Our first interview is with the general manager of XtC, Michael Phee. In the interview he shares his insights as to what a manager should be like and how players should behave in order to further develop the scene. He also shares what he thinks should be done in order to bring eSports to a whole new level. So start reading people!

Can you do a little introduction about yourself shall? Including what role you play in the XtC organization.
-"Hi guys! I'm Michael aka Xtremist, currently the General Manager of XtC. I turn 20 this year and played competitive Counter-Strike / Counter-Strike:Source in the past. I've been in XtC since 2006. Generally, I handle the team rosters, schedule matches, marketing(sponsors), basic administrative work and so on. You could say I'm kinda a jack of all trades but master of none.*laughs*"

General Manager? Does that mean you handle the teams other than the current XtC DotA?
-"Yep. Currently we have FiFa, WC3:TFT & Street Fighter 4 divisions as well."

Since you were once a player and then turned to be a manager. Did you find the transition hard? If so which part of it did u find challenging?
-"Initially it was quite difficult because Counter-Strike is my favorite game, but after thinking for a long time, the time spent on me managing & doing other behind-the-scenes work will benefit more people than myself just being a player."

During your time as a general manager in XtC what have you learned that will contribute to your future endeavors?
-"I've really learned a lot of things during my time here. More important ones will be life values such as keeping faith, trust & bearing the players' welfare in mind. Simple things like keeping promises & treating the players as friends(not products) builds the trust & bond to keep a team together.

Being someone that works behind the scene, do you think that someone or a person in a role like you important?
-"In my opinion, it is indeed very important(not that I'm praising myself) because the players will be able to fully focus on all the in-game aspects. However, this can backfire if he/she has ulterior motives in mind."

Can you elaborate on what kind of ulterior motives?
-"I've read & heard from different people & websites that some managers market their team(or mysteriously launch a big organization to attract huge players) and keep all of the benefits to themselves or just make empty promises. I've also seen some who just want to become a manager of a well-known team just to attract fame for himself. All of this is saddening because it just hurts eSports as a whole.

XtC with their trophy after winning ESTC 2009.

As someone who is so rooted in the eSports scene, what do u think could improve?
-"No offence to anyone, but some gamers (especially competitive ones) should not adopt an arrogant mindset or show attitudes (it's easy to do so online). It just makes gamers look ugly to the public & potential sponsors and in the long-run it will hurt themselves (less tournaments, less team sponsors). Also, government support will be a key factor in developing eSports(e.g. televised leagues & support). The reason why South Korea is a class above the rest of the world because their government supports eSports. But first of all, we(gamers) have to do our part to get rid of the general public's bad impression of gamers."

A friend once told me that there is currently too many players compared to people that are willing to work behind the scenes. Whats your view on this?
-"I think it varies. In Europe there is quite a substantial number of people who are working behind-the-scenes(managers, news editors, match admins etc). The proof can be seen by the numerous team websites, eSports news websites & number of ESL admins. Whereas in Asia, working behind the scene is seen as mundane chores. That's how I feel it is anyway."

“Community support the key factors in keeping eSport alive.”Do you think that there is currently too many games are being considered as eSports? Which in turn divides up the resources and manpower available.
-"In my opinion all the games with tournaments can be considered as "eSports", similar to normal sports like basketball, soccer, Judo etc. Logically speaking, it does divide the resources & manpower(more organizers approaching the same company for event sponsorship etc). However, community support(and partially tournament support) are key factors in keeping eSport alive. A very good example will be Counter-Strike. Its been around for more than a decade & its still popular all over world."

What do you think is the key to being a good and successful manager?
-"Well, different managers adopt different approaches and there isn't a "perfect" formula to be a good & successful one. Not that I'm a good manager but from my point of view, a vast knowledge of the eSports scene is definitely a must(not just reading off news websites but dig deeper to have insider information). Treat your players well & be honest (no empty promises!) and more importantly love. A good image(mannerism online/offline) will be important as well. Who would want to work with a bad-mannered person in future? "

“Keeping your players reasonably happy is vital.”Love? Please elaborate on that.*laughs*
-"Ah. What I mean is passion because your work will help your players, the organization & respective sponsors. But it really depends, either you rule with an "Iron Fist" or treat your players with kindness. Both have their own pros and cons. Different people value things differently. So yeah, its up to the person that counts. Oh ya forgot to add. Keeping your players reasonably happy is vital too. Happy players will bring about harmony & better performances during games. "

Since we are a DotA website. What do you think of this whole DotA, LoL and HoN debate?
-"If I were to include Avalon Heroes into the mix, there will be three "DotA-like" games. I haven't played any of them so I can't comment on the gameplay. Just yesterday I was chatting with a new friend about this issue and personally neither games will overtake DotA. As mentioned earlier, community support is the key factor in keeping an eSport alive and there are even more DotA tournaments this year compared to last year! As for HoN, its like a "copy" of Dota while LoL has their own concept but they are failing. They had to pay money to put their game into MLG(console league) & ESL Europe which sounds rather desperate. As for Avalon Heroes they are "non-existent" in my mind. Furthermore, i shall bring up a past example. Counter-Strike was still more popular than Counter-Strike:Source (no disrespect to their community) even though CS is a much older game."

Alright, I guess that's the end of the interview. Any shoutouts?
-"Thanks to my loyal players whom I love to work with and to MrBlue because he is so patient! And I love GosuGamers."