Guy Worthington, aka 'Hydra', is Uproar.Ignitionz' longest-serving member. His schedule includes full-time study and two part-time jobs, but he finds time to cram 10 hours of Call of Duty time into his day - more if a tournament is looming.
He says he's become an excellent "multi-tasker" - but Worthington's no energy-drink addict. To play for that long, and to take on the best, Worthington says he takes his gaming seriously.
"I'm always worried about becoming a 'stereotypical gamer'. I'm conscious to make sure I'm eating well. I'll have three litres of water next to me. I have routine meals - breakfast, lunch and dinner."
Along with Auckland-based 19-year-old Ryan Wallath ('Killer Pi3') and 16-year-old Jack Richards ('Skrzm'), Munro-Ireland and Worthington are New Zealand's No 1 ranked Call of Duty squad and have been for three years. They regularly win local competitions and compete against the best in Australia, placing third in the ACL Brisbane COD competition over the weekend. Seeded fourth, they were hoping to win, but they'll earn "pro-points" out of it to help them towards their ultimate goal: competing against the best American teams at two Los Angeles-based tournaments.
They've come close before - narrowly missing out on entry earlier this year. "We lost two games 3-2 - if we'd won even one of them 3-2 we would have gone. There's a lot of pressure... I was just that nervous," says Worthington.
Munro-Ireland: "Now we have that experience it should help us a lot to be good enough to go there."
The MLG COD Championships are in October and that means hard work and dedication. "A month before the event is when you really grind," says Munro-Ireland.
That's not easy in New Zealand where the gaming pool is small and financial deals are limited. Uproar.Ignitionz' members talk enthusiastically about overseas competitors who play the game for a living, earning money through competitions, sponsorship, YouTube channels and streaming deals.
In New Zealand, winning a local Call of Duty tournament means taking home around $200 each. In comparison, the biggest US competitions have prize pools up to $1 million, and the game's biggest players are treated like superstars.
There are still stereotypes around gamers as nerdy social outcasts and psycho gun nuts, but Worthington says those descriptions are no longer accurate - and neither are accusations that playing the same game becomes "boring".
"It can be boring if you're playing public, standard play. When you're playing competitively it unlocks so much more of the game. It becomes a team thing ... it's crazy the amount of people you meet. The more serious and the better (I got) the more (my parents) are all good with it."
Munro-Ireland agrees, saying his parents accepted his hobby once it stopped costing them money.
"When it got to the point where flights and accommodation were being paid for, they didn't mind," he laughs. "But New Zealand is really far behind in terms of competition. A lot of teams quit because it's too hard."
Who: Uproar.Ignitionz whose team members include Nathan Munro-Ireland and Guy Worthington.
What: NZ's best Call of Duty players
Website: www.uproarnation.com
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