epic.People - "epic.LAN breeds initiative"

"epic.LAN is like a family...everyone looks forward to seeing each other after months apart, and between events we all chat and hang out online...it's a really nice community to be a part of"

This is just one example of what I heard from talking to you guys at epic.SEVENTEEN back in February. It was heartwarming to hear so many people referring to the entire event as a sort of 'family reunion' and it also inspired the idea behind this article and the ones that will follow soon.

In every family, there is always that slightly wayward teenager who comes across as a bit unruly but who actually has a heart of gold deep down. And I mean deep, deep down. Headed up by Tom 'Gumpster' Gumbleton, the team that sits nearest the bar definitely fills this role. Whilst it may look like they don't do much, just like any bratty teen you've ever come across, the eSports team's job is non-stop and one that requires a lot of quick thinking and top notch customer service.

So to find out more about what it's like to be a part of the eSports team I caught up with Mac 'Maccy' Chapman. Most of you will know

him better as our Dota 2 admin but he's been staffing with epic.LAN for 3 years now and has been at every event (except for epic.SIXTEEN) since epic.ELEVEN.

So Maccy, what is a typical day like as a member of the eSports team?

There's actually two types of days you have when you staff on the eSports team:

Day 1 (Thurs/Fri) is generally spent finding teams and getting the tournament site organised. It's hard work but it's
essential in making the event run smoothly. If the eSports side of the event doesn't run to schedule, it can push things out of sync on the social side too. Seeding and checking everyone's equipment is working ok is equally important - if someone's keyboard isn't playing ball then we have to get it sorted as soon as possible.

Day 2 (Sat/Sun) is usually spent making sure that the game times are set out clearly, organising people to be at their desks when their games are about to run and getting the casters up to date with everything. Once the tournaments are in full swing, you focus on the game you're admining and keep the content team up to date with results so that gamers not at the event can stay up to date via social media.

Once the games get underway, it's a relatively simple task of making sure that the tournament is kept on time and providing some technical support to the teams. If anything major happens, we liaise with the Tech team who provide further support.

And how much would you say the eSports team and attendees interact with the rest of the LAN?

The competitive gamers actually really love the social side of LAN and the eSports team promotes other parts of the event throughout the weekend. It's nice to see the competitive guys walking around and chatting with exhibitors and people playing boardgames downstairs. epicLAN has too much to offer for it to just be about eSports.

If you could give an honest message to anyone wanting to join the eSports team at epic.LAN, what would it be?

There are no set hours on the eSports team. It might seem like we're a lazy bunch at times because we're sat at desks and engaging in some incredible banter, but we have to be constantly vigilant throughout the event as silly mistakes can cause problems for everyone else and takes away from the experience for the attendees. It can be intense at times, and it's not uncommon to work from 9am all the way through until Midnight, but it's a really good experience for anyone who wants to get involved in eSports and teaches you some useful skills. I actually started staffing epic.LAN because the DOTA scene needed admins, but now I do it because it's a break from the usual 9-5 work day week and I get to hang out with some really interesting and nice people.

If you want to join the team it's safe to assume you already have an interest in eSports and the UK scene, but key skills we need would be things like a knowledge of tournament structure and how tournaments are run live. Being able to problem solve on the spot or under pressure is a good skill to have too and from personal experience I would say that epic.LAN breeds initiative.

I have to ask Maccy, what is it like working under Gumpster?

For all the banter, he is a really good manager. When stuff needs doing he is authoritative and will put any drama or team problems to rest quickly. He's hands on and pro-active too - he's donated his PC many a time to people who have turned up to compete with broken equipment. He gets involved with all the attendees and teams and his knowledge of the UK eSports scene is amazing. And the banter. So much banter.

What would you say is your favourite game/genre of games?

Currently, I'm loving Overwatch and Bloodborne but most of the time I would say it's DOTA.

Funniest eSports team moment from a LAN so far?

When we found out that if you change someone's birthday on Facebook they can't change it back for months. Happy Birthday Valgar!

Who would be your dream team member?

Ash from Evil Dead would probably fit in pretty well. He seems like he could keep a horde of gamers in check whilst still being a fun guy to be around for an entire weekend.

If the eSports team is the brooding teenager of the epic.LAN family, then the team that keeps them (and you) happily fuelled on snacks and treats like any good Nan would is definitely our Front of House Team. Come back soon to find out more about what it's like to be part of the front line for customer service at epic.LAN.