Zyos Schools GameZone On How To Be a Halo Champ

by Louis Bedigian

 

“It's hard to get sponsors.  You've got to be really good.” 

 

 
Zyos is in the middle

 

I support gamers, their persistence, and their dedication to proving that it's not a waste of time.  I'm a gamer, and every time I write something I prove that spending a summer with Final Fantasy, or a year with Tekken Tag Tournament, wasn't a waste.

 

I do, however, laugh hysterically every time I see the commercial that says you can make money by playing video games.  You know the one: two guys are pretending to play a game, frantically pressing buttons on a controller.  Then the boss comes in.  They panic!  She tells them that she's got another game that needs to be finished.  The game players respond by saying that they're almost done with a level and will be able to help her soon.

 

She leaves, they smile, and one of the actors (I mean "game players") says, "And my mom said I would never get anywhere with these games."

 

The commercial is extremely misleading because it gives new and uninformed gamers the idea that you can go to a game development school and spend the rest of your life playing games.

 

Truth is, the guys in that commercial were supposed to be beta testers, a point they don't make very clear, knowing how unappealing beta testing is to anyone who knows what it actually involves.  Their degree in programming or computer science or whatever is being put to waste if beta testing is all they do.  It's a good place to start, or so many experts and professional game developers have said.

 

If you're serious about having fun, however, you won't want to make a career out of game testing.  And if you're serious about game development, you'll spend more time working than playing.

 

There is a way, however, to make money playing the finished, plastic-wrapped games.  Games like Halo 2, the most popular first-person shooter in the world.

 

How do you do it?  The same way other athletes make it big: by participating in local competitions.  Get good and you'll end up at the finals.  Prove yourself there and you're on your way to achieving greatness.  You'll have to travel the country and even the world to convince gamers that your mad skills aren't just the best in one region.  You have to convince them that you really are the Master Chief champ.

 

One man that's dedicated to doing that is Matt Leto, AKA Zyos.  He's skilled, has big sponsors, and even got the chance to travel to Rare's studio for a hands-on look at Perfect Dark Zero.  If that doesn't justify his success, nothing does.

 

How did Zyos get to this point?  Where did he begin?  Is it truly profitable?  We had just as many questions as you did.  Here are the answers, straight from the master himself.

 

Zyos: I started playing in tournaments late in 2002.  That was a tournament called AGP (Associates of Gaming Professionals).  That was the first tournament I went to.  It’s actually the first national tournament ever held [for Halo].  I got second place at that one.  I just started competing from there.  The tourney that got me the world championship title was in late 2003, a tournament called the World Cyber Games.  It’s kind of like the Olympics of video games.  They have tournaments for a lot of different games but it’s mostly PC-based.  I won that tournament in 2003 and 2004.

 

Does AGP still have national tournaments?

 

Zyos: No, they no longer exist.  They were the starters of the Halo tournaments.

 

You’re the champ of Halo and Halo 2?

 

Zyos: Just the first title.  There hasn’t been an individual title yet.  There hasn’t been a competition to establish the best player of Halo 2, it’s all been team-based.

 

How many people did you beat or play against, and how many hours did you log before you thought you were ready to compete?

 

Zyos: I played it a little bit.  I played it with my friends, but until I was pro I didn’t spend a lot of time playing Halo.  I did spend a lot of time playing games, but just not Halo.

 

Were you a pro gamer then in another games?

 

Zyos: I was not a pro gamer back then.  That was before I became a pro gamer.  Now I’d say that about 95% of my time when I’m on a console I’m playing Halo 2.  But before I’d play a variety of games.

 

Any games in particular?

 

Zyos: RPGs, racing games…it’s been a while.  It’s been a year to a year and a half since I’ve invested a lot of time in a game besides Halo.  I think the last game I played was Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Doom 3.

 

 

Before Halo, Knights of the Old Republic stole Zyos’s time.

 

 

What was it that gave you the confidence to say, “Alright, I haven’t played Halo that much, but I can compete.  I can do this.”

 

Zyos: I’ve always played against my friends and I heard about that tournament.  So I thought why not?  Why not enter the tournament?  If you do real good in a national tournament, especially the first one that’s ever held, it builds your confidence very quickly.

 

How long have you been playing games?

 

Zyos: Since I was four.  Super Mario Bros. on the NES.

 

Me too.  Are you competing in other games or are you sticking with Halo?

 

Zyos: Right now I’m sticking with Halo.  It’s hard.  There are other games I could compete on, but I don’t think I’d be able to balance myself between the two.  I’d rather be at the top at one.

 

Is being a professional gamer profitable for you?

 

Zyos: The last two years I made about $100,000, so for me the answer is yes.

 

Do they pay for you to come to these tournaments?  For example, if there’s a tournament in a city other than where you live, do they pay to fly you out there?

 

Zyos: I have sponsors that pay to fly me out.

 

How many sponsors do you have?

 

Zyos: I’m endorsed by Nokia.  Travel-wise I’m sponsored by Check Six.

 

Who are they?

 

Zyos: They’re an organization that sponsors different video game events.

 

Are there any benefits to competing besides prize money (do you get to go to E3)?

 

Zyos: Not for pro gaming.  I did go to E3 this year but it was for something else.

 

Was it for?

 

Zyos: I’m signed as a consultant for Greg Hastings’ Tournament Paintball.

 

Did you get to enjoy the show itself, or were you stuck at a booth all day?

 

Zyos: I had about an hour to an hour and a half each day to roam around.  I didn’t really have any chance to play any major games.  I didn’t realize they closed so early.

 

I hate that.

 

Zyos: I think there was four halls there, I only got to see two of ‘em.  The two major ones with Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft.  But I didn’t have any chance to play any games due to how bad the lines were.  I could play one game or try to suck it all in.  I tried to get what I could out of it.

 

Suppose I’m a great gamer.  I beat all my friends and now I want to compete.  Where do I go?  Where should I start?  Local?  National?

 

Zyos: If you’re competing on Halo 2.  Let’s say you’re a Halo 2 player and you wanted to try out, there’s an organization called Major League Gaming.  Their Web site is www.mlgpro.com.  They’re awesome.  They set up different tournaments around the country so you should be able to find one near you.  I’d say start there.  All the best players are going to be there so you can see how you stack up.

 

How did you become involved with GameRiot?

 

Zyos: GameRiot contacted me.  They said we know who you are, would you be interested in working with us?  They offered me this and I said absolutely, sign me up.

 

Are you on-hand to prove your status?  They have you play against attendees of GameRiot?

 

Zyos: It’s a challenge-style shootout.  Anyone who wants to has the opportunity to show up and take me on one-on-one.  They get three kills they walk away with six months of free games at GameFly.  If they beat me they get $100 and an MLG game contract, which is not the same thing as what I have, but it give you the opportunity to become what I am.  You’d have a chance to become a pro gamer.

 

 

You can dual-wield, but can you dual-wield like a pro?

 

 

You love Halo, what do you think of Perfect Dark Zero?  Can it replace Halo as an Xbox 360 launch title?

 

Zyos: It depends on how Halo 3 turns out.  I was really impressed with Perfect Dark Zero.  Imagine Counter-Strike but with Perfect Dark weapons from the Nintendo 64.  That’s essentially what it is.  It was maybe 10 to 15% complete when I played it, but it was still amazing.

 

How were you able to play it?  They wouldn’t let anyone play it at E3.

 

Zyos: Did you watch the Xbox 360 unveiling on MTV?

 

Yes.

 

Zyos: I was playing Perfect Dark Zero there.

 

What did Rare have to say about it?

 

Zyos: They had a lot of good things to say about it.  They also told me some things that I’m not allowed to say, different options in the game that I didn’t understand, but they told me what they were.

 

At 10 to 15% complete, there’s pretty much no chance it’ll make the Xbox 360 launch?

 

Zyos: I don’t know.  It could’ve been 30 to 40% complete.  I wouldn’t be the one to ask that question.

 

Are there any other Xbox 360 games you’re looking forward to?

 

Zyos: Aside from Halo 3 I’d have to check.  Ever since I’ve become a pro gamer I’ve sort of lost my…I used to be a hardcore gamer but I’ve sort of lost track of what’s coming out.  I’m too focused trying to make money doing this.

 

Is it Halo 1 and Halo 2 that you’re playing?

 

Zyos: Just Halo 2 right now.

 

How many hours do you spend playing that per day?

 

Zyos: I’d say about three to four hours a day.  Before tournaments, that usually jumps up to about 10 hours a day ‘cause you have to get ready for the tournament.

 

Are you a laid back gamer?  An aggressive gamer?  What’s your play style?

 

Zyos: When I started playing I was extremely aggressive.  Now I’m a bit more conservative.  I would say that I try to pick my battles and only fight when I have the advantage.  Before I would just charge out non-stop.  That worked in the beginning because I would shoot everyone.  But now that everyone knows how to shoot, you gotta play smarter.

 

What’s your favorite weapon?

 

Zyos: The plasma pistol/battle rifle combo.

 

Thus far, what has been your biggest challenge in a game competition?  What has been the hardest thing to overcome?

 

Zyos: I’d say the hardest thing would be the World Cyber Games in 2003.  I ended up playing against Matt Logan, a guy from France, in the finals.  It was tied 14 to 14 – the first one to 15 wins, and I managed to get the 15th kill.  That was an extreme release for me to win that.  That was the biggest gaming moment, back then is when I turned pro.  That was a $20,000 prize.

 

 

Master Chief has created jobs for many young gamers.

 

 

What do you plan to do after GameRiot ends?

 

Just keep doing what I’m doing.  Enter tournaments and do as well as I can.

 

How many tournaments do you compete in each year?

 

Nationally I’d say 10 to 15.  Locally, maybe a total of about 30.

 

What’s the biggest tournament that you’re going to be competing in?

 

I’m going to be competing in the World Cyber Games again.  They haven’t announced the prize yet, but if it’s the same as last year it’ll be $35,000.

 

You said the sponsors cover your costs – is that because you’ve won local tournaments, so then sponsors decide to pick you up?

 

It depended on how well I did with Halo 1 actually.  Throughout Halo 1 I was making money, but I was paying my airfare and hotel at every event I went to.  I probably spent around seven to eight grand on traveling expenses last year.  When I competed in Halo 2 I did so well that I finally got sponsors.  It’s hard to get sponsors.  You’ve got to be really good.

 

That’s a challenge that will likely increase as more game players start to compete.

 

Thanks for your time.