The DOTA 2 division, in their quest to dominate the whole of TAW, demanded a second interview. Not literally of course, but a game that spins up over 50 members in just a few weeks while still in closed beta certainly demands recognition. The newest member of the leadership team in DOTA 2 is NA battalion XO Killacrazy's right hand man, MSG iKon. iKon ripped through the ranks, moving from recruit to Field Specialist in under a month and has been instrumental in building the membership base. As a long time DOTA player new to TAW, he was perfect to represent the strengths of both the clan, and DOTA 2 as a game, to the rest of TAW. QuinoaAOC has the scoop.
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--Let’s start by telling everyone a little about you, what might someone be surprised to know about you?--
Howdy, my name is Nathan “iKoN” Edgemon. I have been brought on by Master Odin to help out the DOTA 2 Division. I am currently attending Texas A&M University and will be a senior Mechanical Engineering Major, who is currently interning at Cameron. I have played video games ever since I was 2 years old; Whoop Super Mario 3 on the Nintendo entertainment system. I have played nearly every game under the sun all the way from casual to pro level. I guess a surprising fact is that I have an addiction to peanut butter M&M’s and have competed at a professional caliber in video games, my favorite teams was genesis AD and DOTA.
--Do you have any special hobbies or activities outside of online gaming/TAW?--
I enjoy playing disc golf, training for the iron man, and cooking. Yes guys do cook, trust me my girlfriend appreciates those nice dinners made from scratch.
--What made you decide to join up with TAW?--
I saw you guys on the joindota site so I applied. I also don’t mind teaching new players how to play and my professional gaming days were over. So I spoke with Denied and Master_Odin about joining TAW, and that the people here were great. They offered me a spot on as a training specialist due to my knowledge of the game, and next thing I knew I was offered a spot as a Field Specialist and jumped on the opportunity.
--What have been some (if any) difficulties in Spinning up your respective game?--
Well for one the game is still in beta, but I believe it will strike like wildfire once the game gets released it has already taken over as the number on played game on steam currently. Once the Asian, mainly the Chinese, scene make a shift from DOTA 1 to DOTA 2 we will begin to see player multiple by the days.
--What do you do to recruit?--
I guess we do three main stream types of recruiting. First there is the 5/6 community DOTA 2 sites such as join DOTA, DOTA fire, and a few others. That we continue having our members bump to show activity, and continue to gain more members. Our second method is word or mouth. Through this process we have already had 6/7 members join due to the fact that the current TAW member is enjoying his time. These are personally my favorite recruits because it means we are really having a solid community and developing as a team. Lastly is when we pub stomp and then throwing down the Taw website after the “gg” at the end of a game brings in a few extra people as well. These methods are how we continue to grow and are up to 52 members with about 12 to still boot camp, and we are hoping to continue to expand and grow larger.
--What are some of the differences you have seen that separate the different units in DOTA?--
Personally I believe that Valve has done an excellent job porting the game from the original Warcraft III mod, Defense of the Ancients. It is also nice to not have to play on the Chinese servers again. The graphics are better than any of its game type currently out there and it has Valve backing this transition. I see a bright future for DOTA 2 once it becomes free to play. Also check out The International 2 which will hold the top 16 teams in the world to face off for 1 million dollars.
--Where you a DOTA player from the old days or did you start with DOTA 2?--
I have played the original DOTA for nearly 9 years. I dabbled a little bit in beta Hon and tried a game or two of LoL, but neither t suffices my urge to play DOTA.
--Are there any other games that you occupy your time with outside of DOTA 2?--
The only other game I am currently playing is Dragon Age II, but I still have multiple games that I may play with some of buddies from time to time. Also I will have an occasion mine craft session with my girlfriend.
--What has been the number one thing about the DOTA 2 division that has kept you coming back to play with TAW?--
The reason I continue playing is due the willingness of the TAW members who want to improve their game play and become better players. Yes my Shakespeare moment! In all honestly I really enjoy the members and people that play in TAW the community is what has gotten the members up to over 1000.
--Every member believes his or her division is top dog in TAW, what do you feel sets DOTA 2 apart from the rest of the clan's divisions?--
That’s always a good thing each member should stick up for their own game, and of course DOTA 2 dominates all. What sets DOTA 2 apart from all the other games is the layers and depth that it is required to play this game at a high level. The complexity and diversity of each game gives a unique experience to the player every time you start a new game.
--What made your game ‘doable’ to quality for a spin up?--
Its a new flavor on an old game and there really is not much of an American side so their are lots of fresh recruits on the market. Hmmm, The fact that it the highest played game daily on steam or that it requires a whole never level of thinking that only DOTA players understand. Watch out other divisions were coming for ya
--Was the initial spin up process easy?--
We did not even break a sweat
~Shout Out Dota 2 Team