The i33 Contenders: Dignitas Sko

Hello Bas, thank you for joining me. Could you just introduce yourself to the readers?

Hello ;) My name is Bas Dirks, 20 years old, and from September I'll be studying graphic design in Amsterdam. I have played online FPS games from age fourteen, beginning with Day of Defeat. In the Call of Duty series I have played for KREATUREN, Check-Six, and TEK9. Except for KREATUREN I have always been leader in the teams I played for. I am currently in-game leader and AK47-extraordinaire for Team Dignitas.


When you left the Call of Duty 2 community you were leading one of the top teams in Europe, TEK9. What was it that made you decide to take some time out?

I wasn't as motivated as before, and I had exams coming up. I wasn't actually in school for these exams, so I had to prepare for them by myself. They were exams for the highest level we have in The Netherlands, however for me the level of education we have here is so piss-easy that I couldn't motivate myself to study for them. Add to that the fact that I have ADD, which means I usually have the attention span of a goldfish, but I still passed most of them. Turns out I didn't need to actually pass this exam to do the study I wanted, so I should have just stayed with CoD2.


Ah thats a real shame, what was it that finalised your decision to come back to gaming, was it the end of your studies at that level, or the release of CoD4, or something else?

It was the release of CoD4, and the fact that I have a lot of free time now. When my studies start I don't expect them to take up a lot of time either.


That's good to hear. Call of Duty 4 seems to have already amounted much success in such a short space of time compared to Call of Duty 2, do you think the game will continue this way, or do you think the constant success may die down in future?

I think CoD4's success won't grow anywhere near exponentially. We will probably see a lot of good events coming up, but much depends on the agendas of major corporations.


The game has managed to top Counter Strike: Source at i33 in regards to prize money. Do you see Call of Duty 4 doing this a lot more in the future, or in your opinion will Counter Strike still be the number one competitive game for a lot longer?

I think the number one competitive game is still CS 1.6, but Call of Duty 4 is closing in on Source.


After CDC4, Dignitas looked less than confident, a shadow of the previous British powerhouse. What will you bring to the team for the future and where do you think the team can improve?

I will bring leadership to the team. We need to improve on teamplay and strats. And we also need to work on basics like aim ;)


Talking of leadership, with you taking over in game captain duties from Mick, should we expect to see much of a change in the way Dignitas play?

Yes, we will be playing radically differently. More co-ordinated, less retarded. But we can't make this change overnight.


Evil Geniuses are making the trek from North America to i33, after recently losing in the final of the NERV LAN to Nexus Gaming. What do you expect from them, and do you see them as a threat to the Dignitas crown?

I expect from them a top four placing at least.


Talking of the Dignitas crown, who do you think your main competitors are for the upcoming event and why?

I expect Fnatic and TLR to be really tough, based on their recent performances. Tek9 will have to deal with knaller's newfound crippleness, and SK has a lot of pressure on them. Main outsiders are RRavens, who are easily capable of pulling of an upset. Off course EG are also top contenders, with their skill and experience.


When people talk about big British based Call of Duty teams Dignitas is always on their lips. With TheLastResort gaining major acclaim after a feisty performance at CDC, do you feel any pressure coming into this situation to recreate the Dignitas we are used to?

No. I am not British so I don't really give a crap about any so called rivalry. I simply do my best to make the team play as well as possible.


With TheLastResort recently putting on a great performance at CDC4... some people called it luck, some people say TLR are the team of the future for Call of Duty 4. What is your view on TheLastResort as a team?

I haven't played them even once, so I have no idea. They played well at CDC4 so people should give them credit for their performance. Time has come where you can no longer call performances luck. However I guess the AK74u have done wonders for some teams (this doesn't target TLR). Those teams have i33 to prove the haters wrong.


Thank you for your time Bas. From myself and on behalf of everyone at TEK9, I would like to wish yourself, and Dignitas all the best for i33 and the future. Any last words or shoutouts?

You're welcome. Thanks to Intel, Creative, abit, SCAN, Razer, ZyXEL and DELL for their support. Will be awesome to play on one of those laptops @ i33, and actually have a proper headset. Hi to our great management & D.Girlz and Hybrid.