General Information:

• Full name: Nguyen Trung Hieu
• Nickname: Fly2ersk1
• Date of Birth: March 10th 1989
• Job: Student/Editor at iGame Network (IGN.vn)/Manager of FIFA proArmy Gaming
• Nationality: Vietnamese
• Other Talents: Too many so I will be shy if I have to tell :)
• Competition Honours: 3rd Prize of World Cyber Games 2006 in Vietnam/Chief referee of FIFA World Cyber Games 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011.
• Favourite Stuff: A necklace, a mobile phone, a watch, a collection of gamepads, arbitration cards, competitor's shirts, organizer's shirts of many competitions.
• Favourite Quote: "Born to be the winner/ Stay hungry, stay foolish"
• Self-described: Living idealistic, quiet, arrogant. People who play with me so many times will find me an easy-going personality, but the more they are closer to me, the more they want to beat me down!

Grow up with football games

Fly2ersk1 started playing the first FIFA version in 1998. Until now, he had experienced 14 versions of this game, the latest is FIFA 12. From the version 98 to 2004, Fly2ersk1 played mostly at home with computer. Until 2005, when began to contact with the internet and communicated with FIFA community in GameVN forum, he began to approach FIFA online with people who had similar interests.

At that time, some FIFA clans/teams began to appear in Vietnam. At June 2005, Hieu – Fly2ersk1’s real name - joined the clan AP, later the AI team, the predecessor of proA.FIFA in 2006. “So far, my teammates and I have had 7 years in proA to play, exercise and compete together. The greatest success was in 2006 when I won the 3rd prize of the FIFA World Cyber Games Vietnam. In late 2007, when FIFA 07 launched, I had to leave game to spend time for study to access to university.” – He said.

“Later that year, I didn't have retained the manner as well as great motivation to be able to enter competitions again. So, like June in proA.Starcraft team, I moved to the management career. Because of my deep understanding about gaming community, I had a comparative advantage to act as major tournaments organizer.” – Fly2ersk1 said.

At the FIFA tournaments, Fly2ersk1 tried his best to reform competition law to make it more scientific and more “pleasant”. He said: “A typical example is my negotiations with the organizers of the FIFA tournaments to change the rule ‘Best of 1’ by ‘Best of 3’ in the first qualifier rounds. With ‘Best of 3’, gamers who are unskilled still have at least 2 matches and can feel the competitive air, and the qualified players will not “slip” if they are unlucky. Actually, the above changes are only to reinforce one thing: In each eSports match, the stronger will win and the risk factors will be eliminated.”

His favorite team is Manchester United. Like generations of around 85-90 period in Vietnam, he loves Manchester United because of their golden period in 1999. Yet, ironically, in FIFA, he only used Manchester United in 2009. Fly2ersk1 said: “When playing FIFA “for fun”, you can use any team, but when in competition, you need to use the strongest team which helps developing all your skills. Similarly, I especially hate Barcelona and Real Madrid but still commonly used them because those teams support very well for players who compete in FIFA.”

 

5-year-gaming life

Sharing experiences in the field of gaming operations, Fly2ersk1 said: “Up to now, I have actived in the field of competitive games for nearly 5 years, since I left high school. After retired from FIFA competition, I have managed the proA.FIFA team, and also contributed as an editor to several game portal projects such as: Game Vzone, GameK (now is GenK), Game8, and now is iGame Network. I also was the first Vietnamese editor for Rapture Gaming Network, the place where you (who make this interview) are working.”

In particular, the Game Vzone was his most enthusiatic project. He added: “I was quite “passionate” and gathered many young editors who are talented and have much passion as June, Yangzi, Naul. It was the first time I have played the role as the leader of a gaming portal.I was only 20 years old, still young and inexperienced. In addition, I didn't have much money and Game Vzone did not last long. At that time, Game Vzone was the most popular gaming portal of eSports in Vietnam, so when the project was canceled and my entire database disappeared, I felt shortfalls.”

Now, iGame Network is the project which he is doing with many well-known partners in Vietnam as 1st.Kylin, Q9)Spirit and Q9)Dieout. They are influential in Vietnamese community and always try to build Vietnamese gaming community more and more growing.

“Besides journalism, sometimes I have many opportunities to participate in organizing events and eSports tournaments in Vietnam. Thanks to the big tournaments like World Cyber Games and Asian Indoor Games, I have a chance to get acquire with many young players who have the same passion like me, and to open my eyes, to go more and to be much more mature. Each event left so many different feelings in me, and it will still remain until the day that World Cyber Games is no longer to be held, or my friend and I will not continue to play games, but the images, emotional sublimations that eSports has created in each person will unlikely to be fading.” – Fly2ersk1 shared more about his experiences.

 

Fly2ersk1’s new way ahead

Fly2ersk1 shares about the path that he was pursuing: “I am an idealistic people, trust in my intuition and the law of causality. These days when I was high school student, I often had a penchant for singing, poetry, romance, flying, with my mind always fly to the sky. It was the way I was in high school. So far, though the petroleum industry which I am learning is a bold artistic technique, my own life still “flying” sometimes.”

Next year, Hieu will graduate and definitely go on with this path, do the job what he learned, not to displace. Over 5 years of media and games, it seems he’s supposed to move on gaming, because his gaming time is so long, with strong relationship and passion. “But I spent five years in university to accumulate knowledge, when in media and gaming, I got enough as a players, a awarded players, referee and chief organizer, from collaborative member, editor to project manager, unfortunately I did not feel motivated enough to devote anymore.” – He explained his choice.

Hieu confirmed: “The future of Vietnamese eSports will depend greatly on the “new age” young people who have the fire was not burning zeal to the top.”

However, there are things he will always respect, it is proArmy Gaming – his brothers who have the same passion, like-minded and a lot of beautiful memories, are “fighting” for the string on rove.

Talking about proArmy Gaming FIFA, Hieu was deeply touching: “proA.FIFA has something very special. Until now, we have been through 6 years extremely close to each other, not only in game, but also in education and job. My first job, at Hoa Hoc Tro newspaper was brought to me by my teammate, Se7en. Most team members in proA.FIFA is studying well and up to 60% members is studying abroad. After World Cyber Games 2011, I intended to “rejuvenate” the team with the hope that they will continue to build the heroic tradition of proArmy Gaming. However, I had the news that two more “9x” children will prepare to study abroad, so I was both happy for them but just did not know how to have the atmosphere of training literally as before.”

“After my graduation and work in a true sense, I will have very little activities in the gaming community. If returned, hoping that I will play the role of an investor, helping to feed the young dream “to play games until access blurred eyes but brightened when being the champion” – like what we did before.” – Fly2ersk1 talked about his future plans.

Fly2ersk1’s gratitude

“There are many reasons for ESports and I must thank the people who are “relevant”, and I have repeated this in many other interviews.

To be fair, eSports took me many things, and can even change my life in another direction. But what it offered has proved my choice in the past – whatever true of false still to be value. Game may be just the virtual world, but the feeling uplifted to burst into tears when saw the “noob” teammate had just won the championship was true, those knowledge was true, the traveling tournaments far from home and the relationship in our team was true.

If you are not the eSports gamer who had reached its height, it will be hard for you to fully understand what I mean. I have only one advice for the freshmans who just stepped to eSports world that you must try to pursue your interests as much as you can.

Undoubtedly, burning for passion will never be enough.”