We’ve met the people incharge in Reason over the past week, now it’s time to meet the staff members. Today we speak to Orcl, head on content within Reason gaming. This is the first in another “Meet the” series, this week, meet the staff, you’ll get to hear from each staff member and get to hear about their lives, their video games background and their place within Reason.
Hey Oli, we’ll start simply, how did you get into video games?
For me this is always a hard question to answer as I’m not sure what would be my first definitive step into video games would’ve been. Growing up, my brother was always the one with the console and playing all the new games. I don’t really remember what I used to do at that point, I played with him a bit but I was never really that into it. When I got into secondary school, I became friends with a group that played Runescape – who doesn’t miss that? After playing that for a while, I discovered the world of Counter-Strike: Source after visiting a friend’s house and I instantly wanted to buy it.
So how did you make the transition from casual video games, into E-sports?
Unlike some, my first experience of Counter-Strike was not that pleasant. My first PC was a disaster, I could only play fy_poolparty or fy_iceworld and with no more than 9fps, plus the fact my PC would literally shut down if I was hit with a flashbang – which my friends often took advantage of, these same friends also introduced me to a way to stop being flashbanged, little did I know it would result in me needing to by Counter-Strike again on a brand new account! With these problems my entry into eSports was delayed. It wasn’t until a few years (and a VAC ban) later that I learned competitive video gaming even existed. My friends introduced me to it and I soon began playing IRC matches with them, and before long I had nominated myself to be the team leader. From there I slowly began to kick them all out one by one and replace them with people who I deemed better at the game – CSS in a nutshell!
With so many established gaming orgs out there, it has to be asked, why Reason?
Having realised that I had likely reached the peak in my CSS “career” when I came 4th at Epic LAN 5 with LiNK, I had decided taken a step back from competing, and began working with Cadred.org to do coverage. The guys from Cadred taught me a lot in the field of eSports journalism, so I personally have a lot to thank them for. I had not been very active for quite a while when I saw that Reason had changed hands. I knew the guys behind it, and with my new camera that I’d just bought myself I knew that it was a fantastic opportunity for me to get back into the field. Reason gaming is an excellent name to be associated with; however had it not been for the new team behind it, I don’t think I would’ve been here.
So now you’re part of the Reason Gaming staff, what exactly is your role?
Currently my role here at Reason is to make sure the content that we produce is up to standard, and that everything gets released on time. Alongside writing news and features, I will also be producing video content for the YouTube channel, such as the Reason teaser that was released, and taking photos/videos at events.
Where do you see Reason going over the coming years?
One thing that everyone here can be sure of is that we have big boots to fill, however I know that we have the perfect team to fill them. Personally I want to see Reason above and beyond its former glory as one of the leading eSports organisations in the world. With the rapid expansion of competitive gaming in the last couple of years there is a lot of competition; however I hope that in the future we can be recognised as one of the best.
Finally, what advice would you give people interested in working in E-sports?
One thing I learned whilst working for Cadred is that you need to have the time for it. I had to step back from my work there due to commitments to my studies which I now have under control. Another key feature required to be successful in eSports is a passion for it. It is definitely not a place to make a quick buck, unless you have talent in one of the big games, but for those behind the scenes, it takes work. Last but by no means least, you need to accept the changes that will inevitably occur during your time in eSports. Games will come and go, and you must let them. Those that are successful may not be your favourite, but if you are in it for the good of eSports, you must accept it.
