Introduce yourself , please, and tell me about your
education and activities that was prior to foundation of
CPL
Level-10 Mensa member, bareknuckle boxer, Spanish
Lord descendant, paramedic, deep sea diver, black belt in
Karate, Harvard MBA graduate and tattoo artist. Angel Munoz is
none of these, but he is the founder and president of the Cyberathlete Professional
League, CEO and Chairman of NewWorld.com and founder
of the Adrenaline Vault.
He was also the founder and president of a Dallas-based
investment firm, that focused on high-tech companies.
What is your version of origin of terms "cyberathlete"
and "cyberathletics"
I formulated the word cyberathlete in 1997 to describe my
vision of a new breed of athlete, unrestricted by the
limitations of natural laws and master of the virtual
competition arenas created by computer games.
What is your opinion about things that are common to
cyberathletics and traditional sports and what's the
difference
The similarities are psychological and minutely physical.
Things like reaction time, snap movement, twitch, focus,
strategy and concentration. The differences are in the amount
of physical exertion required to practice the sport.
Which psychophisiological features are the most
important for yberathlete?
After years of watching the CPL tournaments I would say
that the most important characteristics of a successful
cyberathlete are: concentration, focus and skill. Tell me
about the specific things that you are responsible for being
CEO of New World which
incorporates both CPL and
Adrenaline Vault.
It means that I must be able to envision the future,
predict trends before they surface and through prognostication
determine the best direction for the entire company. At times,
I feel like a modern version of a medieval foreseer or fortune
teller and I even keep a crystal ball on my desk. This crystal
ball serves to remind me that as the leader of our company I
must always make decisions based on the possibility of future
occurrences, that sometimes may not be recognizable to other
people.
Some words about birth, history and future plans of
CPL
Summary
Birth - June 26, 1997
History - Three years
on uninterrupted growth
Future - CPL established as the
undisputed premier gamers league in the world
Which events organized by CPL do you consider as the
most successful
The ones we have not done yet :) Progress in all areas, is
law at the CPL.
Your vision of the future of professional computer
gaming at all
Professional gamers recognized not only for the dollars
they make but more so for their humility in victory and their
strength in defeat. The would be a true sign that
cyberathletics is a true evolutionary sport.
What do you think about the idea of organizing kinda CPL
event in one of the ex-USSR countries. There is a lot of
talented and skilled gamers here.
I think that would be great. The CPL is open to
participation from all countries and we are currently working
on main events in the following countries: Germany, Australia,
Singapore, Korea, Hong Kong, United Kingdom and Canada.
This year is the last year of millenium. So can you
compose the list that contains 10 games of all times that
shocked you most of all.
10. Pong
9. Zork
8. Zelda
7. Time Commando
6.
Crusader: No Remorse
5. Unreal
4. Quake
3.
Doom
2. Doom 2
1. Half-Life
Did you have the gaming experience in duels with famous
stars-gamers I mean Thresh, Kornelia etc :))
Haha... if I want someone to wipe the floor with me I would
rather just turn into a mop. I am purely amateur and do not
stand a chance against any pro-gamer. Oh well once Rix and I
played Q3 on a server, it was bloody. I am still trying to
forget it.
Tell me please who was the winner in your battle with
John Romero in Dremcast's Ready 2 Rumble (I have seen the
photos about a year ago) :))))
Romero and I played Ready 2 Rumble at Ground ZERO in NYC -
here's a picture.
It was a close battle but I can't remember who won, both of us
are very competitive and we were laughing hysterically through
the entire match. A few people watched the match so maybe they
email and tell us who won.
Is Stevie "Killcreek" Case still working both at Ion
Storm and for CPL?
Yes. Stevie is still a level designer at Ion Storm and also
an active member of the CPL advisory board.
How do you manage to find "fat" sponsors for your
events. And which of the CPL tournaments had the biggest prize
fund.
It seems sponsors are finding us, mostly through the strong
referrals from our existing sponsors. The largest cash prize
will be in December with a $100,000 Quake 3 tournament, a
$15,000 Counter-Strike tournament and a $7,500 All-Female
Quake 3 tournament. Total of $122,500 in cash. Largest cash
and prizes will be the Gateway Midtown Madness 2 tournament
with over $300,000 in cash and prizes.
Fatality, Munoz &
Makavelli
Your personal Top 5 of gaming sites
Finally someone asked me this question! I will not include
www.avault.com because of my obvious bias, as the founder of
that website. Here's my list:
5. Cached.net
4. The Challenge
Network
3. Blue's
News
2. Stomped
1. ShugaShack
What is your attitude to console games. Do you play
them? Did you play already Quake III Arena for DC or Unreal
Tournament for PS2. If so, tell me please about your
impressions
I do not own them but next year I will get one for my
children. I think the Dreamcast is still the best console and
the best value for the dollar.
Полный русский текст интервью читайте в декабрьском номере
"Домашнего ПК"
Russian version of this interview is here
