As CS:S ages so do the players. There will inevitably come a time in every players career when he begins to realise that it's about time to give it all up, the latest player to have that thought is Henry 'HenryG' Greer.
As one of the all time greats of the UK scene Henry has been around since the beginnings, all the way back to the early Zboard days alongside Ben 'ben0' Balcome and company Henry is the last of that generation to still be playing the game at a competitive level, the last of the mohicans. In his time in the game he has won almost every honour there is to win, played for every organisation there is to play for and played with every player worth playing with. He has been one of the very few players capable of adapting his game as the years go by, constantly keeping up with the new breed - and in some cases outdoing them.
The most recent example of his pedegree as a player is his win with team UK at the ESL Nations Cup, a trophy nobody thought they would win. Having recently landed a new job it's likely that this event will be the last that this player ever attends, I caught up with him before he disappeared into the shadowy world of forgotten hero's, and he was happy to oblige.
So, coming back from the ENC victorious - was that something you expected?
I wouldn't say I was expecting to win, definitely not but I thought we would be able to beat Germany pretty easily. I don't mean to sound arrogant but I thought with the team we had we would be able to take them. After that I always felt we'd struggle against Denmark or France since we had very, very little practice. I've just landed a new job so didn't have time and George and Sam were both busy too, it was strange because we were only really there because we had to be, in the build up there was no commitment or passion at all. We all knew we had the potential to win but felt the lack of practice would cost us, luckily it all came together when we got there and we all got into it.
Henry "HenryG" Greer captains the Uk to victory (Picture courtesy of ESL)
It seems a bit strange really because, if anything it proves that you can throw five top UK players together and have a team capable of beating anyone. Yet as it stands all of the players seem to be in limbo when it comes to domestic teams, what exactly has gone wrong with the UK scene because it certainly isn't that we don't have the players?
I think everyone just tends to think that the grass is always greener on the other side. Nobody ever wants to stick at it anymore, they hear of an offer from a supposedly "better" team or organisation and instantly make the switch, I'm guilty of it myself and it's silly really. You just have to look at the European teams to see that sticking together is the way forward, uber G33kz, ex-Reason, Verygames and more, but people in the UK just don't seem capable of doing that.
Is it a fundamental chemistry problem that causes this? You've probably played with everyone who's at the top of the scene at some point in your career and there's obviously people you get on with and people you don't get on with. Was the UK team representative of the kind of chemistry you think you need?
Well in my opinion the UK has some of the best players in the game, I don't think anyone can really deny that but at the same time we know we're the best so we have that typical UK ego. Because of that it seems like everyone is fighting to be the man in charge or the MVP of the tournament and it holds us back. I don't think any of the other European nations have that, it just seems to be a very British think to act like a dick.
You seem to be on a weird run at the moment in terms of the teams you've been with. You were with Fragmasters briefly and Demonic before that. This seems to have been the story of your career for the past while, you seem to be very keen on the idea of keeping five and sticking together but lately that hasn't really worked out for you, why is that?
Well for a change it hasn't been a case of people fucking each other over.. Like the last few teams I've been in have always ended for different reasons. Look at Demonic, we did amazingly at LAN79 so it would be mad for us to make changes afterwards, when we did there was no bad blood at all it was literally just the circumstances dictating what needed to be done. We're all getting to that stage now where we're in our early to mid 20's and have different things to think about outside of the game, be it a job, girlfriend or university but that's just what happens. What the scene needs is the new wave of players to come in and replace all us old guys eventually.
Well, you were part of that new wave when you first broke into the scene. Do you ever miss the Reason Gaming/4kings days when it was you guys who were the young upstarts?
I'm not too sure whether I miss them or not haha, I enjoyed them at the time but I don't think I could do it again now looking back! I like having the feeling that I've worked hard and made it to the top end of the game now, I wouldn't like to go through all that again to try work my way back up. I do miss it at times though, I mean it's fun when you're striving for something and trying to get better but when you get to a certain level you begin to lose the motivation to keep pushing. I've been playing this game for about six years now it feels like I've done everything I can in the game but you get to the stage where you think "how much further can I go now?" Now I'm getting older too CS:S just doesn't warrant spending that amount of time on anymore, it's not like you can earn a living from it so it's time to concentrate on other things now.
Committing as much time as you have in the past to the game, has it ever cost you anything outside of the game?
Well my parents - before the CGS days at least - would always make sure I concentrated on my education and my social life first and foremost but when the CGS came along and they realised that it was possible to make a good living from the game they just told me to do what I think is right. But I've never really been stupid with the game, I've graduated from university, have a job now and a long term girlfriend so it's never caused me any problems. If you can balance your life and not let one thing take priority then there's no reason why you can't play the game.
You've been around for a long time and you've seen your fair share of LAN's. Now this i-series was supposed to be a bit special being the 40th and there was a lot of hype around it. But for me it's been disappointing, what is it like from a players perspective?
Well I only got here today earlier today, we had one of the managers play the group games for me so I don't think I've had to put up with all the problems. The group games are normally a bit of a chore but a lot of the time it can be a good laugh, I just think with all the problems and delays it's left everyone a bit stressed out and left a bit of a bad taste in everyones mouth. I just hope they get it sorted in time for the big games.
Henry as a young pup in Zboard
Could your team be mentally fatigued coming into the important matches tonight? Given that they've been here all day and stressing out?
Haha they're probably more physically fatigued after last night.. I don't know though, we're all experienced players so it shouldn't affect us too much. With this team we know we can do well, we have the players to do well but we're not too worried about how we do. We're just here to have a good time and play with some friends, I know we'll do well because we always do when we're having fun.
Being your last LAN, would it have been more important to win this i-series had you not won the ENC a few weeks ago?
Well to be fair we didn't go into the ENC expecting to win either, we turned up without any practice and somehow managed to do it which was amazing. I don't have a team at the moment so there would have been no extra pressure to win this event. Especially with Verygames here who are like the most drilled team on the planet and they've got this in the bag. I reckon we could beat them given the right circumstances but I just don't see those circumstances happening!
Your position in the scene and in various UK team isn't an easy one to fill. When you do retire it's going to be hard to find someone to slot into that HenryG role. For the past year or so now there has been that group of core players retiring from the game and as you mentioned nobody has really stepped up to replace them. Is there anyone out there you see as being the next potential HenryG?
I'm not sure really, I don't really see any of the younger players. You always hear the same story about people not getting a chance but if they are good enough they the chance will come, look at Re1ease and weber for two examples of players who have come through. Recently though there hasn't really been anyone, I think it's too little too late for the UK scene to be honest. You may get one or two players coming through every year or so but there's no actual teams just below that top level who are pushing through because nobody sticks together long enough to get noticed.. I don't see anything remarkable happening in the UK CS:S scene anytime soon so it's just going to be the same old same old until it does.
Do you feel there is a personal responsibility to help the scene along? Like you owe something to the UK scene?
You do need to be given that chance by someone at the top of the scene to break through, I was given that chance but again I started back when the game first came out and there hasn't really been those guys around to give chances to people recently due to the game being so stale. Maybe this is the right time for people to break through thanks to a renewed interest in the game and the constant updates, maybe this is the start of something new.
What about your plans for the future? I know you're working in the gaming industry now but do you have any plans to stay in touch with the competitive community beyond mixing casually with friends and keeping in touch with a few people?
Well I'm not too sure really. The only reason I've said I'm not going to any more LAN's is due to the demands of my new job. It's very long hours and it's very random, like I could hear the night before that I've got to be in Ireland the next day or something, so there's no way I can commit to playing with a team with a job like that. That's why I've declared myself out, it seems like a good time for me with the win at the ENC and the summer LAN period coming to an end. As for staying in eSports I'll be around, but quietly as always. I mean I've never really been that involved in the scene I've always just played the game and tried my hardest for the teams I've played for. But yeah, I'll still be around to some extent.
You've had a lengthy and prosperous career in eSports but what one achievement stands out above all others to you?
Well I guess the main one would be the CGS. It doesn't really top that and I was one of only a handful of people who got to do it and I feel very privileged to have done so. It was such a rollercoaster ride to actually get drafted too, I mean we started off thinking we were dead certs but as time went on it was all up in the air. I think it was that fact that made it so special, knowing that we had to work so hard to actually get drafted.
What about regrets? Is there anything you'd like to go back and do differently than you did before?
I don't think so, I mean I don't really have any bad blood with anyone I've met through gaming at the moment and I've always tried to be pretty quiet and not cause too much hassle in the past. I can't say I'd change anything really as it's been fun!
So we've touched on the event already but how do you see the tournament panning out?
Well I think Verygames have got in in the bag but I'd love to give them a run for their money. Like we did at LAN79 with a number of teams because that's what it's all about. This game can be such a chore at times but when you're playing in those big matches and the adrenaline is pumping that's what you play for. That basically sums up everything that's great about gaming, that's why I play CS:S, for those moments so I'd love to do it again.
Finally, we saw that TLR had also thrown together a mix team for the event and there was a bit of banter exchanged between the teams. Is that the team you'd like to beat more than any other? Would you be happy as long as you finished above those guys?
I'd like to think we'll finish above them but it would be a funny game to play in as we've all played together in the past. If we do meet each other it will be an interesting match. I think we should finish above them though, we're aiming for a top three finish, anything below that would be slightly disappointing for us.
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Fri, 10 Feb 2012 04:09:18 +0000
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