Karel de Graaf, a real life warfighter known better to his TAW brethren as BLJ, is the SO who helps run the EU side of things in what was the second division in the history of TAW, GRAW. He has been a staple member of the TAW family for years and now he tells his stories to the community via the Media team.
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First, tell us a little bit about yourself...
My name is Karel de Graaf, I’m 48 years old and I live with my wife and 2 daughters in Holland. I have always been interested in computer games and I got hooked on first person shooters after my brother gave me a copy of the game Quake (about 11 discs I think). I worked for an insurance company for 25 years until they decided that they had to lay some people off (insurance companies are having a hard time the last 5 years). Fortunately that coincided with our plans to move to another (rural) part of the country. So instead of having to quit my job I was made redundant and was given a nice severance pay.
I play in a volleyball competition and now enjoy the country life and look after the children since my wife is running her own company for which she frequently is abroad.
You were in TAW back in 2007, left for a little while in 2010, and came back. What divisions were you in before GRAW?
I joined TAW in 2007 because I just changed from the original Ghost Recon to Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter and I couldn’t find enough people to play the game with.
I was always in the GR division either playing GRAW (and the original Ghost Recon for a while) and then went on to GRAW2 (after I got a fast enough computer). So division wise I’m a one trick pony.
What prompted you to go on leave from TAW and what brought you back?
I left TAW at the end of 2010 for a couple of months. At that time I was about to move to another home and since I wasn’t sure on when I would have the time again to play I decided to resign instead of asking for a leave of absence which I might had to extend to a point where I would be exceeding the term for leave as stated in TAW policy and I didn’t want my buddies having to bend the rules for me. I always intended to return to TAW and eventually I did after 3 months or so.
You sport some serious hardware. 28 medals not including years of service awards. Which of these are you proudest of?
I consider the Armed Forces Award the one that I am most proud of. I was drafted in the army and after 6 months training I served 10 months in Germany as a platoon leader for a medical platoon in a mechanized infantry battalion (42BLJ).
What do you feel GRAW brings to the table that makes it the "place to be" in TAW?
It’s a realistic fps that gives you both a good death match version (in which team play and good commas are a match winner) as well as an coop version that gives you the opportunity to play a tactical game with a small team. And although it’s an older game (dating back to 2001) they still make new maps and missions which keeps the game alive.
How about you personally, what are some things others might be surprised to know about you?
In my early TAW years I also played America’s Army with the guys form the AA division. They invited me to compete in a their Humvee race competition. Not without a little help from resident AI’s (shooting mostly at the other competitor’s) I actually won that competition (leaving the Agues a little embarrassed) but their CO did give me a recommendation in my file.
What are some of your favorite real life hobbies outside of gaming?
Not many, playing volleyball I guess and helping out relatives on their nearby farms (shaving cattle with an electric razor was a first for me being a city slicker all my life).
Any parting words for the rest of TAW?
I hope TAW can remain a place where people from all walks of life can find friends that share their passion for a game and the way they want the play that game (honor, friendship, fair play and loyalty).