Jonas "whiMp" Svendsen, voted the Counter-Strike Revelation of 2004 by the gaming press, talks to SK Gaming about the event.
SK Gaming: What is mTw's goal in Moscow?
whiMp: It is to bring home a medal and play some great matches and have a good time.
"I count Kode5 as important as ESWC and WCG."
Have you done everything you can in order to achieve that?We're going to bootcamp for five days now and it is going to be intense, so hopefully that will be enough.
The event will have a fantastic lineup of players. How important is Kode5 as a tournament next to ESWC, Extrene Masters or the WCG?
I count this event as important as all the before mentioned since a lot of the best players are attending.
You guys lost to Vatos Locos at the Samsung Euro Championship – what
happened back then and what was the problem?
It was our first official match and event together and we really did underestimate them, however, we have learned a lot since then and we won't make the same mistake twice.
What does it take to shake an opponent's hand after a defeat like that and still smile?
Good sportsmanship I guess. I really don't like the people who can´t accept a defeat and don't want to shake your hand afterwards. That is why I always try to smile while shaking my opponent no matter the outcome of the match.
There are going to be some great teams at the Kode5 finals. Who are the major favourites and who is overrated?
I haven't played all the teams with my new team yet so won't judge anytime overrated and the favourites speaks for themselves.
"With two random gun rounds and two random weapon rounds your opponent can have 10 rounds"
Which teams are you personally afraid of?With mTw I'm not afraid of any team but I respect a lot of them.
Can we expect more upsets like the one you were a part of at CeBIT against the Greeks?
Maybe because this is CS and with two random gun rounds and two random weapon rounds your opponent can have 10 rounds, but it won't happen to us since we won't make the same mistake twice
Your first major success was in 2004. How did Counter-Strike change from there compared to now?
Some new aspects has been discovered e.g. duckjump/silent run and all the other aspects have been improved, like the communication and the complexity of each team's tactics and new "instant-flashes" and the individual skill of each top player. It demands more of the player and the teams' preparations to be on top now.
Was it harder back then?
I don't think so.
"I won't let gaming keep me away from getting an education and ruin my future job-career."
How important is professional gaming to you?It has been a huge part of my life and still is, however, I won't let gaming keep me away from getting an education and ruin my future job-career. At the moment I only have a part time job so the only one who is getting neglected are my friends, family and girlfriend sometimes.
Would you have had an even more successful career if you hadn't been so focused on school?
Maybe, maybe not. Maybe the last three to fours years would have been more successful if I hadn't completed the Danish high school and the first semester of a university degree. But as I wrote in my last answer I'm right now able to focus a 100 percent on CS since I only have a part time job so we'll see if I'm still any good. :)
gl in the future ;]
good luck
I think it's cool to see 'bad sportsmanship' in a sort of perverse way, it shows how much passion and effort the players are putting into the game, and how much it means to them. While I think it's great you can keep full control, I would never look down on someone who failed to be a 'good sportsman'.
Each to his own, and I would never look down or challenge someone who didn't want to shake my hand, and I hope people understand that when I decide not to shake theirs.