Whether we like to admit it or not, we all hate to lose.
To some people, winning is everything. Their competitive natures will take hold and make everything around them besides the task at hand irrelevant.
Sheer focus and fortitude will push competitors right to the finish line or in this case to $1 million dollars.
“No one could beat us,” Wes Price, a University of Memphis student and coach of the Halo 5 team Counter Logic Gaming (CLG) said.
On March 20, Price helped instruct his squad to victory without dropping a game in the Halo World Championship finals.
The boys of CLG wrote their names in competitive gaming history as the first team to win the million dollar coveted prize.
“It didn’t sink in that we won until after we had gone to dinner the night of the finals,” Price explained, “All the appreciation and applause through social media and texts really created the nostalgia.”
A graduate from Christian Brothers High School and a Memphis native, Price has always believed in the “Grit & Grind” philosophy and applied it to his team.
Before coaching CLG, he was a professional Halo player as well.
In 2009 he turned pro and won the Halo 3 National Championship plus a purse of $100,000.
When it comes to coaching a professional video game team, the duties and importance of a coach can sometimes be disregarded.
However, Price the perfectionist helped his players control the pace of the series, while striving for a flawless win.
“I’m constantly looking for when we have an advantage over the other team in terms of who’s alive in game and how we need to be playing,” Price said, “I also focus on our teams positioning during game. I like to make sure we are always in an advantageous position, while following our initial game-plan.”
Ever since Price has come back from the world championship in Hollywood, California, the city of Memphis has embraced its newest champion.
“Everyone from home has been overwhelmingly supportive. A lot of people that I thought didn’t even care about what I was doing reached out and congratulated me,” Price said. “It’s very humbling.”
After winning $1 million, Price plans on paying off his student loans, while also pursuing a career in eSports (competitive gaming) or a career within the Halo series.
“I would love in the future to work on Halo. To be a part of a community that I know so well and passionate about would be something special to work for,” Price said. “However, I’ll continue to coach CLG and work behind the scenes until I believe that there is a possibility of a career in it.”
But the real question is what’s next in Price’s immediate future?
According to him, he plans to keep coaching CLG since he can’t see them anywhere but in first place, and he believes they’re the best four players in the game.
“Going into the world championship we knew we were the favorites. We knew that if we played our game no one could beat us,” Price said. “The size of the tournament was irrelevant. We prepared for it like any other tournament.”
Competition can stem from anything, and eSports are slowly but surely beginning to gain a considerable amount of traction.
The ability to compete against friends and rivals on a virtual battlefield is becoming the new way to settle disputes.
“I see eSports only getting bigger.”Price said. “I think if you look at where we came from and where we are now, you’ll see that this is only the beginning.”
Price doesn’t regret the amount of time he’s put into the game. He said he has continuously worked closely with people he considers his best friends and says he’ll continue to do so.
“I have met some of my best friends from the sport, and I’ve experienced so much through it that I can’t even imagine where I’d be without it.” Price finished.
