"I loved gaming more than anything else."
Being a familiar name for anyone who keeps abreast in the League of Legends scene, Harry "hxd" Wiggett is a professional gaming figure that has been involved with it through more of its non-performance-required side. He currently fills the role of manager for fnatic's LoL division, as well as a restless journalist covering different aspects for them. The man has made an outstanding contribution ever since, a factor which justifies his current popularity. I was awarded the opportunity to have a chat with the individual himself, where we discussed several aspects in general; from his life to e-sports.
Well, let's start this interview with the most typical question ever asked, if you don't mind of course. Could you do us the favour to introduce yourself more deeply?
Sure, my name is Harry, but most people call me, well, Harry. I have worked in eSports for over three years now and got what I see as my big break over a year ago when I was accepted into fnatic.com as a Journalist. Working under the wings of the best management in eSports did wonders for me and I shortly found myself being asked to manage the League of Legends team, a somewhat tough decision since I wasn't the biggest fan of the game (which has changed now). My job as a journalist is still very much alive but making sure everything is fine with the guys is my main priority. They are not just the team I manage, but also my dear friends. Since they won Riot Games Season 1 Championship, their playing became a lot more real and so did my job, so for that I thank them!
Why did you choose to be an e-sports journalist in the first place? What pushed you to accept fnatic's offer, in other words?
I loved gaming more than anything else, and helping to make the community’s grow was very self rewarding, and due to not finding my feet in a local job, I could only dream of doing eSports full time. It's what I love, and what I have the most motivation to carry on doing well. I always idolized fnatic, I mean who doesn’t? They are one of the most successful, if not the most successful eSports team in the world, with a very good reputation, it was an offer I couldn't refuse, and with my parents blessing to really go for it instead of finding a different employment, I achieved what I always wanted.
And where did that passionate love for gaming come from?
I really don't know. I guess it's just from being somewhat of a geek, but with my local area not even knowing what Starcraft is, it was always hard to admit defeat to loving gaming. When I got my first laptop at about 13, I spent so much time laddering on WC3, being a huge Grubby fanboy and all sorts, meeting friends who I still speak and meet at events etc. It's not just gaming anymore, it's everything. But I guess you could thank Warcraft 3 for the passion, that game got me to where I am and will always be my number one game.
You're making part of the "humanitarian" side of e-sports. By that, I mean that you aren't actually a competitive player, but the one who allows the players to compete. Why did you decide to focus on this perspective instead of training harder to possibly achieve a big spot within the biggest players of gaming?
Well, at the time I didn't have the time to put the hours in required to become a pro gamer and I had time to do some eSports work on the side, which I then began to love and grow a big passion for. The idea of putting constant hours into playing NOT for fun, but to get somewhere as a career in gaming just doesn't take a liking for me. I would choose what I do over being a professional gamer anyday, if it was to fall through, you have a lot of fantastic experience that you can take elsewhere.
Are you involved with other projects besides fnatic? Perhaps work, studies, etc; or are you full-time focused on e-sports?
When I first joined I was doing some studying at a local private place and once that was over, I had the choice to either look for some work or fullfill eSports full time, and obviously choosed the latter. I don't have any other side projects except things that are of an importance to myself and aren't eSports related.
How did you get to your current position?
In my eyes I feel I'm pretty lucky to have gotten this opportunity, however fnatic obviously chose me to do it for a reason and I feel I have done them proud as LoL Manager. The work effort required is huge and I would struggle a lot more if it wasn't for my previous experience in DotA. I used to work as a manager for some teams and do Journalism for sites such as GosuGamers and MYM. This was all very useful but now it feels a lot more real and I truly see the potential of working within eSports.
If I recall well, you mentioned that your love to League of Legends wasn't from first sight, but rather a "progressive" kind of love.: How would you explain that? Why didn't you like it at first and how did you manage to like it afterwards?
Well coming from a DotA background, I was never fond of the game at initial play But once Dota1 began to die out and I got my hands on Dota2, I didn't have the time to put in the effort of really getting into Dota2. The skill level is a lot higher in casual IHL games etc. and I didn't enjoy it as much And obviously I needed to understand the meta game of LoL a lot more. After playing it a lot more, I began to enjoy it, once I knew what all the Champion's do etc, it began a lot more enjoyable. Now I see the big differences between the two games, and I really urge all the LoL haters to rethink their opinion and give it another go! Of course everyone is entitled to their own opinion but Riot Games have done an amazing job on League of Legends.
Many ignorant people misunderstand your main position. Everyone who has the smallest idea of sports in general knows that the manager plays a crucial role within a team, every kind of team. Could you please enlighten these individuals with what your function is about and how it benefits overall?
Very good question, well most managers in eSports don't do the same job as managers in a sport such as football. It's a different job, I never give them advice on how to play, I am not on their level at all, I hope to be able to do so someday soon but for now my main duties are things such as...scheduling tournaments with organizers, making sure the guys know whats upcoming and exposing them as best I can. I have also planned trips for the guys, including an amazing 7 days in Taiwan with our beloved sponsor Raidcall. We plan to go back there soon on an even more awesome trip, but it's in early stages. I generally try to reward them as much as I can and make sure they're aware of my existance and they come to me with all their problems which I happily deal with. It benefits the team greatly, I take care of all the organizing, sponsor communication, match scheduling...everything. I basically leave them with just the duty to play in mind.
How do you execute this task?
Well I have to dedicated a lot of time to it, make sure I don't forget anything that to them is important. Google docs is my best friend right now, I have a calendar shared with the whole team which I harassed them to bookmark, it's very useful. It's a very time consuming job, but the benefits and outcomes give me the motivation to keep at it and creating more opportunities for the guys.
What allows you to maintain a good relationship with your teammates?
I'd say the biggest influence was being with them at events, being behind them when the play and supporting them. Becoming their friends aswell as their manager has been great, I am a nice guy and they are all extremely well mannered and smart, they're a pleasure to work with. But I would say that spending some real time with them has been the biggest influence.
How was your career choice regarded by your in real life entourage?
Very well, not so much at first. Like me my friends thought it was risky and could backfire. But I had to give it a go and now they are totally impressed with the trips I get to go on and what I do. They are also doing very well, just in different things and I couldn't be happier doing something a bit different and unique.
What's your evaluation of League Of Legends as an e-sports?
League of Legends is slowly becoming the future of eSports, alongside Starcraft 2 and hopefully CS:GO. Riot have done a fantastic job in remodelling LoL from DotA and not only did they take the opportunity first, they also made the biggest and most intelligent decisions on the gameplay. There is still plenty to work on but going from what Riot have done thus far, it will come soon.
Breaking trough in this gaming discipline doesn't happen with ease. Would you mind giving your opinion on this statement?
I agree completely, it's risky to even try and get to this point, but if you get in the correct crowd and make sure your presence is known, then it's possible. When at LAN events, it isn't just about being in the press area doing web coverage, it's also about socializing and introducing yourself to the big boys in the game (pardon the pun!). It helps an awful lot and can put you on the stepping stone of furthering and securing a real career in esports. I am doing my best to not sound big headed, because I feel I am not quite there yet, I am not as far as I want to be, but for my age I sure am in a good position. People must understand that it takes time, I was writing news at 15 for small websites. It won't come to you in a few months of hard work.
And what about progression in LoL as a competitive player?
Progressing as a LoL player, by the looks of it is as easy as it gets for a professional player. The amount of information available compared to other games or back in their prime. You now have streams on 24/7, full detailed guides from Pro's on how to play Champ's. People have all they need to become a pro gamer, it's now about putting the time in and finding your talent.
You make part of something incredibly big from e-sports point of view. Not only you're manager for one the best teams in gaming's most large player-base available, but you're also involved with arguably world's dominant organisation. How does that feel?
Well, since you put it like that...pretty amazing! It feels me with tonnes of motivation and pride to be doing what I do and I can't thank Fnatic enough for giving me the opportunities they have and carry on giving. They are, without a doubt, the most amazing bunch of co-workers somebody could ask for! At LAN events there is a lot of pressure to get fast and decent media, and the fans are always amazing to the players; it's fantastic to see. We have setup such things as booth signings with SteelSeries and the guys were doing stuff like getting pictures with fans and that's when you know the hard work has paid off. It's a huge responsibility but when you see how work pays off and you get to go the places you have dreamed of going, you can only be thankful and continue working hard.
Could you give us a rundown of future events that will most likely occur within your gang?
There is plenty of very exciting stuff to come for FnaticRaidcall.LoL in 2012, but a lot of it I cannot mention due to the planning being in early stages. We have the Ce'Bit Finals which is in March, that's going to be a huge event for eSports. I will be planning plenty of fan interactions and video interviews with FnaticTV, so stay tuned to the website and social media for all of that.
Who do you consider to be your strongest contender right now?
It's hard to say, I will probably have an answer for you after Kiev but judging from recent practice games and tournament results, I'd say CLG.eu. Compared to the other teams they seem a lot more together and motivated. But like I said, Kiev will be the real test for all these recent lineup changes, lack of LAN experience and playing under pressure could cause chaos for teams, something that I have no worry of with my team.
Do you have any advice for the newcomers to the title?
Watch streams, read guides, gather some friends and stick with it! If you are looking to play casually just enjoy the learning phase of the game. But if you're looking to speed that process up I would watch some streams and read guides to gain faster knowledge.
Everyone might have regrets at some point; do you though?
Regrets...plenty, but some have got me to where I am and others have taught me so much. I still class them as regrets though, because my life could of gone a complete other direction but who knows about that, not even me! Only a couple big regrets so far, I generally keep in the shadow of the team and any form of exposure (ironically as I do an interview I know).
Well, Harry, was a big pleasure to sit down with you. As always, thank you for your time. Any final shutouts, words you would like to make?
My pleasure, thanks for the interview. I'd like to thank everyone at fnatic.com for being such great people to work with. Also all my friends, whether we've met yet or not, you're all amazing. My friends at home who take an interest in what I do, even though I tend to blabber on about it a bit too much. My parents for taking an interest, some special people who have been and gone this year. Finally all the Fnatic sponsors who make my job a lot easier: RaidCall, MSI, Steelseries, EIZO and Gunnar. You can follow me @fnatichxd. Thanks!
zauron
cHoObiE3
The Mak
