Yes. Undead Ed is a heretic. Or he’s a joker. We can’t quite figure it out yet. He claims to “believe” in humans. In Zombie we trust though. Although we do at times believe in humans too, but it’s only because we believe they’re completely edible. All of the time.
Heretic Gaming formed a few years back when a number of members left their previous clans to branch out on their own and form the MGO which focuses mainly on Guild Wars 2 with plans for future expansion.
When did Heretic form?
The core member group as it stands dates back to 2010, when we were playing under the name of Cataclysm Gaming. We have undergone many changes of leadership and names over the years. We decided on the Heretic name when we stopped playing WoW on a competitive level and transformed into an MGO.
The leadership is ex-members of another clan? What caused the decision to branch out?
The ex-members branched out due to Guild Wars 2 not being supported by the other clan. We are very keen on promoting Guild Wars 2 as a viable eSport and thus require maximum support for the game. Guild Wars 2 isn’t a game like Starcraft where there is a thriving community, and all that is needed is some active participants.
Guild Wars 2 requires full support and dedication from the members to make it worth investing time in.
You currently focus on Guild Wars 2 and League of Legends. Do you have plans to expand the list of played games?
In short, yes. We currently plan to expand into Starcraft 2 and Dota 2 if we can get enough members of high stature. Numbers are a problem, as we prefer our members to only take part in one game at a time – at least on a competitive level. If we do expand, it will definitely be next year and not before we assure dominance of the Guild Wars 2 community.
How many members are currently in the clan and how is the management structure organised?
We currently have around 35 active members from various parts of the world. Of these members, we have many people who have performed in the top echelons of competitive gaming. Some of them have competed with the likes of Paragon (in WoW) and Fnatic (in CS 1.6).
Leadership in the clan is a standard hierarchical system where there is an owner, and a team of managers who make sure that everyone is performing at the required level. We manage the organisation in a democratic fashion and let the members decide what goes. Obviously, if this impacts our team performance or public profile, then we overrule it as a management team.
Have you taken part in and won any tournaments you feel like bragging about?
In our history we have accomplished server-first kills in WoW, topped server rankings in arena PvP, have multiple members in high-diamond and platinum in Starcraft 2, and are currently regarded as a top League of Legends team in South Africa.
How often do your various teams practice together?
Our League of Legends team currently have 4 practice slots allocated every week and our Guild Wars 2 team is set to have the same amount of practice sessions planned.
Obviously members tend to practice with themselves or other members to their own discretion.
Do you attend LANs regularly? If so, which?
We do attend LANs when we find that we can all meet together and participate. Fortunately, our League of Legends team is based in a convenient area for our managers to organise private LANs for teambuilding purposes. We attend many private LANs in the Pretoria and Johannesburg region, but these tend to be scarce and not very competitive when it comes to League of Legends and Guild Wars 2.
Do you consider yourselves a competitive clan, or one in it more for “fun”?
Yes, we always strive to be the best and are unhappy when we do not perform to the best of our abilities. We allow time for fun, but we maintain a mutually strict practice environment and do not allow for disruptions.
Are you guys actively recruiting players? How do you decide on who is right to join you and how should they apply?
We actively recruit members who we feel would fit in well and help us achieve our goals. We have an application process and approve people who have a history of high-performance competitive gaming. We conduct interviews and allow for a trial period on Teamspeak so that we can get to know the persons before fully accepting them into the clan. This is to ensure that the persons in question will not feel alien to the other members.
All applicants can refer to our website at www.heretic–gaming.com to apply. Applications are normally tended to within 48 hours of submission.
Clan you respect the most…
We love Evil Geniuses (EG) and think that they are an organisation to be respected. They reflect both a good public presence and strive to build healthy relationships between members. They are a good business and maintain a high level of play at all times from the majority of their members. They offer their members a lot and expect the same from their members.
This is a good method of running a clan because a mutualistic relationship results in effective performance by both the clan and its members.
What are your plans for the future?
As a clan we strive to build our presence in the Guild Wars 2 and League of Legends communities and expand into other regions as previously mentioned. We wish to maintain our methodologies and aims throughout the course of our existence and to maintain and improve on our skill and team synergies.
In regards to professional – or competitive gaming – what do you as a clan think needs to be done to raise the profile of South African gaming?
We believe that arrogance and sheer ignorance is what’s causing the growth of the South African competitive gaming scene to be stinted. We noticed this a lot when we were taking part in Call of Duty back in 2010 and recently when I was playing Modern Warfare 3.
Everyone has this attitude where they think that they are “the s#!t”. They do not accept criticism and feel that they are by far superior to everyone else. You cannot improve if you are unwilling to learn from your mistakes due to you declaring any loss as a stroke of luck in favour of the opponent. People need to learn that they are in now way, even though they think so, the best in their given game.
There is a wealth of skill and knowledge out there. We, as a community, can learn a lot from other players if we can have the courage to accept that they are equal. As a clan we aim to prove that, with humility and respect, you can win and perform at top levels without being jerks about it.
Boring stuff over…
If you weren’t a gaming clan you’d be…
Personal trainers. Or a support group for the clinically insane…
What would the clan’s mascot be… If the sponsor was Disney?
Mad Hatter
If you could agree on it, what would the clan’s theme song be?
Daler Mehndi – Tanuk Tanuk Tune.
Thanks for your time. Is there anything you would like to add before you go back to the virtual killing fields?
We’d like to thank you for this opportunity. You’re doing a great deed for the South African eSports community and we hope that as many clans as possible would seize this opportunity. [If you could see it and zombies could do it… there’d be a blush…]
Please note: Clan Q&A’s can be conducted up to five weeks before they are published so some information may already have changed.
If you are keen to feature in this column in the future, please feel free to contact us at info@zombiegamer.co.za and we’ll think about – after you’ve sent us a sample of your braaaaaaiiiiinnnnsss.
Remember to get involved. By simply commenting on the clan profile, you stand a chance to win a case of Ozone Energy Drink. Ozone South Africa are also looking for clans to sponsor and by participating here you already have made an impression and impact.
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