Meet Kushan Senanayake who recently won the Sri Lankan edition of the World Cyber Games held at Excel World, and will go on to represent Sri Lanka at the upcoming WCG in Chengdu, China.
Kushan is a current student at Thurstan College, and is a brilliant student who has managed to balance both his gaming interests and his studies securing 9A’s and 1B at his GCE Ordinary Levels. He firmly believes that you can study and excel at your studies even while being an avid computer gamer, and hopes that many more will also take up gaming and also continue to do well in their academic careers.
Tell us about your gaming experience and how you started playing computer games?
I started playing games from the day my dad bought me a Computer and then I moved on to playing games with my friends. I got internet access a short while later and when I spoke to my friends and chatted online I discovered that there was a big gaming community out there. So I just joined with them and played with them.
You have been given the opportunity to represent Sri Lanka at the World Cyber Games Championships. Can you tell us about this tournament and how you got involved in it?
The WCG is mainly handled and organized by e-sports and I got to know about the tournament through my friends. I must admit that I was not too keen to participate initially but then one of my friends kept on telling me that I was really good at gaming and that I should participate. So I took his advice and participated in the competition and actually got the chance to win.
The experience was great because it was new to me and most of the guys never had played in tournaments like this and it was just unbelievable that I won. It was like a dream come true.
Can you tell us about the atmosphere of the Cyber Games?
It’s one big gathering with people playing games with one another and it’s a really exciting experience. I think everyone should try to participate in tournaments like this; especially those who like to play computer games, because most of the people who had come for the tournament have never actually participated in something like this before.
Why did you pick FIFA over other games such as Counter Strike, and Need for Speed?
I think it’s because I have a good sense and a liking for football and also play football in my school. I started playing the computer based FIFA game as a hobby and I never thought that I’d get this far by playing it! I used to play with my friends and they kept on telling me that I was really good and for me to go and give it a try.
How many competitions have you been through so far to get to this stage?
This is actually my second competition. I came to the Finals of the WCG Asian Championships in a previous edition of the competition and lost. My opponent who won actually invited me to take part in this year’s competition so I just decided to take his advice!
You call yourself “Max.Flashbullet”... What was the thinking behind your gaming name?
I just picked the name “Bullet” initially and then I used it as my gaming name for some time. Then I realized that this name was very common because most of the guys were using the name bullet. So I felt that I needed to add something to it and while I was thinking about this, I came across the name “flash”. I combined the two names to Flash Bullet, and it sounded good so I chose it as my gaming name.
I’ve heard of something called the “Max” Clan? What exactly is the Max Clan?
The Max Clan is a group which consider themselves as the “Maximum Gamers” I’m actually in this position right now because of their support. The last few months were hard for me in terms of gaming, because my PC broke down due to a power supply and VGA (Graphics Card) problem. My parents were actually quite happy about this because they actually wanted me to concentrate on my studies and keep that as my number one priority! I just mentioned this to my clan, and they were really supportive and lent me their hardware, VGA, and power supply. This helped me a lot because I actually practiced with their stuff.
It’s amazing really. They are always behind me and all I need to do is ask them if I ever need anything, and they will do whatever they can to make sure they get it across to me in whatever manner they can. I think that this is the best clan and I’m very happy and proud to be a part of it.
Tell us about your match with Ifham Buhary? (The player Kushan defeated to win the final)(Laughing!).. The first final was a draw at 2 all and I was a bit nervous. The people who had come to watch were cheering and I really felt the pressure at that point. I managed to win the second match 3-2 somehow. That was a very exciting and tense final and I think I won because I was just plain lucky on that day.
What sort of training did you go through to get ready?
I played games with my school friends most of the time and occasionally with my neighbors. I tried to play with them as much as possible because everyone plays in a different way and playing with different people will expose you to different playing strategies and methods. I felt that playing with my friends gave me a big boost, but I also watched the way that game was played on Youtube and picked up a few tips from that. I found a software called X-fire, which allows you to play with other players over the internet and I played with them as well. I think this gave me a very good exposure, because I played with gamers from Portugal, Romania and the USA, and I think this experience was really good for me.
Do you consider yourself as a hardcore gamer?
Not really. I don’t consider myself as a hardcore gamer in any way. I just started playing for the fun of it. But when I learnt about the WCG I thought that I might as well have a go at it. But calling me a hardcore gamer would probably not be correct because I have to do my studies as well, so I try to balance both and get the best out of both.
So do you concentrate on your studies a lot, or do you have an invisible force” (parents) behind you!
They do push me, but I think I manage to do my studies very well. Of course, my parents are always behind me when it comes to my studies and occasionally tell me to stop playing and go and study! (Laughing). But I balance everything simultaneously so I don’t run into too many problems!
What special attributes do you need to become a Cyber Game champion?
It’s not easy to become the champion! But I guess you need to be confident and try not to be afraid because going to a big tournament like this can be very scary at first, but it’s a great experience. You may feel nervous when playing but at the end of the day, you just need to be yourself and apply what you have learnt through your practices and perform to the best you can while you are in the heat of the competition. That’s what it’s all about.
Tell us about your strategies for the World Cyber Games in Chengdu.
I guess the best thing in this game is to pass the ball around and make the opponent tired. Scoring tends to become a bit easier after that. Initially, I played as a dribbler, and I passed the ball around. This worked, and still seems to be easier than other playing strategies.
What is your favourite football team?
Manchester United! There’s a great player called Ronaldo and he can do quite a bit of things.
How do you handle stress during the competition?
Stress levels can get really high and sometimes I feel that my heart may explode in the heat of the competition! But you need to be relaxed and cool at all times. I don’t think I feel that pressurized because I’m still 18 and I’m able to handle it at the moment without too many complications.
The competition attracted over 400 gamers from even Kandy and Nuwaraeliya and drew over 1000 spectators. Why do you think there is so much of interest in this competition?
Most people in Sri Lanka don’t like to study (That includes me.. How true!) and games are actually quite interesting and easy to play! Initially people were not too bothered about gaming back home, and this has changed now. But when we compare this situation with other countries we see that there is a huge focus on gaming and you find lots of professional gamers out there. But it’s picking up in Sri Lanka and this is a really good sign and I’m sure that we will discover many more talented gamers if we can hold regular tournaments like this,
What is the future of gaming in Sri Lanka? What do we need to do to become the number one gaming hotspot on the planet?
The current situation is really good because there are a few sponsors who are coming together to help us out. But we need a bit more publicity for competitions in term of TV advertisements, and I think this will help to attract and encourage more gamers to take part and to start playing. But we can’t do this without having more tournaments and some help from the government as well. We also need more sponsors.
Playing games is just a hobby for most people, but we still have a rather long way to go to reach the level of the competition abroad. Most of us don’t have sponsors while players in other countries have major sponsors. But I think that it’s really developing in Sri Lanka now and that’s really encouraging. Maybe this will reach a whole new level in a few years time and become very professional.
Tell us about your plans after the Cyber Games?
There is an SLGC (Sri Lanka Computer Games) event happening in December and I’m hoping to take part. But my Advanced Level Exams are also coming up in 2010, and I’m not really sure at this point whether I’ll actually get to take part because I need to concentrate on that too. But I’ll surely be playing full time after my exams.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank for getting you to this position?
I need to specially thank my brother. He was always encouraging me and telling me that I could do it and to go for it. I can’t forget my clan, Maximum gamers either and our admins Asuscut (Nilanga), Samroxs (Shihan) and the 50 other gamers in our clan. They were really awesome and spent a lot of money to get me to this position because I never had a sponsor earlier. I also have to say thank you to the past champion Leon and his clan members for their support and influence. My thanks also goes out to e-sports who are doing a really great job to make this whole experience possible for all the gamers in the country.
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