Q&A With BravoMLG!

This past weekend I sat down with BravoMLG to ask him your questions! He has made a great name for himself. He's a inspiration to all of us and he's going to give you a quick insight to his life. Check it out!

For those gamers who don't know you, who are you and how did you get involved with gaming?

My name is Andy, some people call me Bravo, and I like Halo. I've been involved in the pro Halo scene since 2005. I've competed, coached professional teams, won some tournaments, and now I'm creating YouTube content and commentating professional Halo. It is a lot of fun.

How has gaming changed you as a person? Was this change, if any, good or bad?

In a very real sense, gaming and my experiences through pro gaming have tough me a great deal about the world.  I've learned a ton about management, traveling, economics, business, and more.  I've had the privilege of working in a fast paced event-driven industry, worked with some huge international brands, and I've sort of grown up at the forefront of professional gaming.  It's very exciting and I'm proud to have worked as hard as I have.

You have a large following on Twitter, YouTube, and other social media outlets. What advise would you give to others who are looking to get their name out there?

Hm. In reality, you just need to capitalize on your strengths and strategically deliver them.  When I started coaching, I tried to become the best in the world of pro Halo.  When I was coaching the best pro Halo team, I started to make videos about our experiences.  I started really building my YouTube during Halo Reach's decline, and now I'm still creating content multiple times per week, if not every day.  I worked hard and tried to capitalize on every opportunity.  If you're an aspiring Halo player looking to make it big, all I can say is network. Meet people who want to go pro, and go for it together. The worst that happens is you gain some respect and have a ton of fun along the way.

 

How can we get free samples of Gamma Labs through you?

Just head to https://www.facebook.com/GammaGamers/app_190322544333196 , fill out the form, write in that Bravo sent you, and boom, free energy drinks! It would mean a ton if you requested some - it's free, takes a few seconds, and shows my sponsor that people give a sh*t about me.

How many events do you attend a year and how to do mentally prepare for them?

I haven't missed an MLG event since 2006, so I attend around 8 competitive events total, including smaller events. Back when I was coaching, preparation was usually around 2 LANs before an event in Chicago, Seattle, or California. Lots of traveling, lots of Halo, and lots of red-eye flights to catch my 8:00am college classes.  It was rough, but awesome.  Mentally I just made sure I wasn't worried about anything besides winning the tournament. Listened to lots of music. Now that I'm commentating, it's a ton of research, studying streams / VoD / forums (RIP) and making sure I knew everything about everything.  Total events I attend (including industry events like E3, PAX, Comic-Con) will probably be around 15 this year. Next year I hope to attend both Gamescom (Germany) and the Tokyo Game Show!

As many people know, you coached many teams to victory on the Major League Gaming circuit. Can you tell us about your favorite event?

My favorite event would have to be Anaheim 2009, when Triggers Down was the first team to win back-to-back Halo 3 tournaments.  Winning that event was a pretty good feeling.

In the past month or so you have been to E3, RTX, and SDCC. What steps do you take to produce your content for YouTube?

Disregard other responsibilities, acquire Halo 4. Kidding, but I literally booked around $2000 worth of flights and visited friends in between all these events (something I wanted to do when I graduated anyway) and I just look for good, unique content.  I'm currently building a content calendar for Halo 4, pre-release and also once the game drops. We're only just getting started!

What are your thoughts about the E3 build of Halo 4?

Fun, it feels heavier than any other Halo, I've said enough about PV, snipe is cool - I like how hard it is to use, Needler was OP, AR was very weak.  Overall, I'd be pretty content if Halo 4 final was on the E3 build, but it's awesome to see some last-minute balancing.

 

Do you have a favorite loadout and if so, what is it?

Awesome question. If I had to pick one loadout and use it, it'd be:

BR
DMR
Frags
Firepower
Ammo

How are the grenade physics in the E3 Build?

They felt.... weak, and not very bouncy. I'd assume they'll be changed somehow in the final. I spoke with a few other people who played and it was hard to tell when they hurt an opponent. Maybe that was all.

How easy is it to stick someone?

Difficulty level: somewhere in between H2 and H3.

Where do you see "Pro Gaming" in ten years?

Mainstream and televised. Who knows what games everyone will be playing. It won't be CoD, and it probably won't be Halo either.

From the E3 build you played, what gametype did you enjoy the most?

Infinity FFA, cause I dropped a 73-29 bomb :)

What videos should we check out from your YouTube channel and will we be seeing more new Halo 4 content in the near future?

Let's see - I just uploaded a montage from Comic-Con, http://youtu.be/LcdGH4jB3xs and here's a Halo 4 gameplay commentary! http://youtu.be/4-DRApT7SyY

Do you have any shout outs or plugs?

Big shout out to you, Implicit, for being the man, and everyone who watches my YouTube vids, thank you. Also, my sponsors - SONY Mobile and Gamma Labs. Lastly, if you haven't, check out my YouTube and Twitter, both are /BravoMLG!

Thanks for having me and I cannot wait for H4!
---


Thank you for the Q&A Bravo, we look forward to seeing more exciting content from you in the near future! Make sure you check out his Youtube and show him some love! If you have someone you would like me to do a Q&A with, post a comment below, tweet me @ImplicitMLG or email me ImplicitMLG@gmail.com.