Thanks to our amazing friends over at Red Bull Australia, we had the pleasure of interviewing one of Australia’s most prolific PUBG streamers and pro players, Kritikalmotion

1. What/who got you into playing pubg?

All my friends got PUBG on launch and I saw them enjoying it together so much. I held off because I had a really average PC and thought I wouldn’t like it if it wasn’t running smoothly. About a month in from launch though I gave in as I had been watching so many people play it on Twitch as well as knowing my friends were enjoying it. I especially enjoyed watching BreaK. I was immediately hooked and the game was so easy to make recordings of because of the natural story lines that PUBG creates. I started doing some YouTube videos just for myself and my friends but I ended up posting some on Reddit and they got quite a few views. This eventually led to me buying a PC I could stream with at the same time that I was lucky enough to get NBN and now we are here!

2. What do you prefer singles/duos or squads

I love playing pure solos the most. I think it’s the most raw battle royale experience besides competitive games. It’s also great to stream solo as it gives me plenty of time to interact with Twitch chat. Playing duo/squads with friends is still great though.

3. What is your preferred play style? Snipe from afar or get in close with a shotgun?

I’m an all round kind of player. Getting headshots with snipers like the Kar98 is one of the most satisfying things in the game but you also can’t go past wiping a full squad up close with an assault rifle. I love to throw myself into bad situations with some pretty terrible driving as well.

4. Do you think esports and streaming come hand in hand or do think they should be separate entities.

They are extremely intertwined and I don’t think there’s any reason to see them separately. I think there are challenges in being a high level esports player as well as a streamer however. It’s kind of impossible to give them both adequate time. I have struggled even while not playing competitively full time. But it’s working for me so far. It’s nice to have a mix of both esports and more casual play on my channel, different viewers appreciate different kinds of content and some just love diversity.

5. And would you prefer streaming or esports if you had to choose?

This is a really hard question and something I’ve had to think about a lot in the past and more recently. I made the choice this year to focus more on the streaming side of things myself as it was a lot more viable to do full time. I absolutely love competing but at the age of 27 I have to look at things a little more safely, at least that’s how I feel about it. If it could play esports full time I definitely think I would want to do that. Luckily for me I had some other players who wanted to continue playing competitive PUBG but without as much time dedicated to practice and despite that fact we still just won the ANZ qualifier for the PUBG Global Championship.

6. Do you think streaming helps bring esports to a larger audience

I think it 100% does as personal player streams drive a lot of the fan base behind individuals in esports. This can be rather unique to esports versus traditional sports I think as it’s possible to get to know a lot of the big esports players through their own personal streams whether it’s them streaming their practice or having fun.

7. How did you start your pro player career? And any tips on how to become a pro player?

Getting noticed can be incredibly hard, I was very lucky as I had a background in competitive Call of Duty and then I started streaming PUBG so it was a lot easier to get my name out there. In the early days PUBG had leaderboards and I was often near the top of those and it’s one of the ways I was initially contacted by the people I would end up forming a team with.

Other than that, you have to put yourself out there by competing in everything available to you so you can be noticed. Finding the right people to make a team with is not an easy task. Events like Red Bull Fight or Flight is a great way to possibly get noticed. If you were completely unknown but played with a group of friends and displayed some impressive skills it’s possible that it could be your first step towards becoming a high level player. Just being able to meet people already in the scene at an event like this is also a great way to start.

8. How do you prepare yourself for a tournament, and how do you keep your cool under pressure

Competing in PUBG is all about knowledge of the game and the teams you are playing, beyond that your mental game has to be incredibly strong. You have to try and stay at a high level throughout a long day of competition. It can be hard to not get tilted if you have a bad game but you have to be ready to move on straight away to perform the best in the next one. I am incredibly lucky to have an extremely calm team and that environment makes it very easy to stay at a good level.

9. What games, besides PUBG, do you play to relax? If not games, what do you do to wind down?

I haven’t been playing too much else recently but I always enjoy just talking to my community on twitch. Other than that I’ve been trying to get away from the PC and spend some time outside and at the beach that I live nearby. I find this helps a lot to add more balance to my life.

10. Who has been your toughest opponent so far?

There is no debate that Athletico is by far our toughest opponent in the region. They continue to dominate online for a long time but we put in a big performance at the LAN event to take the win. They placed 2nd and will be heading to L.A with us for the PUBG Global Championship.

11. What has been your most memorable moment so far as a pro player?

Playing at PGI last year in Berlin for that years championship was a pretty big deal but the qualifying event for that in Sydney as well the one just past are probably my 2 favourite events in esports so far. It means a lot to me to win those local events before getting to represent the region internationally.

12. How do your friends and family think about you playing games and streaming?

My family is extremely supportive of me and always have been. I’ve been incredibly lucky with my parents as they have now driven me to the airport countless times for esports events over the years. All my close friends are also into gaming and many of them are people who I’ve met throughout my years competing which is great.

13. Australian pubg players are known to be very aggressive players do you agree with this comment?

I think Australian players can be pretty aggressive, our best players are generally known for having extremely good aim and initiative. The average player maybe not so much, I spend a lot of time on the South East Asian server and those players are insanely aggressive at all skill levels.

14. Who would be your dream team if you could choose your squad?

Probably a lame answer but I absolutely love playing with my current squad on Vendetta, we have an extremely well rounded team. Everyone has the mechanics to be at the highest level. Edge has the experience along with me and the ability to make many solo plays. Icon has one of the best sprays I’ve ever seen in the game and nonreg is extremely calm and has great communication. Other than that I would love to one day play again with TGLTN who is an Australian player who went overseas to the American PUBG league. I watched him come up from just playing public games to where he’s at now and it’s really cool to see. If I had to absolutely choose someone I haven’t played with though it would be Ubah from team FaZe who is considered by many to be the best player in the world.

15. What would be your most memorable moment in PUBG?

Probably my most viewed clip on twitch which is from around 2 years ago where I managed to escape an entire squad after they joined me on a balcony. They never had any idea that I was there and it’s something that brought a lot of new people to my stream.

Link to clip: https://clips.twitch.tv/TangentialExcitedLegPanicVis

16. With esports becoming bigger and bigger in Australia, do you find yourself overwhelmed sometimes or just go with the flow?

Coming from the time when a LAN event was really small and low budget to getting to attend big events now with crowds and impressive setups. It can be a little overwhelming with all the travel but getting to go to events like PAX, IEM and now Red Bull Fight or Flight is extremely fun and exciting. I love to meet as many people as possible that I’ve known from online. There definitely isn’t enough PUBG event’s throughout the year so it’s awesome to have another one like Red Bull Fight or Flight in the mix. The unique in-game settings are different to those used in traditional PUBG esports with fast-paced 15 minute games creating a more intense viewing experience, which you could liken to the T20 in Cricket. I welcome as many PUBG events as possible in the future. I’m currently in a whirlwind of travel as I recently went to PAX in Melbourne and I’ve just got back from Sydney but I’m heading there again this Friday for the Red Bull event and shortly after that i’m off to L.A for the PUBG Global Championship. It’s a lot, but it’s all worth it.

17. What would be you most favorite game growing up?

Growing up my favourite games was probably the Dynasty Warriors series. Which is kind of this mindless beat em up game set in the Three Kingdoms Period in China. I actually loved it though and it made me really get into the history. The first FPS I really got into and still love to this day though was Medal of Honor: Allied Assault.

18. Would you ever consider competing in any other games besides PUBG?

I previously competed in Call of Duty, so going to a third game now would be pretty interesting. I’m not sure it would happen again but you never know in the future. I think a lot of skills are transferable in esports and that a lot of it comes down to mentality. I’m definitely not against the idea but it would probably be a game that isn’t even released yet.

A huge thank-you to Red Bull Australia and KritikalmotionIam for your time. The Red Bull Fight or Flight Last Chance Qualifiers and Grand Final live event is on this Saturday 2nd November at Carriageworks, Sydney. Visit www.redbull.com/FightorFlight for tickets and to register for the remaining squad spots in the Last Chance Qualifiers.

For those that can’t make it to Sydney, you can watch the Red Bull Fight or Flight Grand Final live on Red Bull Twitch