Hello mson! Could you start by giving us a little description of yourself?



Tjo! sure, my name is Mathias Eriksson, that's where I got my nick many years ago.

I live in Hisingen, Gothenburg. I have a rather big interest in games (team games online with other people, other games can burn :) ) also some other things related to computers, pretty big interest in music, sports and spending time with my family :). I'll be 24 in May and I have been planning on joining a course this autumn if all things go as planned.



When did you start playing Counter-Strike and how do your CS history look like?



Uy uy, I haven't the exact date etc in my head. Guess it was around Beta 3, when they released the open source to Quake and all cheats came out and destroyed qwtf *sniff*, but CS wasn't a boring game when you tried it out the first times, so you got stuck rather fast. Detailed carrier version:



I started out playing lots and lots of public before I felt ready to see which clans that were active. A bunch of old qwtf players started up Team Fortuna (-TF) at that time, but they got many players in that clan and they didn't need any helping hand :). I later asked Sauna (and was refused a nice testing time) who had created Tygrävens Wäktare (TW). There wasn't much more at that time, so you hadn't that much of a choice, after that there was United Section that consisted of among others, Soulburn (good friend), Hyb (irl monkey), Venom, G8 for mentioning some.



USEC was the first clan to beat Team Fortuna, which with ~40 games without any loss had to find themselves beated with something like 35-13 in an English cup where we ended up second after NiP on overtime. USEC continued being a topclan in swe/eu quite a long time, but people stopped playing/was taken by NiP, so the clan died after a long meeting where members almost cried :) (great unity).



I had a well-deserved break from everything for 1-3 months, for some day later stumble upon scud on some public server the first thing I do after the break. We started talking a bit, and realized that we were pretty much thinking in the same lines in making a good team with serious players and not at least nice/pleasant guys both on the field and outside. The day after Kompaniet was born with persons like Sauna, Procce, Coy, scud, SoulBurn and myself. Kompaniet was a pretty fun thing with a pretty original name, we were playing with out surenames (which later become CPL standard) and so on. By playing in Kompaniet you reached a lot of 'merits' like: Winning the qualification to WCG Korea and there coming on a fourth place, and unforgettable funny trip to CPL Holland with the guys, and not to be forgotten, first place on Clanbase for very very long time (when it still was worth something). Kompaniet died sadly after the Korea trip.



I went to London for playing in the CPL with GoL (we came third, good if you think of the situation). After London there was a pause from the playing again for maybe 1-2 months. During this time my friend (Hyb) had joined GoL, and before some competition, GoL needed one extra player and they asked me, living rather near and had been playing with them before, if I wanted to play a little bit with them. After a little break I felt that I really wanted to play, so I said yes.



Kompaniet was a clan that had many fans and showed great sportsmanship. What do you think was the reason for Kompaniet being so popular and respected at its time?



First of all, it was the people in Kompaniet who were the base of course, everybody was just wonderful people. Almost everybody had been leaders of other teams, with great knowledge of 'handle' people, also great spokesmen for Fairplay. Also that we played good and had a good spirit perhaps was a reason :P.



You said later, however, that Kompaniet puts down its business. But what was the reason things didn't really worked out in Kompaniet?



There were three reasons: 1. Many didn't enjoy playing CS anymore 2. Some were inactive 3. Two left the team. So at a short meeting the rest of us decided to put down the project of Kompaniet.



What were your feelings then, when Kompaniet died?



You get sad of course when you've built up everything from scratch, like USEC.



After a little break we could see you together with the tag of GameOnline, why did you start playing CS again and why GoL?



They needed one player for a competition and they talked to med. I lived near and could LAN with them, I also played with them at London. Everything worked out really smoothly and I got into the team on full time and was also voted to be the leader of the team on a period.



You also went to CPL Dallas previous summer, could you tell us a little bit of how it was there?



It was a funny experience even though USA isn't any super country like Sweden :).



The tournament itself was planned nicely and they followed the schedule pretty good on time. The hotel was something like super :).



You are one of the few swedes who have been on both WCG Korea and CPL Dallas. What differences did you notice?



Rather big differences I must say, the biggest is that in CPL it's CS 90% of the event, while WCG gathers the best in many games, up to 10 games for sure. Also there is a mini exhibition where mainly new hardware/movies/games are shown.



Which event do you prefer?



WCG is much more noticed by media with games on TV and all 'Athletes' living in a 'Gamervillage' which feels pretty over-proffesional but cool :). WCG felt bigger to be a part of. It was more expensive, transport from the airport etc :), crazy koreans hehe.



After your great performance in CPL Dallas Summer, you in GoL chose to put down CS, what was the reason for this?



Like I said before, people were looking on others and played with them, "the grass is greener on the other side".



GoL started up again, with a similar lineup of the one in CPL Dallas. However, you weren't in that lineup, why not?



I didn't have the attraction for games, I didn't want to play with people jumping around etc. The third time should be enough, the CS scene is extremely boring if you compare it with how it was in the beginning of CS. But most of all I didn't want to play with players jumping around (element left a short while after and have also been part of 3-4 exchanges) since they started up with the same people. Nothing bad to them as persons, they are all great persons in real life that's for sure!



Of course I will miss Jerry with his PC sounds and facial expressions, and Johan with his "ryck" at events :).



So you haven't had any planns on doing a comeback to the CS scene and joining a clan again?



No not at the moment. If it comes a new 'good' version or a new good game, I will probably be there again :).



What have you been doing since you left GoL? Have you been taking a total pause from CS or have you kept on playing?



I haven't touched CS, I have been working a little bit and tested new games. I have played daoc a bit which is a pretty funny team game in Group-to-group-relations (you just must find those situations :).



Aren't you missing the high level of playing CS that you once had?



Of course, if you look back to all the nice times, with all the battles with ND, the nice people in Kompaniet (the trip to Holland hihi), every nice people from all of the LAN:s you've been to etc, you miss the old times. But the good things is too few and the people who once was a part of the scene isn't anymore, so right now there is no comeback plans planned, more like the opposite.



Now i'm curious, tell us about the trip to Holland!



Hehe well it was everything without playing good on the CPL you could say :), the rest stays in the Kompaniet cirles :).



Have you still got contact with your old pals from Kompaniet and GoL?



Yes on both, mostly Kompaniet however.



If you compare GoL to Kompaniet, what were the positive and negative sides with the clans?



GoL and Kompaniet weren't really antipoles but not far away. GoL was more serious playing to win, win, win while in Kompaniet there was great atmosphere and friendship and by having this we played good and got some nice results through the time we played in Kompaniet.



Did you, like many others, dream of glory and fame in the start of your CS career? When did you feel that you were a good CS player?



I have never dreamt of something like that in any of the games i play, i play only team games. I play because I think it is so fun, I'm a team playerto 99.9999% :). If you only wanted things like that you could play 1v1 games like q3 or something.



What is the funniest thing you have experienced in your CS career?



Uy hmm.. Tough question, if I should mention something, CPL Holland, Korea and USA were pretty ok.



Do you still check the news in the world of CS?



I'm not looking on any CS page more than once on 2-3 weeks and if something big happens I get info from none than my mom! :) She got stuck to all CS sites and reads them since the time I was playing active hehe.



Hehe that was really something. What are your thoughts about the lately happenings in GoL?



Well I don't know anything about neither zaffe nor mikk, so I don't know the reason for why they changed mikk to gozie, but it's sad that they can't stick to one team and go for it.



Okay now I have planned that you would give the readers a little picture of how your character in CS look (looked) like, by giving you some quick questions.



AWP or Colt/AK?



Colt/AK.



Why not AWP?



There are others who could specialize better with that gun, I am more for using everything well and not one thing über-good :).



Burst or spray?



Burst 100% if it isn't too close :).



What/who were you most afraid of in all of the Kompaniet-vs-ND-games that you played?



I thought they had a complete team on that time so noone special, more everybody :).



USEC/Kompaniet?



20%/80%.



DreamHack or smaller LAN:s?



Neither. If smaller LAN:s isn't 4-6 guys in a apartment, in that case I take that :).



Is there any CS player that you have been looking up to for a longer time?



No, I was one of the first on the CS scene so it was quite difficult :).



Well the interview is starting to reach its end now, mson. Is there anything you'd like to say before we stop?



I'd like to thank all the nice people I've got to know by playing with/against, not atleast the whole of Kompaniet (Erik, Jonas, Jakob, Daniel) and also the people in GoL (Hyb, Souledge, Micke, smurfah, GoZie) and not at least Sauna who is one of the nicest persons/friends I have met, and still have good contact with, and also all of the two fans I got :).



Okay thank you very much for the chat, and good luck with what you will do in the future?



Thank you.