Though barely old enough to drive, Anthony Pennachio qualifies enough as
a grizzled veteran of the professional gaming world that he's being
employed as a scout for Major League Gaming.
The 17-year old, who goes
by his gamertag of "Totz," will be watching for raw talent at the
Doritos'
Pro-Gaming Combine in St. Charles this weekend - an event
described as "American Idol-meets-Halo" where Chicago-area gamers vie
for a chance to become professional Halo 3 players. GameSmith caught up
with the Chicago-area native to talk about life as a joystick jockey.
(A short version of this Q&A appears in Friday's RedEye)
Q.
You're actually a scout for this combine event?A. For
sure. These kids come and want to be evaluated and we watch them and
give them tips. It'll be fun to see all the top talent that will be the
future of pro-gaming.
Q. As a scout, what do you look for in a potential pro?A.
People think it's all shot accuracy, and that is important, but that's
not just what its about. You also evaluate things like their composure
under pressure and good teamwork is important. What separates a lot of
pros from amateurs is the ability to talk amongst each other and working
together.
Q. Is it true that your parent's basement has been converted into
like pro gaming practice space?A. Yeah, it's pretty unique
because my house in Bloomingdale (Il.) has like eight big TV's and eight
Xboxs connected to them and we run these LAN games. We even stream the
video of our games live so that fans can watch us online. Actually a lot
of the top teams come here and practice in my basement. It's fun to
have.
Q. So you're one of the rare kids where your parents actually
encourage you to go downstairs and play video games all day?A.
Yeah, it's funny because it's like Sportscenter in here because my dad
is actually into it more than I am. He knows who the top teams are and
tells me about all the MLG news. And obviously my dad built this setup
in my basement, so both of my parents are very supportive and it's nice.
Q.
How
do people usually react when you say you're a pro gamer?
A.
People
usually do what you're doing and they ask me a lot of questions. Its
sort of like its own little world, so its
a little weird to my friends. I try to show them videos online and
explain to people what it is. It's a big deal and people don't realize.
Q. What
do regular gamers do when you beat them in a game? Do they get mad,
or think "It's OK, no big deal, he's a pro."?
A.
Sometimes
a
lot of kids have bigger egos than pros do. Sometimes they talk crap
to you and sometimes they're respectful. I try to be respectful to
everyone and try to be the nice guy in the league and say "Good
game" when I win. But yeah, I've heard some pretty bad stuff. When you
play Modern Warfare 2, you hear guys yell stuff like "Get raped, fag."
and its like,
c'mon, that's terrible. But at the same time, it's fun to beat the kids
that talk so much trash.
Pro Gamer Anthony "Totz" Pennachio
Q. So
Halo 3 is your game of choice?
A. I
don't really touch any other game than Halo 3. Halo Reach just came
out so everyone's playing that and getting ready for that when it comes
out. But Halo
3 is still the game that will probably be played in competitive
tournaments for awhile. I'm trying to get a jump on those guys that are
playing around with Reach because I'm playing "3" four to six hours a
day still.
Q. Where does the nickname Totz come from?A. Well, back when
I was like eight or nine, my brother played a lot of Halo 1, and his
gamertag was Joe Fries. I went with BabyTotz because I wanted to keep it
in the potato family.
----------------------
EVENT INFO-What: Doritos and Major League Gaming's Pro-Gaming
Combine
Where: Pheasant Run Resort, St. Charles, IL
When: May
15-17
Website: http://combine.mlgpro.com/events/2010/chicago/
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