July 31, 2006 - As online gaming heats up on the PC and home consoles like the Xbox 360, so the competition for multiplayer supremacy gets increasingly fierce. The Championship Gaming Series taps into those passions with the Championship Gaming Invitational, a pro-gaming tourney held from July 21-22 where pro gamers from around the world play the hottest multiplayer titles including Counter-Strike 1.6, Battlefield 2, Halo 2, PGR3 and DOA4. For those that can't attend the event, the Championship Gaming Invitational (CGI) will air exclusively on DIRECTV channel 101 from September 8-10.
We recently got a chance to talk with Halo 2 world champion Matt "Zyos" Leto to see how he turned his passion into a professional lifestyle. (Curious about what it's like on a professional gaming team? Check out our interview with Team compLexity's Jason Lake here.)
IGN: How long have you been playing video games?
Matt Leto: I've been playing games since I was a child. The first video game I played was Super Mario Bros. for the NES at the age of 5.
IGN: When did you realize that you compete at a professional level?
Matt Leto: After winning the Halo 1 event in Seoul, South Korea for the World Cyber Games in 2003, I began to realize that I might have a chance of doing this professionally.
IGN: What's a typical day for you like?
Matt Leto: A typical day for me consists of waking up around 12-1 PM. I don't practice until around 7-8pm at night so I have up until that point to do whatever I want. Once I start gaming I don't normally stop until around 2-3 AM. About a week before tournaments my practice schedule changes and I spend almost every waking minute gaming.
IGN: Do you do anything out of the ordinary to train for a particular game?
Matt Leto: Nothing I would consider too extreme, although for the 2004 World Cyber Games I traveled 2 weeks before the national finals and the grand finals in order to practice against the top competition. Now it's a lot easier to practice due to Xbox Live.
IGN: Do you compete professionally in other video games?
Matt Leto: The games I currently compete in are Halo 2 [on Xbox] and Project Gotham Racing 3 [for Xbox 360].
IGN: How long do you see yourself playing games competitively?
Matt Leto: Realistically for another 5-10 years. It's way too early to tell how long someone will be able to stay at the top since this is all so new.
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IGN: If you could have a job in the gaming industry, what would it be? Where would you like to work?
Matt Leto: Around the age of 16-17 I actually wanted to break in to the video game industry. The college I had my eyes on at the time was Digipen - a college that Nintendo helped create maybe 10 years ago. At that point I still wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my life but I knew I wanted video games to be involved with it somehow. After doing some research on how hard these people were expected to work…. and just how much effort it would take to land a worthwhile job…. I decided against going that route. The hours Digipen expected students to put in (8 AM to 9 PM, Monday to Friday, 12 PM to 8 PM Saturdays) began to open my eyes as to what my life would be like if I actually pursued it. A this point in time, even though I love to game, for the reasons above I don't feel as though working in the gaming industry is suited for me.
IGN: What skills or traits separate someone who is good at a particular game versus someone who is great?
Matt Leto: Depends on what game they play. In Halo, at least in [the first] Halo, you could almost immediately tell within the first few minutes of watching someone play how good they were. In addition to being able to shoot well, there were A TON of little things that separated the great players from the good ones: timing power ups, grenading weapons, grenade jumping, double meleeing, quick camo, and backpack reloading just to name a few.
IGN: Do you keep in good physical shape to be better at games? Do you think it matters?
Matt Leto: Gaming is more mental than physical; I think someone in better physical shape might have a very slight advantage over someone who isn't in shape during tournaments (tournaments usually run about 16 hours a day) but for the most part I think it's irrelevant.
IGN: What upcoming video game releases will you buy the day it comes out?
Matt Leto: Currently the only game I plan on getting the moment it's released is Halo 3.
IGN: Do you think there any [professional] gamers playing at a different level like a Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods? Who are they?
Matt Leto: Two gamers that stand out the most are Fatal1ty and Boxer and they are both PC gamers. Fatal1ty is probably the best all-around PC gamer in the world when it comes to first-person shooters and Boxer was once (not sure if he still is) the best Starcraft player in the world. Both have achieved a lot within the last few years.
IGN: What attributes set you apart from other gamers?
Matt Leto: Dedication would probably be the biggest one; I put a lot of effort into gaming and not a lot of people are willing to do that.
IGN: What obstacles or challenges have you faced as a gamer?
Matt Leto: Over the years there have been quiet a few. I have had to switch teams while competing over the last 3 years probably around 15-20 times; after every tournament I found that I was having to make an adjustment. In one instance I had a teammate who got sent to jail about a week before an upcoming tournament. Not only has all the practice up to that point been a waste, but it's difficult to find a replacement that soon to an event as most people aren't willing to leave their teams at the last minute.
IGN: How do you think video games have changed throughout the years?
Matt Leto: Obviously the graphics have continued to improve with the release of each new console, but I think the biggest improvement thus far has been the ability to play with other gamers from around the world via the internet.
IGN: Do you have a significant other?
Matt Leto: I am currently single.
IGN: Does your significant other have to be a gamer?
Matt Leto: No, although it certainly would help :)
