When I returned from what I considered a 7 month sabbatical from the World of Professional Gaming and most specifically Counter-Strike, I was surprised to learn that we were the focus of a new book being written about Professional Gaming. The author wasn't a gamer, but rather an entertainment writer from the NY Post. I sat down with Michael Kane briefly to talk about the Book, his experiences and his thoughts on the future of Professional Gaming.

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How does an entertainment writer for the NY Post find himself writing a book on the world of professional gaming? How different was this experience compared to your day to day at the Post?

Well, a good day in entertainment writing is a 30-minute sit-down with a movie star. Amusing as guys like Method and Moto are, I can’t say they match up to Angelina Jolie and Natalie Portman. But going on the road with pro gamers was gratifying in a different way – it was an opportunity to figure out what makes you guys tick. It was a challenge, a puzzle. Game Boys is all those puzzle pieces put together.

Also, before writing entertainment, I was a sports writer. E-sports piqued my curiosity because it’s right at the intersection where entertainment meets sports. And which way it’s perceived seems to depend on whether you’re on the inside or outside the e-sports circle.

What was your experience like with the 3D.NY guys? Were there any moments that really stood out in your mind which helped define the theme of your book?

Naturally, when I first got a look at Counter-Strike, I had a hard time believing it was a sport at all. After seeing the interaction of a team like 3D, I was won over. There were tacticians like Moto, guys who racked up stats like Method and Volcano, and others who played supporting roles. Is playing a computer game a sport? It’s all semantics, really, but what struck me early on was that playing Counter-Strike created the same adrenaline rush as a coordinated power play in hockey or a 2-on-1 in basketball. If it’s a sport, it’s because it creates the same feeling of excitement in the player. That’s a major theme of Game Boys. That, and the attempts of pioneers in the industry, like CGS, to convey that truth to a wider audience.

What was your initial take on the 3D.NY & Complexity rivalry? Did you ever find yourself rooting for one team over the other to help the dramatics of Game Boys?

In the summer of 2006, 3D was on top of the world. They were the longstanding, undisputed champs in North America, but for the first time in the team’s four-year existence, they faced a challenge on the home front. The challenge from CompLexity was real, and the seesaw battle would play out all season across tournaments from Kentucky to Dallas to the first-ever televised CGI event in San Francisco. Did I root for either team? I will say that CompLexity at the time was the underdog, and underdogs tend to be more rootable. What I loved about the rivalry was that 3D was every bit as driven to stay atop the mountain as CoL was to knock them off. It was a slugfest, and I gained respect for competitors on both sides.

Who were your favorite and least favorite people that you encountered throughout the writing process of Game Boys -- could you elaborate as much as possible?

As a storyteller, I’m attracted to anyone who’s striving to overcome a challenge. In Game Boys, that describes a number of people. On 3D, Moto faced adversity in returning from a year of retirement to lead the team and devise strats to counter the AWPing ability of guys like CoL’s fRoD. I admired Craig Levine’s efforts to build 3D into the standard of excellence and drive the industry into the new terrain of TV. And across the tables, I was drawn to Jason Lake’s enthusiasm and tireless desire to spur CompLexity over the hump. But there are a lot of people in Game Boys beyond those teams. I spent a lot of time at Mug N Mouse café in Dallas during 3D’s bootcamp and enjoyed getting to know rowdy guys like Punkville and Gosu. JaX is a very fun guy to be around. I mean, the guy has a suit the color of Dijon mustard. Marc Dolven is a bright guy, as well. My least favorite people? Probably highway cops. I drove around the country researching Game Boys and generally considered speed limits to be a suggestion.

How do you think Game Boys will effect the perception of gamers outside of the gaming culture? Do you think it's possible to debunk the stereotypes?

I hope it’s enlightening to those not already familiar with e-sports. That was the goal. I wanted to include enough detail that gamers would find it accurate and interesting, but also to shine a spotlight on the subculture for readers outside that circle. Being someone who knew little about e-sports at the outset, I think, helps achieve that goal. I mean, you can tell people that gamers aren’t nerds, that they’re not moody psychos. But it’s more effective to show them.
One thing I found interesting about Counter-Strike, specifically, was that many of the players were former athletes who’d washed out of high school sports at higher levels of competition. So they’d found their competitive outlet on e-sports teams. shaGuar ruined his elbow in Little League. Tr1p was too small for varsity hockey in North Dakota. So guys like that use e-sports as a substitute. I doubt many people outside gaming are aware of that trend.

When you sat down and wrote Game Boys, what was the message you wanted all readers to take away from the book?

I suppose, that if you look more closely, there can be real drama found in what appears to be folly. And not only in 1-v-1 showdowns inside the game. Perhaps least of all, that. I was more interested in the drama between the players in real life. For me, it’s the team element that makes the story. In Counter-Strike, you’ve got five guys on a team – leading, following, succeeding, failing, clashing, overcoming, falling apart. I learned that there’s an interpersonal dynamic there between teammates that affects their relationships outside of the game, as well. That’s, of course, true in traditional sports. Think about guys on baseball teams who fight over the same woman, like in “Bull Durham” or a dozen other movies, and it affects their performance in the game. That’s just as true with a team videogames, too. And the fact that all this was playing out half in the virtual world was particularly novel, if not downright bizarre.

Do you have any last thoughts or messages you'd like to leave with our readers?

I hope you all enjoy the book. Game Boys is a real behind-the-scenes look at the excitement and growth of e-sports and all of the people involved. Thanks to 3D.NY and Dave Geffon for this interview, as well as everyone in e-sports who made Game Boys possible. Now get off the computer and read.