Cyberfight: Hello, please introduce yourself?
BLUEman: My name is Patryk Kawnik… but many of you know me as BLUEman. I’m a Head Administrator on ESReality.com and my online interests are primarily in eSports. I’m eighteen years old and I live in Toronto, Canada. I enjoy playing hockey, football… and of course WarCraft III: The Frozen Throne. I also like long walks on the beach and…

Cyberfight: Be honest: How old do you actually feel yourself?
BLUEman: There are days when I feel like I’m eighty… not wanting to get out of my bed at all… and there are days when I feel like a regular Canadian eighteen year old… also not wanting to get out of my bed.

Cyberfight: What would you like to become and why?
BLUEman: That’s a tough question. I’m at that point in life where I should really decide this… I think I’ll stick to my wanting to become a paramedic in real life. However, online I’d like to become someone who influenced the eSports community in positive ways. I really don’t know if either of these will ever become a reality… but I really do hope so.

Cyberfight: Do you play any regular sports?
BLUEman: I play football (soccer as many people here know it) and hockey on a regular basis. Personally believe that if I were to discontinue this, I’d end up being out of shape… even though I’m not muscular or built or anything like that. I’d like to take up cycling though… can’t find the time for it unfortunately. I’ll be starting up Ping Pong next week. ;)

Cyberfight: What was your dream while you were a child?
BLUEman: It sure as hell wasn’t to become an astronaut. I recall wanting to become a hockey superstar… hockey for me at that point in time was a really big thing. I watched every single Toronto Maple Leafs game that was possible… don’t forget that I was eight. You really have nothing better to do at that age here in Canada.

Cyberfight: Would you classify yourself as a creative person?
BLUEman: I’d like to think so… however you wouldn’t be able to see this trait in my online life. You probably won’t believe me when I say this, but I was the guy who invented Ziploc bags.

Cyberfight: Do you believe in God?
BLUEman: I believe in God… but I also believe in the whole "karma-based" way of life.

Cyberfight: What about luck?
BLUEman: No such thing as luck. Everything happens for a reason, in my opinion.

Cyberfight: What does the word "game" mean to you?
BLUEman: Game: a competitive activity where players contend with one another to be placed in the top positions amongst themselves.

Cyberfight: Do you lie often?
BLUEman: If I said no… would you believe me? ;) (j/k)

Cyberfight: What does money mean to you?
BLUEman: Right now… money means nothing to me. I don’t require it at all due to the fact that I already have everything I need. I’m pretty sure this will change, however, later on in my life.

Cyberfight: Would you classify yourself as a leader or a team player?
BLUEman: I don’t really see myself as being a leader… and actually I’d rather not be one. I’ve noticed that things often fall apart when there’s only one person in charge. Nothing beats solid teamwork. People work more effectively as a team. So yes… I’m a team player.

Cyberfight: Are you reliable?
BLUEman: Well I’d like to think so… *shifty eyes*

Cyberfight: What’s your usual weekday like?
BLUEman: It’s rather boring, to be honest. Wake up at 7:30, go to school, get back home, go onto the PC, get off the PC, and go to bed. There’s no time for meals (j/k). My weekends, however, are jam-packed with magical, mystical journeys and adventures.

Cyberfight: Do you enjoy changing things in your life, or would you rather stick with the way things are?
BLUEman: I change my routines as often as possible. A change never hurts. Committing yourself to a static routine becomes dull.

Cyberfight: Do you have a girlfriend?
BLUEman: Why do you want to know, lexx? ;D

Cyberfight: Would you want your child to be a pro-gamer?
BLUEman: If that would be what he or she enjoys doing… then I don’t see why not. I’d move them to South Korea though. ;) j/k

Cyberfight: What other hobbies do you have besides gaming online and offline?
BLUEman: After having organized WCG 2003: Toronto Qualifiers and WCG Canada 2003: Finals alongside the Toronto Fun League staff, I discovered that I really enjoy organizing major LAN events. The atmosphere of such large events really blows me away.

Cyberfight: How did you first encounter a computer game?
BLUEman: Found it on my brother’s 286 computer. Pac-Man was the name of the game… and I only played it for five minutes. After the five minutes were over… I went downstairs to watch Transformers. Transformers > All.

Cyberfight: What consoles and PC’s did you own at the time?
BLUEman: Nintendo (the only console I’ve ever owned… and I still play it too… Mario’s huge on a big screen) and a 286 PC. Talk about antiques, eh?

Cyberfight: Were the games back in the day better than the ones being played today?
BLUEman: Of course the old games were better than the ones being played today. The games would be so much more simpler… none of that "you need to bind twenty-four keys to play this game properly" stuff was present. And if you wanted to play a friend one on one, he or she would have to come over to your place and play… this way if you lost, you really could strangle them with the joystick cord. You can’t do that online… now can you? ;)

Cyberfight: What is your opinion on cybersport, in general?
BLUEman: It’s a great thing until HUGE amounts of cash are enforced into organized events. Cybersport (or eSports) should be played for pleasure and entertainment… not for money, in my opinion. I just hope that this won’t be the cause of cybersport’s demise.

Cyberfight: Do you think that cybersport has a great future?
BLUEman: Of course I do. More and more people take part in gaming activities each day. As the community grows, the gaming events and public exposure grow with it. eSports will be a big thing… but it’ll take some time for people to get used to.


Cyberfight: What’s your opinion on The CPL promoting eSports?
BLUEman: The CPL, in my opinion, never promoted eSports. They promoted themselves and their sponsors. Sure, I’d like to shake Angel Munoz’s hand for being able to create such an organization… but the organization itself simply doesn’t serve it’s originally intended purpose. My respect goes out to ClanBase who hold tournaments for and by the gamers and to the Toronto Fun League who dedicate themselves to serving the gaming community what they truly ordered… effectively and with pleasure.

Cyberfight: What about Fatal1ty? Should he be seen as a hero or just a "practice, practice, practice" geek?
BLUEman: Fatal1ty simply does what he enjoys… and I don’t think that anyone should hold that against him. The people who call him a "practice geek" are most often the same ones who are jealous of what he has and can achieve. He’s proven that it’s possible to "master" several games and not just one. He’s for sure one for the most influential gamers of our times.

Cyberfight: What were your thoughts on WCG 2003 since you were attending the event? Also, what’s your opinion on the Korean attitude towards gaming?
BLUEman: I enjoyed the World Cyber Games 2003 a lot. It was well organized from what I saw and the events were laid out perfectly. Plus, the showcase girls were sexy as hell. Intel Girls + Samsung Girls + Nvidia Girls = Heaven. The size of the event impressed me as well as the advertising of it in Seoul. As for the attitude Korean’s have towards gaming… well… what can I say… it’s great. They embrace as if it were their official pastime. They take it as seriously as regular sports and I admire that. Heh… while I was there, my favourite thing to do in the hotel room was to eat noodles and watch StarCraft: Broodwars and WarCraft III: The Frozen Throne on channel thirty-two. You won’t find me doing that here in Canada.


Cyberfight: Do you believe that there is a certain age when you need to stop playing games professionally?BLUEman: I don’t believe that there is an age when you need to stop playing games professionally… nor do I think that there should be. If you are good at what you enjoy… then no one should be able to tell you to stop whatever your age. Continue doing whatever makes your happy and satisfied with yourself.

Cyberfight: Please list five of your favourite eSports websites and give your reasons to why you selected them as well.
BLUEman:

ESReality.com: a well-rounded, community-based website. Great bunch of guys on that site.
CyberFight.org: original articles and coverage… plus a vast selection of demos and replays.
Cached.net: great source for North American Quake, RtCW, UT2K3 coverage.
GotFrag.com: great source for North American Counter-Strike coverage.
SoGamed.com the ultimate source for Counter-Strike coverage.