Cementing the UAE’s rising status in the world of esports and competitive gaming, Abu Dhabi is set to host the Blast Premier World Final 2022 this month.
This weekend, the world’s best Counter-Strike: Global Offensive teams will compete for a $1 million prize pool at Etihad Arena. Ahead of the event, we spoke to one of the star players from the highest-ranked team FaZe Clan. In May, they became the only international team to win a major Counter-Strike event, the PGL Major Antwerp 2022 in Belgium.
Russel "Twistzz" Van Dulken is one of the most recent additions to the team. He started playing Counter-Strike in 2014 and rapidly rose through the ranks — going pro the next year and joining the best North American squad, Team Liquid, before moving on to join FaZe Clan in January last year, who he describes as “the best international team to ever exist in Counter-Strike”.
“We start practising at around 11.30am or 12pm, then we go over stuff as a team for an hour or so.” After this, the team plays five “scrims”, or practice rounds, against other teams.
“Then, usually there’s individual practice afterwards too, playing whatever you can really in Counter-Strike and then probably going to bed somewhere around 1am or 2am. Obviously, there's food in between — we're not robots."
However, for pros at the highest level, there is no strict cut-off point. “It's however long you make it. Some players simply just practice with their team, and that's it, they don't do anything else but practice routine. So it depends on where the work ethic is at.”
Though it sounds gruelling, Van Dulken says motivation is not a struggle “when you actually love your job and you're passionate about it”.
One of the challenges of being part of an international team is a lack of physical headquarters. “When we're not at an event, we're all practising from home. And then when we have an event, they’re often very long, so it can be seen as a kind of boot camp. We make the most of it while we're together.
“Luckily, there's tonnes of esports locations that want to help supply players with a boot camp facility, and we can still usually get around three boot camps per year.”
First released as a fan-made modification to the hit first-person-shooter Half-Life in 1999, Counter-Strike was later incorporated into the series — to become one of the most enduring and competitive online video games of all time. While there are other gamers who have been playing for longer, Van Dulken says there are a few important details that separate great casual players from top-tier professionals.
While great players might generally just wake up and play all day for fun, for teams like FaZe Clan, he says it is a “constant grind”. Van Dulken adds: “We have to work to stay on top, especially when you become the number one team. It's much harder to keep the number one spot than it is to get there in the first place. And the special part about Counter-Strike is that it's an ever-evolving game.”
There is a $1 million prize fund on the line for the competition at Etihad Arena. The top teams, which also include NAVI, Team Vitality, Outsiders, Heroic, G2 Esports, Team Liquid and OG Esports, not only practice “scrimming” but “anti-stratting” — studying one another’s play styles, looking for weaknesses and figuring out how best to exploit them.
“You purely want to counter your opponents in as many ways as possible, while trying to play your own game still," says Van Dulken.
However, he says that among the elites, the edge comes down to psychology.
“You have to be able to adapt on the fly, not be afraid of using new ideas,” he says. “There’s obviously five finals in this game, and you have to play a potentially very long match with a lot of stressful moments. So it's really just about how your body reacts to it. Maybe for some people, it's extremely exhausting. Maybe you get really tired, maybe the adrenaline isn't enough to keep you keep you in the moment.”
Van Dulken’s coach, Robert "RobbaN" Dahlstrom, is a veteran of the game. Having started playing Counter-Strike in 2000, he went pro a few years later and played at the top level of competitive esports during its formative years for more than a decade. He’s been coaching FaZe Clan for five years now.
Going into Abu Dhabi as the favourite is a double-edged sword, Dahlstrom says. “We know that every team is studying us, and looking into how we're playing all the positions, how to distract us when we're playing.
“We have to make sure that we're not repeating habits all the time. Because when you play so many matches, and you win so many tournaments, there will be patterns in some of the positions you play and people will try to abuse this.”
While it’s one thing to reach the top, it’s another entirely to stay there. Dahlstrom says this is something that requires dedication and “extreme motivation” across the entire team.
He adds: “It's a lot of work outside of what people see. We have a lot of tactics, there's a lot of talking about theory. You need to focus, most of all, you need the will to win, and you have to work for it. And if you work hard enough, you will get it.”
Coaching, he says, requires a totally unique skillset from playing. “Now my job is to be a leader for the boys, to get them prepared and have their playbook ready for everything. Also, I make sure that everyone is 100 per cent confident going into matches.
“When I was a player myself, my only job was to play well. These days, people have way more staff behind the teams. We have analysts, we have sports psychologists, we have managers, we have amazing support. We even have fitness people helping us.”
When Dahlstrom started out, he says there would be only 15 people watching local network tournaments — a far cry from Etihad Arena. “It was just a dream back then that we could play in stadiums and fill arenas with 50,000 people. No way. It’s a dream come true.”
The BLAST Premier World Final will be open to the public at Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi on December 17 and 18. Ticket prices start at Dh115 per person, with a discounted rate of Dh50 for students. More details are available at etihadarena.com
Scroll through images of Abu Dhabi's new gaming hub Pixoul below
UPI facts
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Results
6.30pm: Mazrat Al Ruwayah – Group 2 (PA) $36,000 (Dirt) 1,600m, Winner: RB Money To Burn, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
7.05pm: Handicap (TB) $68,000 (Turf) 2,410m, Winner: Star Safari, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
7.40pm: Meydan Trophy – Conditions (TB) $50,000 (T) 1,900m, Winner: Secret Protector, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
8.15pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 - Group 2 (TB) $293,000 (D) 1,900m, Winner: Salute The Soldier, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
8.50pm: Al Rashidiya – Group 2 (TB) $163,000 (T) 1,800m, Winner: Zakouski, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) $65,000 (T) 1,000m, Winner: Motafaawit, Sam Hitchcock, Doug Watson
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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How will Gen Alpha invest?
Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.
“Technology and education should be the main drivers to make this happen, whether it’s investing in a few clicks or their schools/parents stepping up their personal finance education skills,” he adds.
Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.
He advises millennials to not always start with an aggressive portfolio even if they can afford to take risks. “We always advise to work your way up to your risk capacity, that way you experience volatility and get used to it. Given the higher risk capacity for the younger generations, stocks are a favourite,” says Mr Chahwan.
Highlighting the role technology has played in encouraging millennials and Gen Z to invest, he says: “They were often excluded, but with lower account minimums ... a customer with $1,000 [Dh3,672] in their account has their money working for them just as hard as the portfolio of a high get-worth individual.”
The%20specs
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How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
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Transmission: 10-speed automatic
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
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Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
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Hunger and Fury: The Crisis of Democracy in the Balkans
Jasmin Mujanović, Hurst Publishers
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Leganes v Getafe (12am)
Levante v Alaves (4pm)
Real Madrid v Sevilla (7pm)
Osasuna v Valladolid (9.30pm)
Sunday
Eibar v Atletico Madrid (12am)
Mallorca v Valencia (3pm)
Real Betis v Real Sociedad (5pm)
Villarreal v Espanyol (7pm)
Athletic Bilbao v Celta Vigo (9.30pm)
Monday
Barcelona v Granada (12am)
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
STAY%2C%20DAUGHTER
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
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Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
The Details
Kabir Singh
Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series
Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa
Rating: 2.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
