Could you please introduce yourself to our readers?
Hello, my name is Emil Christensen AKA HeatoN, I am 20years old, live in Stockholm, Sweden, and plays counter-strike in Ninjas in Pyjamas.
When did you first come in contact with Counter-Strike?
I think it was about 4 or 5 years ago, my friend showed it for me at an internet café and I really liked camping on the roof on assault with the "super-sniper"
So I downloaded it when I got home and played it a little bit then & then, and started to like it more and more.
When did you decide to start playing Counter-Strike seriously?
Well when I played in Nostradamus I got a brand new computer, and I started to get a lot better, and I knew there where a lot of tournaments coming up so then I started to play real serious.
What has your career looked like so far?
Well for the first couple of years I played in some semi-elite clans like Online, HIFI etc and about 3 years ago I got a chance to play with the best (NiP) and from then on I have always played on the highest level and started out by winning CPL Holland, and won 8 more CPLs until now and a lot of other tournaments Like the WCG etc.
Where do you see yourself in two years?
In two years?, Not much difference actually except i am playing Source- Pro mode and e-sport have grown a lot and its more accepted as a sport, more media coverage and a lot more money involved.
How far do you think the sport will have evolved until year 2006?
Well I think there will be a lot of esports on television, the media coverage is a lot bigger and a lot of bigger companies like Coca-cola etc are major sponsors for both teams and tournaments and I think a lot more people have started to play by then.
How come you joined up with Ninjas in Pyjamas?
Well our contracts ran out with SK and we couldn’t agree about next years so we decided to go separate ways, and NiP has always been mine and a lot of the others players home so when we got in contact with people that could stand behind the team to play on this level the choice where really simple, and it feels great to be "home"
Could you describe the players in your team?
Hyper: Our ingame leader, Very smart both tactical and ingame, have played with him for about 5months now and I can really see how our teamplay/tactical part have improved a lot since he joined the team, and also Hyper is the smartest and the best USP player I have ever played with, Probably the most complete player in the world today.
Ahl: as everybody knows ahl pretty much never have a bad game, he always plays stable and does what he is supposed to, but when the team really needs it, he is just one of a kind, just like vs. NoA and SpiXel during Nollelva LAN. Micke is also a very funny and nice person and we have a lot of fun IRL too.
Fisker: If people think fisker is weird just because of his "fisker-face" then people are very wrong, he is a thousand times weirder then that, always making us laugh for hours with his crazy ideas & funny jokes, and in game he is well known for his AWP-ing skills and crazy colt sprays, together with amazing reflexes which makes him one of the best AWP players in the world.
Potti: The guy who gave me a chance in NiP, and been my best friend ever since, the nicest guy who recently hade a little break from Counter-Strike, but are now back on track with NiP. And for the gaming part I don’t think Potti needs and introduction, his achievements speaks for themselves with his crazy Aim and game reading, he is for sure the best individual Counter-Strike player ever.
SpawN: i have played with spawn for a little bit over a year now, and he have become a really good friend of mine, and developed a lot as a Counter-Strike player since he started to play with us. Best aimer in the world with really great reflexes and the ability to win a lot of 1v3, 1v4 rounds etc makes him really important for the team.
Which events can we expect us to see you guys play in 2005?
Well from the end of February when our preparations are done, u will see us at all the big events that use 1.6 or Source: Pro-mode.
What do you think about the Swedish E-sports League(SEL)?
Well a good idea, but it could have been so much better, and I really liked the "event" form they used the last time, to bad they are going to stop with that.
How is your team different from your former team?
Well in game this team is the same as SK, but we are all a lot more motivated now running our own team and don’t have anyone owning us , telling us precisely what to do and what to say etc.
What other games do you play besides Counter-Strike?
Not really, I play some GTA: San Andreas on play station, but that’s about it, all my time with the computer goes on to Counter-Strike stuff or Counter-Strike related.
Do your parents follow your results and accomplishments and to they support your gaming life?
Sure, they are really proud of me and what I have done so far and I have a lot to thank them for, for supporting me so much, in the beginning they where really negative about it cause it effected the grades / My ice hockey training etc, but when they finally understood how big it was and how much I liked it, they started to support me as much as they could.
What do you think is the most important ingredients in making a successful Counter-Strike team, name three things?
Talent, Motivation and that u fit together as persons.
What do you do on your spare time apart from Counter-Strike?
I love to watch Soccer & Hockey, other then that it’s the usual, going out partying, watching a movie, relax with friends.
Which map do you think is the most interesting map to play in a tournament and why?
Well Nuke is by far the most fun map to play, but an interesting map in a tournament I would say Train.
How much time do you spend playing Counter-Strike each week?
Depends on, some weeks when we are free I only play maybe 5-10 hours per week, and on a normal week between tournaments its maybe 5-10 hours per day 5-6 days a week and before tournaments its Just Play eat sleep for 1 or 2 weeks. And yes of course it affects your life, you miss a lot of fun stuff to do, but I guess that’s a price u have to pay to get good at anything.
What do you think about Counter-Strike Source and Cyberathlete Professional Leagues decision to support it?
Well I think its maybe 6 month to early, source is not a good game for competitive playing and they really should wait until its updated or the "pro-mode" are out, but on the other hand I understand the organizations that run the tournaments, of course there sponsors wants the game to be as demanding as possible, and thereby sell new parts to the computer, but I can only talk for us, we will not play source until its really fixed or the pro mode is out, its suppose to be fun to play!
Could you share one of your best moments throughout your Counter-Strike career?
Well the happiest moment of my Counter-Strike career was winning the CPL Winter 2001, or when we turned the game around and won @ WCG 2003 on train vs. 3D, the feeling can’t be described.
What do you think about the Counter-Strike community in general?
I think have gotten a lot more mature the last year, of course there are some idiots flaming, whining and trying to destroy for the others, but now as much as it used to be, and that’s really great and helps getting community to grow.
What are your current motivations and long-term objectives for the Team/League/Organisation?
For the team it’s to become nr1 on at least 50% of the tournaments this year, u cant win everything when some teams have a lot of luck, even tough you are the best so I think 50% of the tournaments should be quite nice for us, and for an organisation is of course to give the players a high monthly salary, as well as percentage for all the money the organisation makes.
What would your all-star team look like, and why?
Like NiP right now, I think a really successfull team needs to be from the same country and talk the same, and we have the best players from our country.
What do you think has to happen in your country to make Counter-Strike bigger then it is?
Well basically EVERYBODY between 14 and 23 plays counter-strike in Sweden, the problem is it’s a closed world for the adults, they don’t know much about it except that its a lot of people playing it, and I think the way to get the older people understand it, its by using media a lot, and I really think in maybe 10 or 15 years that e-sports will be as big as Hockey or soccer when "our" generation sits on the high positions on different company’s & TV-stations.
Which event do you think is the best event to attend for a gamer or spectator, and why?
As a gamer, CPL For sure, everything is always great there never a problem. And for a spectator I would say ESWC, its great to spectate, but playing there is not so good with a lot of fps drops, Mono-sound headphones on stage with 2-5 seconds delay voice COM, that’s NOT professional gaming, let’s hope they have fixed it for this year that would make the event great.
If you could change one thing in the game, then what would it be?
In 1.6, maybe the sneaking speed, takes like forever to sneak around or that u can jump and shoot with deagle, that where pretty fun, otherwise I love 1.6 just as it is.
Speed questions:
Colt or AK47?
Colt for spraying, AK for bursting
AWP or Scout?
Scout
USP or Glock?
USP
AUG or SG552?
Aug
Terrorist or Counter-Terrorist?
Counter-terrorist
Player or Spectator?
Player
fRoD or Ksharp?
kSharp
Team NoA or Eyeballers?
Eyeballers
Ninjas in Pyjamas was newly reformed again after you left the SK organisation but it doesn’t seem like the whole deal is finished when it comes to Hyper, is he released from his contract or not?
Hyper is Free from his contract and are now playing for us in NiP, I don’t know if the SK organisation tries to just screw around with us, or that they just don’t want to realise the truth.
How is your relationship to Andreas aka bds after all this?
Well all this where strictly business, and I don’t have any personal problems at all with Andreas I wish him the best of luck in the future.
You announced earlier that you have gotten a "real" manager that is used to work in the real world that is going to be in your board, how do you think this will help?
Well I think apart from "normal" sponsors that have a big connection to gaming, I think that he will make other big company’s that aren’t related in the same way get in to the scene, and also building an organisation really professional that haven’t been seen before in gaming.
When is your website going to be launched?
In the beginning of February.
Will we be seeing NiP in the second World Tour stop that is being held in Spain that will be featuring the new CS:Source?
Unless the Pro-mode are out by then, which I doubt, Then no.
Ninjas in Pyjamas has become a legend and even with your strong team doesn’t it feel like you have to do your best to keep the legend alive, how will this affect your gameplay?
Of course we have to win, that’s what people want to see, and we will make everything in our power to win everything possible and always be the nr1 team. And how this would effect us I don’t know really, we always hade this pressure on us in SK, the only difference is that we enjoy playing CS a lot more in NiP.
Schroet Kommando has become a huge brand but they lost there flagship, will they ever recover from this by taking in another Swedish team?
Of course SK will live, but they will most likely never be as big as they where, there whole website etc where building around us so I really cant see they ever get up to the same level again. But I wish them best of luck!