Gaming
esports
Find out how these SA gamers got their nicknames
When you jump online to jam some games you’re met with a plethora of new names that may surprise you, make you laugh or even turn green with envy at the genius of them. Where did they come from?
We asked some of South Africa’s best known esports talent how they got their nick:
1. BrinkeR - Ashley Groves
BrinkeR is the current captain of Amaryllis Gaming, one of South Africa’s leading all female CSGO teams. They’re currently in the top four teams in season 1 of the Valkyrie League. BrinkeR was also the founder of the Amaryllis Gaming MGO which is an all female organisation focusing on building competitive female esports players. She is considered part of the CS royal family locally with a host of family members competing at the top level of CSGO Esports in SA. Most notably is her brother Richard “DeViaNt” Groves who has competed successfully for the likes of Bravado Gaming and Goliath Gaming.
How did she get her nick?
“I used to have the nickname SheyWulF and used it for ages. However, I then decided I wanted something different. At the time I was reading a novel called The Tears of Artamon by Sarah Ash and I literally just flipped through the pages looking for something that caught my eye. It was a paragraph about the Drakhaon being the bringer of darkness and death that caught my attention. I decided I couldn’t use Drakhaon but I played around with Bringer and it came up as BrinkeR. It stuck.”
2. Lazarus - Stuart Groves
Lazarus is a member of Goliath Gaming’s Overwatch team. While the title is relatively new to South African esports the team has continued to assert its dominance at the top levels of competition during their short time representing the MGO in local leagues. Lazarus is 17 years old and currently a student at St. David’s Marist Inanda. He was previously known in-game as roNin but recently changed his nick.
Lazarus
© Supplied
So why the change?
In 2017, while on holiday Stuart went into cardiac arrest. His heart stopped while he was running on the beach. He was resuscitated on the scene by paramedics who had to ‘shock’ him three times before his heart restarted. Stuart was clinically dead for 20 minutes. After that he spent 19 days in ICU and now has an internal defibrillator which will restart his heart if this ever happens again. “This was obviously a life changing event and led me to thinking about changing my name in game from roNin to Lazarus - as a reminder to myself of what drives me to be someone extraordinary in every way I can.
3. Castaway - Travis Waters
Castaway cemented his place as one of South Africa’s best Dota2 players during his time with White Rabbit Gaming. The Dota2 team won the VS Masters competition 2 years running and became a Dota powerhouse in the local scene - being the team to beat in competition. Castaway has recently moved to Cambodia to try further his career by playing in South East Asia. There is no doubt that he will arguably be one of the most exciting mid players to watch internationally.
Castaway
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However his gaming nick story isn’t as exciting as his game play:
“I don’t have a cool story behind my nick. I used to quit a lot and my accounts got locked. I was young and dumb. Eventually my brother gave me an account on Warcraft called CaStAwAy. So I’ve stuck with that.”
4. Sonic - Aran Groesbeek
Sonic currently plays in North America for Bravado Gaming. Arguably one of South Africa’s best exports the team continues to showcase their skill on the international scene, with Sonic receiving favourable commentary from much of the overseas media. He is regularly highlighted as an up and coming player to watch.
So how did he get his in game nick?
“My original nickname was killboy. I was like 6 years old, okay. One day I was playing Team Fortress 2 and there was another kid on the server, his name was Tails. We spoke to each other in game a little and then we started playing together. Tails had a friend called Shadow so I saw Sonic as the right fit. Everyone started recognising my under the alias so I decided to stick with it and I have ever since. No regrets!”
5. GeeMax - George Smith
GeeMax raised to fame in South African esports as a CSGO caster before showcasing he could commentate on Dota as well. He is a successful streamer with a strong focus on driving games.
Geemax
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But how did he become GeeMax?
“I originally went by the name of “Dark Vengeance”. It matched my gothic dress style and black hair. However, after outgrowing emo rock bands, I was in search of something new. I just couldn’t find something that would stick. Friends used to always call me G, for George, and one day someone called me G-Maximum. It didn’t quite work for me, but I adapted it to GeeMax.”
6. Kaameel - Kaameel Chicktay
Kaameel
© supplied
Arguably one of the most dynamic up-and-coming voices of South African Dota, Kaameel is steadily cementing himself as a local broadcast talent to watch. He also had a very different angle when determining his nick:
“Its my name.”
