If you're fit physically, you're fit mentally as well – and you need your mental state in the game. To supplement their training in front of the computer, the players follow a rigorous physical training programme.ĭion 'Fashr' Derksen, the newest member of the team, said: 'It's on the schedule to go to the gym together. 'But it is a competition, there is pressure and you do have to deliver results.' You're just sat there playing video games, sounds like everyone's dream!' he said. 'We're doing something that doesn't sound stressful. The team's head coach, Jamie 'Keita' Hall, explained that as members of a Fnatic team, the players are under huge pressure to deliver results. You're playing long hours, and especially with the game we're playing, it requires strong focus and attention to detail.'
Obviously you're just sat down a lot of the day playing games, which is a lot of fun,' William said. 'To a lot of people, they think it's easier than it is. The players' desks have been tailored to them, with each opting for slightly different screen and keyboard orientations, and some even using personalised computer mice to suit their hand shape.įOODS YOU COULD BURN OFF PLAYING VIDEO GAMES Food The London HQ features a large reception area with sofas and a kitchen where the players can relax between their training sessions.īut most of the action takes place upstairs, where the players talk tactics before taking to their computers for practice games against other teams. When I was done with college, she told me "you have one year it make it" – and I did.' 'My brother helped me to convince her to give me a chance. 'My mum is really strict and wanted me to go to school and get an education, which was hard. 'I'm from a Persian family, so my parents didn't take it well,' he said.
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Nico 'Nicoodoz' Tamjid, who has only been in the team for 2.5 months, explained that his parents initially weren't supportive of his decision to become a professional gamer. However, it wasn't quite as straightforward for other members of the team. 'But once I got my degree I thought it was the perfect time to give it a go, and it worked out.' 'When I finished university and said I wanted to give it a go, my mum kind of thought it was a bit of a risk. 'It was a lot easier for me than others,' he said.
William's family was supportive of his decision to pursue a career as a professional gamer. 'I watched the previous Fnatic teams and thought "I'm going to give it a go", and it all just went from there.' 'My dad was playing Counter Strike so I started playing it for fun. Once I got to high school I had a bit of a break, and then started playing it a bit more. Speaking to MailOnline, William 'Mezii' Merrian, who has been with Fnatic for one year, explained: 'Like a lot of people, it was a hobby at first. Most of the athletes became professional gamers after playing video games as a hobby at home. 'Players as young as 16 can sign for us, but generally the age range is 18-26 – it's quite a small window to be a professional esports player.' 'Much like traditional sports, your contract is usually two or three years, with those performance measures in it, and then we'll look to renew it. 'But we're also focused on performance, so in their contracts there will be performance accelerators and targets they must hit. In terms of the contracts, it's very professional and they know they can rely on us for a steady source of income,' Stuart explained. 'We have teams in pretty much all regions – two in Japan, one in Manila, Halo in North America, and facilities in London and Berlin.'įnatic's Counter Strike (CS:GO) team is comprised of seven players, or 'athletes' as Fnatic calls them, as well as three members of staff, who are all on two to three year contracts with Fnatic. Speaking to MailOnline, Stuart Brown, esports operation lead at Fnatic explained: 'We have about 50 players, including the academy teams, and 30 staff members.
It has teams competing in eight of the top esports titles, and has won more than $16 million in prize money. Fnatic was founded in 2004, and is now one of the most successful esports (electronic sports) brands of all time.