Meet Le Xuan Ho 'Robocop' – Counter Strike is his Best Friend

General Information:

Full name: Le Xuan Ho
Nickname: Robocop
Date of Birth: July 27th 1986
Occupation: Students/Professional gamer
Other talents: Heavy metal rock Competition Honors:

2006

• 1st @ Netchua-online tournament • 1st @ Elive – spring • 1st @ Netchua gamecup HaNoi • 1st @ Computer expo gamecup • 1st @ 1st TTB Champion League • 1st @ 2nd TTB Champion League • 1st @ 1st Vietnam E-Sport Championship SaiGon qualifier • 1st @ 1st Vietnam E-Sport Championship Grand Final • 1st @ Bkit Open

2007

• 1st @ 3rd TTB CL • 1st @ ICC Canon Cup • 1st @ 2nd Vietnam E-Sport Championship SaiGon qualifier 2007 • 1st @ 2nd Vietnam E-Sport Championship II 2007 Grand Final

2008

• 1st @ SA No.1 Tournament • 2nd @ SA No.2 Tournament • 1st @ ELS summer • 2nd @ Acer Gemstone blue • 1st @ WCG SaiGon qualifier • 1st @ WCG VietNam Final

2009

• 5th-8th @ Kode5 South East Asia Final • 1st @ Asian-Indoor-Games SaiGon qualifier • 1st @ 3rd VESC 2009 Computer Expo • 2nd @ Pat open relax tournament • 3rd @ WCG vietnam 2009 • 1st @ Igame Online League 2009 • 1st @ Asian-Indoor-Games Vietnam Final 2009 • 3rd @ AIG 3rd

2010

• 1st @ PAT Open • 1st @ fPs tournament • 1st @ PAT summer • 1st @ Pat Atumm • 1st@ Q9-gaming open • 3rd@ Malaysia Asian Cyber Games Super series

2011

• 1st @ Rin tournament • 2nd @ Thermaltake Open Tournament • 1st @ Pat spring tournament • 1st @ Teo-gaming open 2011 • 1st @ Pat Summer

• 1st @ Pat November

Favorite Quote: “Live in the life, need a kind heart” – Trinh Cong Son.
Favorite Stuff: My Vespa.
Describe yourself: Crazy, cute.

RGN: Hi Robocop, how did you come to Counter Strike?

Robocop: Like other young men, I have known Counter Strike since 1999. When Counter Strike appeared, almost everyone loved to play this game. I was one of the first people to play this game and now still love it.

Meanwhile, I was at grade 8. I felt like a little boy holding a toy gun, but in game, it could fire bullets. There are no boys that do not like shooting!

RGN: How did you begin your gaming career? How do you comment on the versions of Counter Strike?

Robocop: With me, the CS beta 6.1 was the most fun. This version also considered the most famous in the CS community. Then, the CS 1.1 was released, but pretty bad, there was also another reason that made me had a break some time. By 2004, the CS 1.6 was released. It was the most perfect version of this game!

I had played Counter Strike for three years, to 2002, then off to access to high school. At that time, the competitive Counter Strike had not appeared yet. In 2004, a friend of mine – sonicxpx – in one of the first CS tournament in Vietnam, asked me if I wanted to try CS. I agreed and started training to compete seriously. Until this time, I just participated in two CS teams. TGA is the first, which was a team belong to clan 1st.vn. When I got better, I was selected to the team which represented for 1st.vn clan.

RGN: Who is the most impressive player with you in 1st.vn?

Robocop: A lot. The first one is Grr, in-game leader of the team now. We’ve played together since 2004 in the TGA team. Until now, we still continue to play CS together and are extremely close to each other in real life.

The second one is LockE, my great teammate for a while. Although our gameplay styles are quite different, that’s how LockE and I compensate for each other’s weaknesses. Now, LockE married and had a stable job so he did not continue to play CS. He retired in 2009.

The third one is Rockland, my former teammates from 2007 to 2009. He’s very funny and has a special style that no one can be.

The fourth, I would like to talk about Lara and Kylin. Kylin was former leader of TGA team, his first CS team. Lara was the leader of 1st.vn in period 2004-2009. Both of them are busy for family and work, so we don’t see each other much. But they have devoted very much to the CS community in particular and Vietnamese eSports in general.

Last but not least, they are both clan 1st.vn with over 30 members. We are a real family!

RGN: You are one of the Vietnamese players who travel abroad many times and won many successes. Can you talk about your most memorable trip?

Robocop: My first tournament abroad was in 2006 when I participated in World Cyber Games Asian. It is the first time I had been travel abroad. My feelings was thrilled, excited and of course, a little more stressful. So far, I’ve been abroad 5 times to compete with CS. They’re WCG Asian 2006, Asian Cup 2007, WCG World Final 2008, Beijing China 2010 and Asian Cyber Cup Malaysia 2010.

The most memorable was World Cyber Game World Final in 2008 at Kohn, Germany. My team’s roster was grr, Lara, Rockland, LockE and me, Robocop. It was so hard to describe our feeling, when we could visit Europe, visit Kohn, where have a very big church in this continent and compete in my favorite game.

RGN: With the experience of a player of many international competitions, in your opinion, what Vietnamese players need to succeed in international competitions?

Robocop: The problems that Vietnamese gamers often face are adaption and preparation. Vietnamese gamers always tend to imitate and learn from worldwide gamers. Therefore, the play styles of them don’t have their own definitions. This lasted most of the players in Vietnam have identical play style. When come to international arena, we are not well prepared before met foreign teams. In a short time before the tournament, Vietnamese teams did not keep up with to change and adjust the play styles to deal with foreign teams. So, we are often difficult to achieve high results when compete abroad.

RGN: How about the play style of 1st.vn? There are some special distinctions?

Robocop: 1st.vn style is place the teamwork on top. In team, no one is superstar and everyone plays as an important member. For me, I’m never satisfied with my place in the ranking board, and I always put the team’s victory over the top!

RGN: You are knowledgeable about Rock. Can you talk about your passion?

Robocop: I love rock from the 8th grade year (coincidentally the same time as Counter Strike). The Rock song which I first heard was Patience by Gun n’ Roses. Such a fate, I felt it was different from what I heard before. And I began to learn about Rock.

For those who really love Rock music, they have to learn, study, and compare the Rock genre, Rock band… and that is the passion which any rocker have. Only when practiced singing heavy metal, especially songs from my favorite bands, I discovered my ability to sing Rock.

RGN: In addition to Counter Strike and Rock music, what is your other interest?

Robocop: I love watching horror movies. I’m not afraid of ghosts and gore. I like horror movies because of the thrilling that the movie delivers. I love the series Paranormal Activities the most.

According to me, horror movies, besides bringing entertainment, they also help those who are more superstitious ambiguous evidence to confirm that the devil exists. I never believe in supernatural phenomena like ghosts or devil.

RGN: You’ve played Counter Strike for a long time and you are the one of the first generation of 1st.vn. At your age, there are many players who have retired, and you?

Robocop: I have a lucky (or unlucky one). That’s I didn’t have a girlfriend and I had quit a university while studying in 2th year. Then I studied in another university and this year is just the last year, so I have plenty of time for Counter Strike. In May 2011, I had withdrawn a short time to make room for the young players, and I held the position of manager, but then the team had some problems so I continued playing, but no longer held the position of in-game leader anymore. I will play CS until graduation, or something unforeseen happens.

RGN: Did you have to sacrifice something for CS?

Robocop: It’s time and social relationships because of the tournaments are always held on Saturday and Sunday.

RGN: Is there anything that you can’t do it?

Robocop: I’m pretty bad at winning the hearts of girls. And I also never tell lies.

RGN: Really? In any case you never lie?

Robocop: I tried to tell the truth in all cases. When I can’t tell the truth, I choose to remain silent or go away. It’s one of my values of life. My favorite quote is “Life must have a heart”. A man with a kind heart will never lie.

I have two things as standards for life. One is not going to lie. The second is keeping promises.

RGN: What is your goal in the near future?

I want a comfortable life and do not need too much money. It is important to be doing what I love, and I think a bit of money shortage will help people to understand and sticking together.

My nearest goal is the trip by motorcycle on the next Lunar New Year. I will go to a number of cities in Vietnam to relax after a stressful year.