TED ALİAĞA COLLEGE / 11-B
My Inspiration : KennyS
Ahmet Kaan GÜRKAN
There is always someone in the world who can inspire you , but for me , it is KennyS , and it is more than just a name that I know . He is the person who got me keen on e-sports and is the one I consider my source of inspiration . As a kid playing games on my first laptop , I downloaded Steam and CS : GO , only knowing some player names in e-sports .
About a year after starting to play CS : GO , I stumbled upon a YouTube video about Kenny Schrub , also known as KennyS in e-sports . His unique gameplay style attracted my attention , and within no time , I was hooked up with everything about him , including videos , clips , matches , etc . His outstanding play wowed me , and at that time , I pledged myself to become an e-sports player like him .
This was the beginning of my adventure . During this time , I spent hours upon hours playing the game while watching and trying what pros do . Out of nowhere , an invitation came from “ Dark Passage E-Sports ” team for me to join them as the fifth player , taking on the AWPer role ( the same role as KennyS ). Though it wasn ’ t paid , it was a significant step forward in my esports career .
After I gave my LFT ( Looking for team announcement ), the Turkish squad named “ V1CES ” called me back after a great season at “ Astralis Academy .” It was so nice to practice and play in İzmir , my hometown , and the place where I met Emre , who will be my best friend forever . Also , we became the champions of “ Turkey Championship 2018 .”
However , despite such an incredible experience , I finally decided to exit e-sports . As a result of writing this post , my interest has been reignited to compete in the arena , even though it took a longer break than I expected .
My time in esports has been amazing . I ’ ve won games , overcome obstacles , and , last but not least , gained invaluable experience .. Without the influence of Kenny as the ultimate person I was inspired , none of these would have happened .
The turning point happened on one summer day right after an FPL-C match ( the second-largest CS : GO league in the world ), when I met a player and manager of the best academy team , “ Astralis Academy .” Even the thought of being able to play for the world ’ s top academy team seemed unbelievable . Traveling to Denmark to live in their gaming house was made possible by their good hospitality and care . But I was thinking of getting back to my own country and performing there .