Could you introduce yourself, with a little bit of your gaming history?

Hi there, My name is Robert “iNFy” Hart. I’ve been playing CS since the days of 1.6 and have grown along with the game and community. I joined Pantheon (who used to be called Plasma) and won a few competitions and Colours. I then left Plasma to concentrate on starting BOTC. After around six months of BOTC I decided to get back into the swing of things and joined Head. When the time was right, a few of us from Head and Ascent formed Soviet, and have been winning ever since

Age: 22
Occupation: Graphic Designer, Journalist, Event host.
Favourite Game: All time would be Counter-Strike: Source, while currently my favourite is Eve-Online.
Mouse: Steelseries Ikari Optical.
Sensitivity, mouse and in game: In CSS I use 2. In windows, the middle and default DPi on the Ikari

When did BOTC start, and why did you begin something like BOTC?

Robert "iNFy" Hart - Focus is the name of the game

Battle of the Clans began at the end of 2007 as a small competition held in the old IS-Gaming forums using their servers. I had held some Battlelan CSS competitions previously, and decided it would be easier to serve the larger numbers if I moved it online. At the time we only held CS:S competitions, but over time we branched out into COD4 and TF2. The reason for starting it was mainly because at the time of its creation, there were no other online competitions besides AGASA. Although AGASA did a great job, they weren’t exactly what they are now. There were a lot of things missing in the gaming scene at the time, most notably the atmosphere. BOTC was the first site in SA to cover local competitive gaming news, use commentary and score-bots. We set a high standard in regards to the level of Entertainment which a single competition could provide. We helped jump start the local news which you see on so many NGO’s websites now days. Overall, BOTC was started to improve gaming, and I think we have done that in more ways than expected.

What games do you support and why?

I support all games. I understand that as time goes by, new games will come out and the older ones will stop growing. It is just how gaming works. I support gaming as a whole more than I support any single community or game.

What games would you like to see growing in SA gaming?

I think the guys from Team Fortress 2 are really trying hard to prove to every one that their game is worth supporting, and I really respect that of them. Any normal gamer would have dropped the game and moved to something like COD4, but those guys have stuck it out. As a result, they are growing in numbers and forming a smart and mature community. I would really like to see their game take off on a national level as I think the games built-in mechanics are equal to that of COD4.

With the set of BOTC comps running, what game, what version is it and what are your predictions?

The BOTC Counter-Strike tournament sponsored by Intel is our fifth instalment of the series. With some rich history and stable clan base, we have had a very consistent sporty feel grow around it. I expect the general top teams to contest for the win, such as Eternal Conflict, Pantheon, Ascent and the new comer, Soviet. Counter-Strike: Source clans are so close together in skill that it is almost impossible to guess who will finish where in the top 4. It always comes down to who plays better on the day.

The BOTC Call of Duty 4 tournament (Version 3) sponsored by Incredible Connection has now taken over as our top game for the first time by attracting more clans than Counter-Strike: Source. My money is on Brazen to take the finals, however I think we might seem a bit of an upset in regards to who might meet them there.

Our Team fortress 2 tournament (Version 2) has grown compared to the previous event. They have managed to enter 11 teams, almost bringing it on par with CS:S. It’s a small community and the skill gap is large between the best and medium groups of teams. Brazen have cemented their stop on top, and I expect them to maintain it.

How do you feel about competitive gaming in SA with regards to AGASA, MSSA and the economic climate?

AGASA have really stepped up the plate and improved on their standards. This is part due to the infrastructure setup by Ben, and also part due to Do Gaming who have been providing us with exciting news. They are the number one tournament host in SA, and I don’t think any one will be able to content that spot with them now.

MSSA host a few small competitions every now and then. I cant seem to think of anything else worth mentioning about them.The economic climate has made my life as a competition host extremely hard. From simply trying to afford rent and food, all the way to up to finding new sponsors for the events. Luckily Incredible Connection and Intel stepped up to the plate and managed to rescue us in time for the next set of competitions.

Incredible Connection would like to thank you for your time Robert, and we wish you luck with the BOTC tournament and all future events. We will definitely be involved in the future. Good luck to all the teams that are competing and we will try to keep an eye on the event and which teams place where. If you would like to find out more about the competitions click on this link.

qu1k qu3stions