Fnatic - A profesional gaming team

Name: Laporte Christophe
Date of Birth: The 6th of December 1989
Location: France
Race: Night Elf
Marital Status: In a relationship (Dating)
First RTS Game: Warcraft II
Likes: Going out, Money, Being Sucessful
Dislikes: Racism, Intolerant people, When life is being repetitive
Food preference: Chinese One
Favourite Song: Current one is : Bone Crusher Ft. Lil Jon - Saw Theme
Favourite Movie: Da Vinci code // Kingdom of Heaven
Favorite Model / Actress: Rachel Bilson
Favorite Actor: Matt Damon
Favourite unit to kill: garg
Favorite Hero to kill: Blademaster
Favorite Item: Greater healing
Favorite Creep: Berserker Troll
Favorite Map: Turtle rock
Favourite player: ToD
Motto in Life: aide toi et dieu t'aidera (which translates to: help yourself and God will help you)

The Origin
Actually when I chose my nickname I was 9 years old and since wolves are my favourite animals I took Wolf as nickname, nowadays I would act differently.

The Hotkeys
I've my own customkeys, most of them are on the left on my keyboard

The Groupings
1 - first hero + melee
2 - second hero + archer
4 - Ancient of War/Ancient of Lore/Ancient of Wind
5 - hunter hall
6 - altar
7 - Tree of Life

The Config
About my computer, I got a 3,8K athlon, 2048 memory and I don't know about the rest, don't remember since I bought it 2 years ago but still it's good stuff.

The First Game
Yeah I remember my first game, it was on plunder isle against an elf, I won the game and I remember wondering why I didn't get experience, then I understood that I played a custom game

The Achievements
top 8 ESWC 2005
top 8 WEG season 3 2005
top 2 ENC 2005
top 4 enc 2006
won twice french eswc, 2005 and 2007
and about 30 french tournaments

Hey Chris! Can you introduce yourself to us and share some information that no one knows about you.
Hello, my name is Christophe Laporte, 18 years old, I'm playing for a french multigaming team called aAa, I'm an elf player and I'm also studying, sciences more precisely and the thing I'm the most afraid of is to die drowning.

How did you find yourself playing on the computer? Did it start from somewhere?
Indeed, actually I wanted a computer when I was young (7 years old) so my mother bought me one and my father installed warcraft 2 on my computer and then taught me how to play it, I had a lot of fun playing it since I thought that games on consoles were not developped enough, graphics were not so good and so on back to this time. then I played some heroes of might and magic 2, with my father and I stayed on computer, I mean I havn't switched back to consoles while everyone around me, especially at school played consoles games.

It's a little difficult to classify you, as old school or new school. In which category would you find yourself in and why?
I would say that I'm an old school player, I started playing reign of chaos in july 2003, almost 5 years ago... and I think if it's a little difficult to classify me, it's mostly due to the fact that I am not playing a lot so I only sometimes make not so bad results so people hear about me and since they hadn't since as I said I dont play much they wonder if I am some kind of new player or not.

We'll get back to a little later on your current state of affairs, but before that can you list which clans have you been part of?
yeah, I've been playing for CsT (a french team, pretty famous back to this time) then I joined sTar players with whom I played WC3L and I was #1 of northrend ladder back to this time, then I joined goodgame (GG), then MYM, mouz, goodgame again and now aAa since goodame closed

Very interesting set of names, you were set to join Serious-Gaming after ESWC 2007, but that deal didn't go down to well, did it?
Actually I did join serious-gaming about eswc 2007 and things didn't go well, I was a bit deceived about the fact that they did not trust in me. So I took the decision to leave. I remember, back to this time, that serious gaming was in NGL2 and they needed at least a 4/2 victory against team iP if I remember correctly to be in ngl 1 next season, they asked me to practise, which I did they told me I would play this war and they preferred to put " Lose " instead of me.
Against whom I won like 4/1 in practise and when the war was at 3/2 we could not offer to lose a point anymore otherwise no NGL1 they sent another player from our rooster which was to me a clear proof that they didn't trust in me so I took the decision to leave I am not saying that I would have done better than these players I'm just saying that, despite the fact they told me I would play and I didn't (and I hate people that do not do what they say) things can't work out if my team does not trust in me as I trust in them.

Let's go back to your other teams, MYM, one of the biggest names around, I remember Ciara and you formed a good 2on2 team as well. There was also a bond between you two. Why did you part ways with MYM? There were labels of you being immature...
Yeah, I remember I had a lot of fun playing 2v2 with Ciara well as I previously said I hate people that say something and do otherwise or promise something and don't keep their promise plus MYM didn't give me my chance. and as I'm someone who says what he thinks I had some clashes with MYM management back to this time and they fired me and as I was pretty young like 14 years or maybe 15
They said I was immature which, to me, isn't true. I mean, maybe I was not mature back to this time, but maturity had nothing to do with this, I was just not happy with the way they acted so they took my age as an argument and said I was immature instead of recognizing the true in order to save their image in public. I remember, when I went to weg in 2005 I was with quish and he recognized that I was not as wrong as they said and I also remember that like 1 year after they fired him saying that he didn't do his job as he sould do but they kept him many years.



Currently your in aAa, but there's nothing coming from that end, in many ways your like WC3's prodigal son, are you going to return for more glory?
Actually, I think that this year is my last one since it's the last year that I can mix school and war3 without being handicapped at school but next year I won't be able to do so since I will have to focus 100% on school so yes I will try my best this year I really want to win enc with france team I will try to reach eswc finals at San Francisco and if I miss, then it will mean that I am not wc3's prodigal son.

Over your time in several teams, have there been certain standout individuals or friends who have remained so for a long time? Who are they and why do they stand out for you?
I didn't make so much friends at mouz or MYM, mostly because of the language bareer and differents timezones so I didn't see my mates much, exept for Hasuobs at mouz and Ciara at MYM I wouldn't say that I made friends in these teams.
Things were pretty much different at goodgame, we were all french and even if I knew most of the players before playing with them for goodgame crew, playing WC3L's qualifications or eswc 2005 made me appreciating them more so to answer to the question I would say that I've a great respect for FaTC & ChobO but I would'nt say that I made friends with them because of goodgame since I knew them before, I just liked them better! and I've a great respect for them because of what they accomplished, FaTC is from my point of view the most talented player that I know and ChobO accomplished a lot on the french scene, no matter if we're talking about SC or WC3.

What according to you has been the most funny situation in a LAN event?
Haha, every lan with ToD taking part in is pretty funny he's always talking shit and kidding around with everyone, mocking the way they play and so on.

Participating in the WEG back in 2005, was probably one of the highlights in your career. What was your situation like before you went to Asia?
My dream back to this time was FOR SURE to go to Korea I used to watch SC progamers playing on stage and so on and back to this time I also wanted to become a progamer things went this way
At the French ESWC 2005, I learnt that qualifications for weg3 will be held in Stockholm and goodgame sent me there, with cs section I trained a lot but also I felt pretty well in my head no pressure nothing.
I remember winning against Duck and flamed him some he called me arrogant french prick because I whined about the fact that he whined and I remember a sweden player pushing me when I was playing against sase 1/1, decisive game on TR so I lost my DH and lost the game due to this I was quite angry but otherwhise ,the conditions were pretty good we played in a cybercafe, a really awesome one swedish girls are AMAZING I felt pretty good in Sweden about the tournament the match for the 4th place was between a friend and me, Rotterdam it was 1/1 between him and me and I won the last map I was sad for him, and also because I would have liked him to come with me since I like him as a person, he's a nice guy, pretty funny but I was happy to go to Asia it was like a dream that I realised.

What is your impression of the Asian players especially their manners and skills?
The impression I had when I went to South Korea and met some Asian players was that they were reserved, I felt that it was due to the fact that they english skills were not so good for most of them but also because it was maybe in their mentality to be shy. About manners, they are manners, I never saw any of them whining, as we, europeans, do.
And about skill, they are pretty impressive, but they are hard-working-people so that explains why they are so good.

Have you ever experienced getting mobbed by fanboys or fangirls? Or have you found any "stardom" from gaming?
I would not say that I've found any stardom from gaming since I ain't nothing in this world, I mean I never achieved something big, but on my level, I had some people who liked me/liked my gamestyle and I'm thankful to them. I remember once I went down to a shop and some guy recognized, he knew that I was playing for WEG3 but still I would not say I was some kind of star, I would never say something like this, it can sound too arrogant.

What about Masse-Todonte, he's a special person for everyone in warcraft3 ! Everyone has feelings for ToD, be it good or bad.
I know ToD for so long, more or less 5 years. We used to have a lot of clashes since we both have strong characters (good word?). I've a lot of respect for him because of his determination to accomplish what he wants and for his abilities to believe in what he dreams about. Also, I know ToD is a good person, moody if you ask me (even if he's been working on it the past years) but still a good person, probably more than a lot of people who flame him. Too bad we never had the chance to be a part of the same team because I know he's devoted to his mates and he knows, as I do what loving his team is, I mean being proud to play for your team, being proud to bring victories to them and so on.

When you were WEG Season 3 in Asia, who were the guys whom you bonded with and whom did you think were as stuck up as they are online?
At WEG3, things worked this way: both players were gathered by rooms, 2 players in each and when a player was out from the tournaments, the organisation gathered the players who were not out from the tournament. At first I was with DIDI8, things didn't work so well, in fact we didn't like each other and that's a shame. I was then with the great ElakeDuck, I had a lot of fun with him, I thought I would not because we had some troubles at WEG qualifications in Stockholm : he called me french prick because I didn't let him whine about elf as he probably wanted. I remember him playing some poker and insulting his opponents in Swedish was pretty funny. I went to eat some times with SaSe also but since my english was not so good, we were not especially friends. Then, as Duck & me were in the same groups, someone had to leave the room and he did, I then was with Moon, a nice person if you ask me, I remember he brought me some food one day, got to say that I'm kind of thankful to good people! Actually, people with whom I expected to have good relations with were not the one that I expected.



So lunch with Moon, breakfast with Duck! You have done it all and everything at a very young age, do you think because success came at a younger age you would value it less then and more now?
That's likely, when I went to South Korea I didn't realise what was happening and when I had to leave it I felt pretty sad. Now I would give much to get back there and to change what went wrong! I could have advanced to semi-finals but I fucked up to duck twice, on maps that I beat him most of the time, I was lacking experience.

In real life whom would you consider to be your role model and why?
In real life, I know no one who can be my exact model, but I can explain what are my values in life and what I'm aiming at, what I want/Try to be.
overall I try to be someone good. I never stole anything from someone, never betrayed someone. I hate self-fish people, and I don't want to be one of them, I would not like life if I was all alone, I don't see any interests in living if you're alone, I want to be useful to the human-kind, I want to bring something to them.
Also, it's really important to me to be sucessful, so I try to give the best of me in everything I do, I'm aiming very high at school.
To me, a model would be someone who's helping other people, who's doing the good around him, who's sucesful.

What is your favorite book/magazine?
It's like I see something that would interest me (book or magazine) and I read it, but I think the reason I don't like books is because most of the time, I would not say it depresses me but I feel not so good after reading it. for example, if you take poetry, I feel not good most of the time after reading it, don't know why! magazines are more ok but we don't have a lot of good ones in France, that's why I don't read much

What is your choice in cars and why?
I'm addicted to porsche's cars, someone of them, for example 911 turbo looks awesome and also it's a good proof that you suceed in what you tried, except if you come from a rich family, which is not my case. so having a porsche is one of my dreams/aims.



What kind of music do you like listening to?
Mostly us rap, Bone Crusher, 50 Cent, Lil Wayne, Lil John... some rnb, but since I don't have any new songs which came out lately, I'm listening to Michael Jackson at the moment.

Do you play football?
Yes I do, but not often, but I think I'm not so bad since I don't spend much time on it most of the time I do it with my friends, to relax some!

What about your personal life, is there someone special?
As from now, yes there's a girl that really matters to me, someone I love!

Are you enjoying the interview so far, is there something you think I should ask you?
Questions are fine so far as is this interview! I see no question you should ask especially.

Are you a brand conscious guy? Would you go out of your way to purchase a particular brand?
Well actually somehow yes, I like Lewis, Cerruti and Gucci pretty much. too much according to my father, he says that I have luxurious tastes!

Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
still at school in my opinion, I wanna make long studies in order to have a good work and make some money. I won't ever forgive myself if I let my wife and my children living poorly. But if destiny wants so, maybe I will be progamer on SC2. I can't tell

What are your thoughts about the Chinese Warcraft 3 scene, it seems to be growing and exploding every day, you think it will go bust when SC2 comes?
since I've never been to China I won't answer, I can't tell.

Would you consider moving to China to go after a more lucrative career in gaming?
I don't think so, I don't want to give up school, it's the most important thing to me. But if I was offered to move to China on a sabbatical year (a sabbatical year that I took), maybe I would consider it.

Do you think this interview gives a clear view to your life?
Actually yes. I've never been offered to give my point of view as well as I'm with this interview.
I aim high, too high according to my ex girlfriend, maybe no one can see it in war3 because I'm more or less active but if I someday return it's for sure to high the best.

Give me 3 words that best describe you.
since I can't find perfect words, I'll answer it in sentences -
I try to be as good as I can be I want to be useful to human-kind, otherway I find no interest in life as I said previously.
And maybe blues-eyes, which are pretty useful with girls is the best thing to finish to describe me ! (laughs)

Any last words/praises/comments/shoutouts?
At first, I want to thank you for according my this interview. Then I wanna thank everyone that support the french team, we will give everything to bring this ENC to home (I'm tired of going to playoffs and not winning ).