Reykjavík Grapevine - mar. 2021, Blaðsíða 23

23The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 03— 2021
Whether we wanted it or not, eSports
is on the rise. Across the world, tour-
naments pack stadiums while players
win millions of dollars and interna-
tional fame just by popping off in the
virtual world. Iceland is no different,
though naturally on a smaller scale.
Nonetheless, players are gaining recog-
nition, more people are watching than
ever before and kids all over the coun-
try dream of becoming the next online
superstar.
Dusty eSports lead Iceland’s com-
petitive gaming scene with their Coun-
terStike Global Offensive (CSGO) team
slaying in all domestic competitions.
Bjarni Gu!mundsson, the lovely gin-
ger CSGO team captain along with the
team's ever smiling part-time coach
and ex-player, Gunnar Ágúst Thoro-
ddsen, have taken note of the rise in
popularity and are now visualising a
future where eSports take centre stage.
Leading Iceland’s eSport
scene
The popularity of professional gaming
on this little rock is in no doubt, Gun-
nar emphasises, due to CSGO.
“When you look at the viewer-
ship on Twitch, you can see that
most people here in Iceland are tun-
ing into CSGO. It’s the same across
all Scandanavian countries. For us
in Iceland, I think it's so popular be-
cause it has the longest legacy; people
in Iceland have been playing it for so
long and we have had semi-profession-
al players dating back since the origi-
nal 1.6 version of Counter Strike, before
Global Offensive (CSGO) was out,” he
explains.
Dusty eSports are currently on a hot
streak in Iceland, having won almost
everything there is to win since Octo-
ber 2019. But being the best in Iceland
isn’t enough for Bjarni and his squad.
As of now, the team is in the ESEA Main
Division league, just shy of being rec-
ognised as a professional team. “We’re
always doing better and better in the
international scene, but we’re not quite
where we want to be—our goal is still
higher,” says the captain.
Gunnar is quick to add that their
success has gained the attention of eS-
ports fans in Iceland. “It took a while
before people started paying attention
to [Dusty]” Gunnar explains. “It wasn’t
until the third season of the Icelandic
league when people would tune into
our streams and give us online sup-
port.”
“Yeah it was definitely after that
third season when people started to no-
tice me online and even in the street,”
Bjarni admits, a shy smile on his face.
“I’ve been called out in Reykjavík quite a
few times by people who recognise me,
especially if I wear something with the
Dusty logo on it. It’s a weird feeling.”
The times, they are a
changin’
But it’s not just the players and coaches
who have noticed the growth of the
sport across the world, but the govern-
ment too. The Icelandic government
recently provided the Icelandic Elec-
tronic Sports Association with 10 mil-
lion ISK to develop coaching courses
in electronic sports for jobseekers. It’s
a topic Bjarni is passionate about—he
clearly believes these new initiatives
will change many people’s perspective
on eSports in general.
“I think the biggest thing is that this
will help remove the stigma around
eSports. The funding will help us get
more coaches, buy more computers
and, most importantly, it will have a
long lasting effect for the next genera-
tion of players,” he says. “People will
take it more seriously and not think
the sport is for kids who get bullied and
just play games 12 hours a day.”
Gunnar assuredly adds that this will
not just help remove the stigma around
eSports but will help competitors young
and old. “Younger players will have an
easier time becoming proper gamers
now that there’s more infrastructure
around it and older players who have
stopped competing can stay involved
in the scene by helping the new guys,”
he adds. “For me, this is awesome and
I think having paid coaching roles will
attract a lot of people into a new ca-
reer.”
Dawn is breaking on a new era for
eSports in Iceland. In the not so distant
future, kids might be begging their
parents to take them down to the eS-
ports café to hone their skills, aim and
reflexes. A career in eSports might be
as highly respected as other athletes.
These new celebrities will no longer be
recognised by their name but instead
by their online alias. The argument
that gaming is not a professional career
is outdated and now, being a profes-
sional gamer is a reality for many. Or
should we say, a virtual reality. Words:
Owen Tyrie
Photos:
Hlynur Hólm
Hauksson
&
Grétar Örn Gu#-
mundsson
Iceland eSports
Levels Up!
The dawn of an eSports era in Iceland
Eddezen, one of Iceland's top Counterstrike eboys
Bjarni Gu#mundsson, the sweet ginger ninja
Nocco pls sponsor us