ProvingGrounds Spotlight On: [MgA]

 
 

[MgA].



Ranking history:


Captains:


Roster:

Ingame names
[MgA] Amb. kosh [MgA] DirTBaG [MgA] Fishbulb
[MgA]*XXX* [MgA]Ash [MgA]boob
[MgA]BoZn8r [MgA]Bulldog [MgA]final*hit
[MgA]Liverpool [MgA]MajorOne [MgA]Old Slow 1
[MgA]Pud [MgA]SEMPER FI [MgA]Shemp
[MgA]Venus [MgA]xqqqsme [MgA]Deviant Sneak
[MgA]redkiller


Introduction

Machine Gun Assassinsis a Quake 3 Excessive team that has been around for several years. If you've been around the Excessive community, you know that the players are unbelievably eccentric. Take a look at this interview and you'll see what separates MgA from the typical clan but you'll also see the similarities that MgA has with some of our other Spotlight On recipients. Pure Imaginary and Fat Man sat down with the members of MgA recently and here's the synopsis.


Machine Gun Assassins

Pure_Imaginary: First, tell us about how [MgA] got started.

[MgA]Boob: I was looking for an Excessive clan to join back in January of 2000 but there weren't any. So, I got with Fishbulb and started up [MgA]. We were pretty small then. Other clans started popping up soon after.

[MgA]TiMeX: One of the first screenshots I saw was with OSO, Boob, Sneak, and Fishbulb.

Fat_Man: What does it take for a player to become a part of [MgA]?

[MgA]ODEN: We look for character.

[MgA]ExtremeZ28: No one can get into MgA just with skill.

[MgA]RockCrusher: It takes a lot actually... a commitment, like being part of a family.

[MgA]XXX: It requires respect for fellow Quakers.

[MgA]ExtremeZ28: We all become friends first before we ask anyone to join.

[MgA]RockCrusher: Adding to what XXX said, it takes respect for all players of all mods and games.

[MgA]TiMeX: All of our members have been playing Q3 Excessive for two years or more.

[MgA]FINAL_HIT: It was tough for me to get in, being 15 and all, since they had a bad experience with a young person in the past. So, they were hesitant to let me in.

[MgA]ExtremeZ28: True. Another thing we do look for is maturity.

[MgA]RockCrusher: You must have the right attitude to be in [MgA]. It doesn't matter if you are 50 or 15.

[MgA]Boob: We are all friends first and teammates later.

[MgA]Ash: We feel like a family. Although a large disfunctional family, a family nonetheless.

[MgA]TiMeX: One thing that sets us apart is we've been building this clan over several years and most of the same members are still around.

[MgA]RockCrusher: We all recognize the need for people to take time away from Q3 Excessive, but we still stick together. Sometimes the other clans don't allow that.

[MgA]ExtremeZ28: We help each other out in and out of the game.


Chaotic Competition

Fat_Man: What does your clan do to prepare for matches?

[MgA]ODEN: Every so often we work on map strategy.

[MgA]FINAL_HIT: We usually get together and set up our strategy, which is not to die. Then we go from there.

[MgA]XXX: We plan practices that none of us can show up for. *laughs*

[MgA]TiMeX: We play to have fun.

[MgA]Boob: We've all been playing long enough that we pretty much know what to do in a match.

Pure_Imaginary: [MgA] was on the Excessive DM Team ladder three years ago but went on a one year hiatus. [MgA] then rejoined in March of 2002, and you have been active since. How did your clan recapture that competitive spirit last year, and how have you kept the team together since then, playing an impressive 41 matches and piling on 22 wins?

[MgA]Ash: I think it was Extreme who whipped us back into shape and got us ready to rejoin the ladders.

[MgA]ExtremeZ28: Well, I guess that's where I came in. MgA was in some rough times then to be honest. I wasn't part of MgA then but Drowzy asked me to join and get the clan back in shape. I guess I did something right because we're still here.

[MgA]Boob: Extreme got the right people in to get the old guys going and get the new blood we have in the clan today.

[MgA]ExtremeZ28: I just kept up the traditions that MgA has always had.

Fat_Man: What has been the best moment for your team?

[MgA]RockCrusher: The best part was meeting a lot of the [MgA] guys in person at Zeus' Clan parties in Niagara Falls.

[MgA]TiMeX: Yeah, Niagara was great.

[MgA]XXX: Same here. The L.A. LAN was an awesome experience from what I remember.

[MgA]RockCrusher: We even got MgA shirts made up for Niagara Falls, which we wear every time we play.

Pure_Imaginary: [MgA] has consistently been in the top 4 of the Excessive DM Team ladder and currently sits at the #2 spot, but it has never reached the top rung. Why has the #1 rung eluded your team, and do you think [MgA] will ever take it?

[MgA]Ash: We would all like to be in the #1 spot but we are not preoccupied with it that it becomes our main and only goal.

[MgA]ExtremeZ28: Well, we had it a long time ago. It doesn't mean we won't sit at the #1 spot again soon.

[MgA]Boob: We've never really been about being the most skilled players around.


Excessiveness

Fat_Man: Now for the big question: why Excessive? :)

[MgA]FINAL_HIT: It's da bomb!

[MgA]XXX: Nothing compares when it comes to straight up fragging and having a good time.

[MgA]ODEN: It's the only game worth playing.

[MgA]RockCrusher: I've personally tried all the mods for Q3 and they all suck. ;)

[MgA]TiMeX: If Excessive ever dies, we'll be the ones left to turn off the lights.

Pure_Imaginary: Quake 3 Excessive is one of the most "explosive" communities at PG. Can you shed some light as to why, for our readers on the outside looking in?

[MgA]ODEN: It's fast-paced, there's good friends. It's more like a drug than a game.

[MgA]Ash: I've asked myself that question many times. The only thing I came up with is that most Excessive players have huge egos that they feel need stroking every day.

[MgA]ExtremeZ28: The people that play are just like the game.

[MgA]XXX: A little flaming now and then is good to release tension. Excessive has a lot of people who need to release tension.

[MgA]Boob: It's so fast and engrossing that people get too caught up in their emotions at times.

[MgA]RockCrusher: I think Excessive people like to be excessive in everything they do. For myself I like to be excessively nice. ;)

Fat_Man What is life like for you when you are not playing the game you love?

[MgA]ODEN: Boring.

[MgA]XXX: Busy, busy, busy.

[MgA]ExtremeZ28: There's a life outside of the game?

[MgA]TiMeX: I have a wife, 3 kids, and deal with college.

[MgA]FINAL_HIT: I keep Timex in line.

[MgA]MajorOne: I'm a communication engineer.

[MgA]ExtremeZ28: I'm a college student here so I'm busy all the time.

[MgA]RockCrusher: I have a wife and two kids here. In fact my 10-year-old son has just started playing Q3X and he loves it.

[MgA]XXX: I own a cell phone store and work two other jobs and I have a 13-year-old son. I'm a bartender here too!

[MgA]MajorOne: I'm a bar patron here.

[MgA]ODEN: I could go for a drink right now.

[MgA]FINAL_HIT: Picture this: you're fifteen and you have a car but no license. There's not much else to do.


What's Next for MgA

Pure_Imaginary: What is the future of [MgA] as Half-Life 2 and Doom 3 finally hit the shelves?

[MgA]RockCrusher: If there is an Excessive version, we'll try it. ;)

[MgA]Ash: The future will be like it has been in the past. Some players will leave to pursue other games while others come to take their places. Excessive is always changing.

[MgA]XXX: We will be the only team left on the ladder and challenge ourselves.

[MgA]Boob: This community has already weathered a lot of new games coming out.

[MgA]ExtremeZ28: And if we find another game all of us like, we'll go in and take the #2 rung on that ladder too.

Fat_Man: You wake up and find your entire clan on a deserted island. How do you pass the time, and which of you survive to get rescued?

[MgA]ODEN: We make fun of Extreme.

[MgA]Boob: Would we have computers?

[MgA]XXX: I think Final is a distance runner so we would make him swim till he found someone to rescue us.

[MgA]RockCrusher: There better be power, ISPs, and computers on this island! :D

[MgA]XXX: We would prolly get a LAN together. *laughs*

[MgA]ExtremeZ28: They would all make fun of me until we got rescued.

[MgA]TiMeX: No computers? Then I guess we throw rocks and coconuts at each other.

[MgA]RockCrusher: To be serious for a second, MgA wouldn't have a problem being all together on the island. We enjoy each other's company.

ExtremeZ28: How do you come up with some of these questions?



Congratulations to [MgA] for earning the Spotlight On for December 2003. In a chaotic environment [MgA] sustains a very respectable temperment and a love for the community and the game. We're fortunate that they've made PG their home.


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