EPTWe had Nightris sit down and talk to DunkTrain about his thoughts and history in Heroes, and what playing professionally means to him. In light of their participation in Heroes Rising it only makes sense to share his views with you, the fans.
You said you’ve been playing Heroes for a little over 18 months. Let talk about your beginnings, where it all started for you. Who and what influenced you to just simply play games for fun, and when was the moment that inspired you to think “Hey I’m pretty good at this, I want to see if I could be a full time professional gamer” ?
I started playing video games from a very young age, and they were the centerpieces of quite a few of my early friendships. The first video games I remember playing were Command and Conquer and Dune 2000, which my father worked on and brought home to play with me. I continued to play a wide assortment of games until late in the night with all of my friends, and the newest game would always get played through together, regardless of whether it had co-op. I didn't think I showed any particular talent for them until DotA on WC3, which I picked up and excelled at, but while I played in a variety of inhouse leagues and such I never really took it further, because I was too young. I didn't even consider attempting to go pro until League of Legends, but I was a late adopter. By the time I was high on the ladder the competitive scene looked too hard to break into from the outside. That is when I attended Blizzcon 2013, where they showed off Heroes of the Storm and let the public play it. I immediately fell in love with the game at that demo, waited in line multiple times to play it over and over. When technical alpha came out I had just graduated college, and decided it was a sign. I told myself I would give it my all to make it to Blizzcon 2014 as a player or caster, and let that decide whether my future was in esports.
Let's indulge in the esports scene. I think some people believe that going full time progaming can be in some ways risky as it is a young and flourishing scene. What was your mindset going into it? Were you nervous that it might not work out?
Once I decided to take my attempts at breaking into esports/progaming seriously I wasn't nervous any more. With League I dabbled in streaming or trying to seriously climb the ladder for a while, but I wasn't ever willing to commit fully. I absolutely agree that going into progaming is risky, and that kept holding me back with other titles. In my head I kept making excuses, but really I was just worried I wouldn't make it. Heroes was different. I had just graduated college, and I knew exactly what I was willing to give up to make a real effort to break into esports. For the first time in my life I had no educational obligations, no economic liabilities, and an early access opportunity with a fresh game that I believed in. My perspective was extremely realistic and goal-oriented: I had to make it to Blizzcon, then reevaluate. Once I had established that goal there was nothing left to be worried about, because I gave it my best and it would either work out or not. I was having so much fun with my streaming, casting, and dabbling in competitive during the first few months of the alpha that it was easy to remain focused. After seeing how much support I got in the first few months, I knew for sure that I could make it.
What did you go to school for?
I initially went to school for biology with a minor in chemistry, intending to go to medical school. The main problem was that I never took school seriously enough, and I ended up completing all my general requirement credits while still being quite far from finishing my major. At the same time, the upper division science classes were getting more tedious (org chem II anyone?), and I decided it wasn't for me. I changed majors to psychology at that point, graduating shortly thereafter.
Its really great to hear you got amazing support from your family. You said you had a end date, a goal to meet while pursuing Heroes. Could you share with us what were your plans if you weren't able to meet that goal?
If I wasn't able to meet the goal? I never really planned that far ahead. Seriously though, if I hadn't made it then I would have started a serious job hunt in the video game industry on the developer side. I didn't have any solid plans where specifically I wanted to work, nor any particular projects in mind though. I have worked on game design before, and it is something I really enjoy doing. It just can't hold a candle to stepping on stage in front of a live audience.
I think it is safe to say that we all go through some sort of rough patch in our life journey. Was there any harsh struggles that you had to endure when you decided to commit to professional gaming? Maybe some rough patches starting out in the scene? Or maybe times where you felt like you might have made a bad decision in terms of becoming a full time professional gamer?
The biggest rough patches for me with respect to pro gaming have been more personal than anything else. Playing on a team with someone competitively compared to just playing with them is an enormous difference, and it can easily strain or break relationships. Some people stay awesome when you get on a team with them, but others I have played with become abusive bullies. Then, even if your team is working out on a personal level, you still need to work with them in game to succeed competitively. If those fail you need to make roster swaps. I have trouble keeping the friendships separate from the business aspect, and roster changes are incredibly painful. Someone almost always feels like they are getting burned, their dreams crushed, or you're the one doing the dream crushing. Competition and sacrifice go hand in hand, but it is still painful to lose friends.
I think its a problem with a lot of people. You become close but at the end of day, you also have to keep it a business orientated. You said that you had a hard time keeping the friendship/business aspects separate. Is there anyone that you regret having to break ties with due to roster changes etc? At the end of the day, is business more important than friendship in a setting like esports?
Yes, there are former teammates whom I consider good friends. Liquid Sheth and Biceps are some of the best people I've had a chance to meet, online or in person, and I regret that we had to part ways. I still consider them friends, but you don't get the opportunity to spend much time with former teammates, even if you parted amicably. While the friendships are important, everybody respects that this is a competitive endeavor. You owe it to yourself, your fans, and each of your teammates to earn the best shot to win.
What about the perks of progaming? What was the highlighting moment or experience for you and why?
So far, there are two big perks that stand out for me. The first is that being on a stage in front of a live crowd is unlike anything else. The feeling on stage is exhilarating. Hearing all the people supporting you, and feeling the energy from the crowd is amazing. The second perk is definitely the fans. Hearing people say that they love your stream, the town hall podcast with you on it was awesome, or they were so excited when your team did well in a tournament is positively magnificent. Being able to entertain people, and hopefully bring something special to their lives, is a huge perk. I'm also looking forward to international travel. 
How about your motivation? It has been said that progamers tend to invest a lot of time in playing the game, watching the replays, picking apart their plays and builds, etc. Do you ever find this too repetitive? What keeps you motivated?
Yes, sometimes it gets repetitive. Sometimes you need to deal with a hero you don't like being popular or a long wait for a new patch. Regardless of the reason, it's the drive to get back on stage and win that keeps you focused. This is definitely something that I struggle with, especially since the role swap to support, and the companionship of the team is a major factor for staying in form. Having friends as teammates makes it a lot easier to deal with needing to spend so much time practicing, because it's also enjoying time with friends.
What lessons have you learned in Heroes/professional gaming that you can apply to in the long run?
More than anything else I have learned team building skills. As much as I hate to admit it, team building is a legitimate skill, not just a business buzzword. It takes a lot to make five people come together as a team, and even more to keep them together when spending so long together under pressure in a competitive environment. I'm certain that those skills would be extremely useful leading a team in a game studio or as a coach/manager for a pro team.
Imagine the world was being taken over by web weavers. You are given the choice to pick 3 other support players to help save the world with you. Who would you choose, and why?
Obviously GranPkt has to be a first round pick here right as the web weavers are spawning. His penchant for hilarious comments and shenanigans will keep the viewers who are watching hunger games style interested in the party's survival. This will guarantee increased supply drops, dramatically improving our chances of survival. Next into the posse would be Iakona, because I know for damn sure his OP reaction times will come in handy. In the finale when we line up side by side to face the final boss he is the guy you want on the six shooter quick draw to shoot web blasts out of the sky. Finally, I need Merryday to round out the roster and provide increased offensive capabilities. Hopefully he learned how to kill from playing so much SSS monk.
Is there anyone that you would like to thank or give a shout out to?
Well, I would like to thank my teammates for kicking ass at the Americas Championship and being chill dudes. Shout outs to all of our fans who represented, live or online, you make it amazing. Thank you for the interview, and last but not least, thanks to Cloud9 and our sponsors for making progaming possible for me.
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