Interview With Elgee Gaboy: A Living PH Legend

Today, Inquirer eSports had the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Jupiter Mars “Elgee” Gaboy, who is arguably one of the best eSports athletes that this country has seen in the past few years, and indisputably the most stellar first-person shooter (FPS) player the Philippine scene has ever seen. Mr.Gaboy has just recently announced his retirement from competitive gaming, and in this interview, he shares his thoughts on playing Crossfire, his gaming career, and the challenges that he has faced through all these years in competitive gaming.

First question, when did you start playing Crossfire Online?

i started from the closed beta days, around 2009 pa ata yun , cs 1.6 is dead by that time, so nag decide na kame mag try ng ibang FPS games

(I started playing in closed beta around 2009 and Counter-Strike v1.6 is dead by that time, so we decided to try other FPS games.)

Oh, so it seems that you have gotten a good head start in the game, isn’t it?

mejo pero sa tingin ko, dahil galing ren ako from counter-strike so yung pag switch over napakadali lang, tapos similar sya sa counter-strike kaya may advantage din agad ako over sa ibang players

(I guess that’s quite true because I have also came from Counter-Strike, so when I switched to Crossfire Online it was pretty much easy, and the fact that they’re similar to each other gave me an advantage over other players.)

So since when did you start playing the game competitively?

simula nung nag karoon na ng tournaments for crossfire, naalala ko dati from #1 beta player, to 1st online and lan tourney ng crossfire kame ang champ, pero that was with my previous team pa. yung sa msi around 2012 lang nag start kasi

(Since the tournaments for Crossfire Online started, I remember everything, from the #1 beta player, to the first online and Local Area Network (LAN) tourneys of the game where we were the champions; at the time, I was with my previous team. I started playing with MSI only around the year 2012.)

How was your approach towards game play? Is there a specific plan? Did you do theory crafting, boot camps, and the like?

syempre lahat naman may plano, mostly pre set strats, tapos mga generic strats lang tulad ng ginagawa namin sa counter-strike, tapos meron ding mga pang anti-strat sa mga specific teams. bootcamp kasi malaking part para mag improve kayo as a team, ginagawa na namin to before from counter-strike days na ginagawa ren namin sa crossfire.

(Of course everything has a plan; we were mostly doing preset strategies as well as the generic strategies like what we used to do in Counter-Strike, and at the same time, we also had specific “anti-strategies” against specific teams. We were doing boot camps because it is a large part of team improvement, and we did all of these things before from our Counter-Strike days that we are also doing in Crossfire Online.)

Well, it’s nice to hear that from you. What do you think were the highlights of your FPS career, aside from beating the Chinese on their own soil?

highlights, siguro yung d ko makakalimutan yung nag bronze medal and silver medal kame sa world cyber games, gusto ko sana gold pero ganun talga eh hehehe tsaka yung 1v4 1hp

(Highlights; I don’t think that I will forget that we have won the bronze medal and the silver medal in the World Cyber Games, I wanted to get gold but I guess that’s it. Haha. And of course, the 1v4 1hp clutch play…)

Elgee and the rest of the MSI team posing with Link, one of the WCG gold medalists. Elgee is second to the right of the picture.

So you’ve had a stellar career, and I think that you are arguably one of, if not the best e-Sports athletes this country that has produced. What was the secret of your success? Was it communication? Skill? And yeah, speaking of greatness, what was the hardest challenge that you have faced in your entire run as a gamer?

sekreto lang siguro yung passion mo sa paglalaro. all the above siguro, ang tanong sa sagot mo, tsaka remember to always have fun. pinakamahirap na challenge? siguro itong feeling na to magretire na ako since d ko maimagine buhay ko na hindi naglalaro ng games competitively hehe pero we’ll see

(The only secret is your passion towards gaming. As for all the things stated above, they’re the answers to your question actually and always remember to have fun. The hardest challenge? Well, I guess it’s the feeling that I’m gonna retire, because I can’t imagine a life without playing games competitively. Haha. Let’s see.)

I see. Now that you are retired, what are your plans for the future?

d ko naman iiwan esports completely, siguro i would be shoutcasting some games, siguro more involve sa management side ng msi evo gt , im the cgo after all

(I won’t leave eSports completely. I think that I would be shoutcasting some games, probably I’ll be more involved in MSI-EvoGT’s managment; after all, I’m the Chief Gaming Officer (CGO) of this organization.)

They seem to be good plans…So to wrap up this interview, any advice for the new bloods out there?

advice to new comers, just enjoy lang and always have fun. practice, practice, practice, pero syempre at the end of the day, set your priorities straight. family, and studies should always come first

(Advice to newcomers: Just enjoy the game and always have fun. Practice, practice and practice! But of course, at the end of the day, set your priorities straight: Family and studies should always come first.)

Ok thank you very much for the interview. It has been an honor and a pleasure to meet you sir! Good luck in your endeavors!

salamat sir thank you

(Thank you too!)

He will always be best remembered for helping to bring the Philippines to its first podium finish under MSI’s first-person shooter team during the World Cyber Games (WCG) 2012 championship, as well as his clutch plays during the WCG 2013 Grand Finals in China which helped the team get a silver medal.

Wishing him all the best of luck!

Photos: MSI-EvoGT Facebook page

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