OpTic Gaming: The Making of eSports Champions

by H3CZ, NaDeSHot, Scump, BigTymer, Midnite

Overview

OpTic Gaming, the four-time Call of Duty Major League Gaming Champions and one of the top eSports teams in the world, now takes fans behind the controller—into the game and the minds of the greatest gamers in the world—in this fascinating and unique memoir and insider guide.

Emerging on the scene in 2006, OpTic Gaming has dominated the Call of Duty e-sports arena, thanks to the talents of legendary players such as Matt “NaDeSHoT” Haag, the biggest eSports personality on earth; Seth “Scump” Abner, the best Call of Duty player in the world; Midnite, one of the first girl gamers to rise to stardom on YouTube; and Hector “H3CZ” Rodriguez, the team founder and CEO. With over 14 million followers across social platforms like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, no other team of players in eSports can match OpTic's popularity or ability to bring fans into the game.

Now, these remarkable players have collaborated to produce this one-of-a-kind book. In OpTic Gaming, they candidly share their story of becoming Call of Duty's global royalty—ESPN XGAMES, MLG, ESWC and GFINITY champions—laying bare their lives, exploring what it takes to make it in professional gaming, and speaking honestly about the consequences of their newfound fame. These best-of-the-best take you behind the controller, offering insights, knowledge, and strategies to help you improve your shot, master the most complex maps, and conquer the game with the ultimate weapons. Going beyond their number-one game, the team also discusses the rest of their lineups and how to become a champion in any arena. Revealing their go-to strategies, best missions, and favorite challenges, OpTic Gaming brings fans closer to these wildly popular professional gamers more than ever before.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062449283
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/17/2016
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	635,353
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

Table of Contents

Part 1 The Birth of Optic

1 OpTicJ: A Very Humble Beginning 3

2 H3CZ: An Escape After Work 11

3 OpTicJ: Playing Video Games for a Living 21

4 Fwiz: Born and Raised in eSports 27

5 H3CZ: Back to Our Roots 33

Part 2 Building a Pro Team

6 NaDeSHoT: MLG Dallas 2010 39

7 H3CZ: My First Really Tough Decision 47

8 Fwiz: The Best Year of My Life 53

9 BigTymeR: All of This Almost Never Happened 61

10 Scump: Sometimes You Just Gotta Get Lucky 71

11 MiDNiTE: From GTA to CoD 81

Part 3 Modern Warfare 3

12 OpTicJ: Call of Duty Experience 91

13 BigTymeR: Rags to Riches 97

14 NaDeSHoT: No Bathrooms Backstage 105

15 Scump: My First Year with OpTic 111

Part 4 Black Ops 2

16 Fwiz: One Step Back and Two Steps Forward 121

17 NaDeSHoT: UMG Chicago 127

18 H3CZ: The OpTic House 133

19 BigTymeR: My YouTube Career in a Nutshell 143

20 Scump: How I Spent My Summer Vacation 151

Part 5 Ghosts

21 H3CZ: Hypergrowth 163

22 BigTymeR: All Good Things Must End 171

23 MiDNiTE: My Own Personal Grind 177

24 Scump: How Did It Get So Damn Ugly? 187

Part 6 Advanced Warfare

25 NaDeSHoT: Rock Bottom 197

26 H3CZ: Losing a Legend 203

27 Scump: There's Nothing Better Than Winning 207

28 H3CZ: OpTic's Best Year Ever? 215

29 Scump: I Loved Advanced Warfare 221

Part 7 Optic Today and Tomorrow

30 Fwiz: A Long Way from Ohio 231

31 OpTicJ: My Career in Gaming 235

32 MiDNiTE: Keep On Keepin' On 239

33 BigTymeR: Livin' the Dream 243

34 NaDeSHoT: What Now? 247

35 Scump: Already Focused on Next Year 251

36 H3CZ: Bring It On 255

Acknowledgments 259

Editorial Reviews

05/15/2016
Written by a group of seven Call of Duty competitors including Rodriquez and Matt "NaDeSHoT" Haag, this book offers an eye-opening glimpse into the realm of not only the popular video game franchise Call of Duty but also eSports (aka professional video gaming or simply pro gaming) and the professional eSports organization Major League Gaming. The authors, who have competed together under the name OpTic Gaming since 2006 and have earned their place at the top of eSports teams globally, trace how their passion became a lucrative business. Their ability to tap the prevalent zeitgeist and ultimately cash in on their hobby is inspiring and serves as an exemplar for entrepreneurs looking to exploit their own enthusiasms. As the authors point out, eSports revenue exceeded $250 million in 2015, with a fan base of more than 113 million worldwide. VERDICT With each competitor offering ways to improve gaming skills and sharing insight into their own winning strategies, this book is an engaging consideration of a burgeoning sport and business.—Brian Renvall, Mesalands Community Coll., Tucumcari, NM

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