? The gaming scene has changed drastically since i started playing professionally. There has been tournaments such as the Fortnite World Cup with the $30M prize pool, and the Dota 2 International with the $35M prize pool. When I first started playing there wasn't any events cutting close to these numbers. What does an average day look like for you? I wake up somewhere between 8 and 10am. During the day is my "free time" so I do what I can; if I get burnt out from [ Rainbow Six ] Siege , I can wind down playing another game during this time. 5pm is when practice starts, and practice can consist of

Scrims, VODS and dry runs. Practice can end anywhere between 8 and 9pm or even later; the times can vary day to day.

Our team strives to be the best in Australia

What are your – and the

team's – ambitions? Our team strives to be the best in Australia and with

our current results from Season X of Pro League, we feel like we are close to achieving this. We just need more time together as a team.

Jake 'God_Legion' Harris

20

NOVEMBER 2019

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