Introduce yourself shortly
Hello there! My name is Robert, I am 29 years old and live in Wuppertal, a city located in western Germany, quite close to big cities like Dusseldorf or Cologne.

Talk us through your Quake career. How did you get into the game and what still keeps you around?
I started playing in 2000 i guess. I started to play q3 on lan with some friends - dm17 only :) Later on I joined my first clan called gdra. After that I spent a long time with masterblasters and then played for mgd, shoryuken and "euro.allstars". Besides masterblasters, which is basically a quake oldschool clan, I haven't played for any well known team yet. What keeps me around these days in quake is just the way I like the game. I play it for fun and I'd say I almost need it to relax after a long working day :D

You have been quite active in the German ESL cups when they were still around. Why don’t you play that much in international competitions?
I really had fun playing the German ESL bundesliga or EPS. Unfortunately the most cups are at the weekend at which I am mostly out with friends and stuff. International competitions are fun, but you need to invest really much time practicing to reach a certain level. I have to admit that I don't want to invest that much time and effort to get to a higher level as I know I won't reach the top. I enjoy spending my free time with other things...

The majority of your games are played on ztn. What makes you like the map so much?
Well, it's kind of oldschool. I really like that map, just as I like dm6, t4 and dm17 - more or less the oldschool ones. Furthermore I can just relax playing ztn, because I played it so often that I don't need to think anymore while playing. Hence i can let good players have a hard time there ;)

Do you see yourself ever stopping to play quake completely?
I often thought about it, but to be honest - I just can't stop playing it. I need quake, like others need watching TV after work. While playing I can relax (most of the time :) and this game is so settled in my daily life that i don't wanna miss it. so let's see... :)

Do you think any of the up and coming players who participate in the rising stars cups have a realistic chance of ever becoming top players such as rapha, cypher etc? If yes do you have any favorites who could make it?
To be honest I don't see the talent to reach the top in any of these players. For instance players like k1llsen, av3k or noctis, whose progess I've seen from the beginning on in q3: These guys have something special that is not easy to describe. You can feel that they have talent to reach the top when you play them. Noctis for instance, with whom I've been playing a lot, when he started to play online - he had such an awesome aim and so many genius momments in his game from the beginning on. His game differentiated from those of many others players and therefore he was awesome from the beginning on. I'd say, either you got it or not. You can certainly reach a really high level practicing a lot, but you need a certain x-factor and talent to reach the top i guess. Sorry for you guys in this (well organized) tourney - but i don't think you can make it - please prove me wrong ;)

How would you describe your playstyle?
I'd describe it as solid. I try to position myself in good spots and hope for someone up there to gimme a +40% shaft in important situations ;P If nobody hears my prayer I try to stack up myself and get cheeky rails or whatever... I don't know :D

Looking at the current cup how do you rate your own chances? Who do you think is your biggest competition?
I guess the hardest competitor in this tourney would have been LeSzNy, but as he's already out. I give maza a good chance to win. He was doing a good job today. For myself, I don't see any big chances to win this tourney, as I actually feel that I'm in a bad downswing right now.

Thanks for your time! Any shoutouts you would like to make?
First of all thanks for the organization of you guys and the awesome idea regarding that tourney. I'd also like to thank my clan #bloodywarriors for supporting me :) cheers!