Sling Blade: Do you have any sponsors and what do you do for them:

Kornelia:  I recently signed a one year contract with Gamespy. (They do web sites, software, and technology for multiplayer gaming.) One of the things I do is I travel to computer Expos with them around the world. People from the expo can challenge me to a game of Quake 3 for all sorts of different prizes. Besides expos and other things I do regular "Challenge Kornelia" on Gamespy arcade. (Coming soon!)

Sling Blade:  Hmmmmm sounds interesting. Looks like we'll be able to get toasted by Kornelia soon. I sure hope we don't actually have to BEAT you to get prizes! OK, so how do you prepare for a tournament? Do you have any lucky socks?

Kornelia:  I usually prepare for tournaments the old fashion way. I practice the maps that will be used in the tourney with my friends a lot. I don't have any lucky socks but I do have a tiny Japanese carving that I carry around with me when I go on a trip. (It's not particularly gaming related. I take it with me when I'm going on an airplane, etc.)

Sling Blade: Do you keep in contact with the other professional gamers? Do you professional gamers get together often to practice online?

Kornelia:  I keep in contact with a lot of gamers. Gaming and gaming related activities take up a lot of my time and part of it is talking and practicing with other gamers.

Sling Blade:  How much of a player’s ability is innate skill, and how much do you believe is the result of practice?

Kornelia: One without the other will only make your game 50% complete. A lot of people practice a lot but they just don't have that something that allows them to place well in big tournaments. A lot of good players don't practice enough and the outcome is the same. You definitely need skills and you need to keep them sharp by practicing regularly against other skilled players.

Sling Blade: What is your opinion on mouse sensitivity in games? I’ve heard  that most top players play with a relatively high mouse sensitivity.

Kornelia: It varies by player. The higher it is the faster you'll be able to flick around instantly but it's up to the individual how they prefer it. Mine is 18 and I'm pretty happy with it at this setting.

Sling Blade: What is more important, aiming skill or strategy?

Kornelia: Strategy is more important in my opinion. Of course if you only have strategy and you're up against a person with superior aim you'll probably end up losing. Thinking smart in these types of games when you're up against someone who has both skills and strategy is very important. You need a good balance of both and you need to work on whichever lags behind a bit to complete your game.

Sling Blade: Do you play any other video games other than Quake 3? If not, do you think that playing another FPS while trying to be competitive at Q3 would “mess you up”?

Kornelia: I play a lot of other video games. I like driving games, word games, etc. Quake 3 is the only fps game I play. I think it would throw off your game if you played more than one at once. I remember I played a bit of Q2 when it first came out. When I went back to Quake 1 my aim had improved because of Q2. I like to stick to one fps at a time though. :)

Sling Blade: What is your favorite and least favorite 1 on 1 map. Why?

Kornelia: I'm pretty happy with all the 1 on 1 Quake 3 maps that are used at tournaments. I don't have a favorite or a least favorite. I think they all have their advantages and disadvantages but they are all fun to play.

Sling Blade: I’ve noticed that there are VERY few Q2 to Q3 professional gamers. In fact according to The CPL, only one person has “effectively” bridged the gap between Quake 2 and Quake 3 ;Makaveli. This seems rather odd, why is this?

Kornelia: I think the reason why it appears that way because a lot of new gamers started playing Quake 3. They are very good so the top players of Quake 2 can't rank as high as before. You see a lot of new names but there are still a lot of Quake 2 players out there who are practicing and competing in tournaments.\

Sling Blade: Why is it that the main, and almost only, people at professional tournaments are young males? Why not more women? Why not people older than 25?

Kornelia: I think you know the answer to that as well as I do. :) FPS games in general are geared toward guys between 18-23 because they like it. When I first started gaming I didn't know that it was mainly a guy thing. I didn't have any media or family background where I would have learned that fact. It was fun to play with my friends and I like the concept of winning a match with superior thinking and good coordination. A lot of guys use it to "relieve stress" "blow up their friends" a lot of times I get stressed out when I play a tough match. :) To me it's more like a sport where you're playing smart to win.

Sling Blade: How do you feel about Thresh hanging up his spurs? Do you miss  the competition he gave you? Or are you just glad he’s gone? ;)

Kornelia: I wish he kept competing but I know that he can't do both run a business and play at tournaments at the same time. He's a nice guy so I was happy that he was the one that became "the guy to beat". (There are a lot of top players with big heads.) I, like everyone else, were always a step below him. He's a natural and his matches was very fun to watch.

Kornelia: Free mouse pads, that's pretty tempting! Right now I plan on competing for a while and see where this industry will go. I can always decide to do something else. Either in this industry or somewhere completely different.

Kornelia: Of course. More than one but no comments on the subject. :)

Sling Blade: I know you do a lot of expos. Has anyone ever gotten really  pissed that you completely slaughtered them?

Kornelia: If there was they didn't show it to me. Actually an interesting thing is a lot of the guys when they sign up to play me talk a lot of smack. (Not to me but they guy they sign up with) When it's their turn they are really nice and humble to me. I usually find out about them afterwards. (Most of them don't get a frag)

Kornelia: I used to be in clan 311 for I think about two years. (First as a member than as the leader) It was one of the oldest clans from the Quake 1 days. I loved playing team games but in Quake 3 I mostly concentrate on my 1 on 1 game. 

Sling Blade: How long do you think id games will continue to be the professional gamers’ “game of choice”?

Kornelia: I think as long as they will be making FPS multiplayer oriented games. 

Sling Blade: AMEN! So where do you see yourself in 10 years and what do you think professional gaming will be like at that time?

Kornelia: I have no idea what I WILL be doing in ten years. I don't think many people do when they are in their early twenties. Even if you do know what you want to be doing in ten years the chances of your life going that way is pretty slim. (Too many unpredictable things can/will happen during a decade) Ask me in ten years what I will be doing in ten years. I think I'll be able to guess it better. I think professional gaming will explode in the next few years. It will spend the next eight years getting more mainstream, recognition and creditability.

Sling Blade: Well I'm sure you will have no trouble getting that. Thanks a lot for the interview, and kick but at Frag 4. I'm rootin for ya!