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Emne: Interview with Kevin Abdalla - The Silly Games Guru |
25 svar
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#1 Skrevet maj 25 2017, 12:05:22 (senest redigeret maj 25 2017, 12:06:57 af Jun Ho)
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JH: Hi! To whomever who doesn't know you, what is your name and occupation, and what hobbies do you have outside of GPRO? :)
KA: Hello, my name is Kevin Abdalla. I work in retail as an assistant manager of a grocery store. At this point my life revolves around my family. My wife and I constantly find ourselves talking about our kids because we are so proud of them.
I have a 15 year old daughter who is extremely intelligent with aspirations of being a mechanical engineer. She just finished her first season as part of a an all-girl robotics team that competed successfully against teams from across Canada, U.S. & overseas. http://intimitrons.ca/2017-ophelia/ I also have a 10 year old son who has battled medical issues throughout his entire life as a result of a condition called Marfan Syndrome. He has been through 18 Eye operations and now is considered 'legally blind' which means he still has vision but it is not great. Despite all he has been through, he is such a positive kid that so many adults can learn from. Like my daughter, he also is very smart. He still loves to read even though it is difficult for him to so without the help of a magnifier.
As far as myself goes, my close proximity to the Rocky Mountains means that I enjoy downhill skiing in the winter and hiking in the summer as well as getting out for the odd round of golf. I enjoy playing any and all sports as well as being a fan to all sports. Like just about all Canadians, I especially enjoy hockey.
JH: Nice! Your kids sound awesome! Living in Canada must be so fun, having to experience two extremes within the year (skiing the slopes then hiking the mountains)! Cool!
So, how did you find GPRO? And what made you want to continue?
KA: Canada is fantastic. I am always so very proud to be Canadian.
I really can't remember too much about how I found GPRO online. Sorry for mentioning my kids again, however what I do remember was that I was returning home after having spent 10 days at the hospital with my son. He just had 3 operations in that stint and I was looking for something to keep me awake as someone had to be up all night to give him medication. So, during the nights I took to reading through all of the rules, FAQ, newbie guide etc. as well as the forums and was intrigued.
I have long been a fan of all sorts of racing and the management and planning aspect of the game intrigued me. I consider myself old-school and when I find something I really like, I commit to it. I also signed up for the mentor program when it was in it's infancy and had a great mentor who gave me a few tips without giving too much away. I believe his name was....Jun Ho >> I wonder what happened to him? A final key factor in keeping me here at the beginning was that the game was not pay-to-win.
JH: No need to apologise Kevin! It was a very interesting story on how you found the game! Who was this Jun Ho, some sort of God? (in all seriousness, surprised you still remembered! :D)
How did you find your first few seasons in Rookie/Amateur? Tough? Easy? Breeze in the park?
KA: It is difficult to remember as it has been almost 3 full years since I've played in Rookie/Amateur. As I remember, because I had read a lot at the beginning, I believe that made life a little easier for me. At the beginning of my first full rookie season, I joined my first team in Red Hawk Racing which really helped me learn and progress a lot more. It made life in Rookie and Amateur much easier than doing it on my own. As many others have said, the challenge of learning the game with teammates can be the best part of GPRO and was certainly enjoyable. I also benefited at the Amateur level by entering a group (A65) in it's first season as the game expanded at the time.
JH: Hmm, fair enough. I definitely agree that a team definitely helps the career out!
After numerous seasons teetering in Pro and Master, how did it feel to finally get promoted in Elite? And how does it feel retaining in the hardest group of all?
KA: It felt great to reach the top level of the game. I have almost always signed a long-term driver in an attempt to get from Pro to Elite. For me, the greatest difficulty in this plan has been retaining in the 1st season at the Master level. With the help of my Nuvolari family, I have been able to finally get the correct plan to ascend to Elite. Once I managed overcome the hurdle of retaining at the Master level & manage the OA through that first season, I felt pretty confident about promoting to Elite.
Actually, things went fairly smoothly and it felt easier than doing so at the Master level. Having said that, I was fortunate to encounter perfect weather conditions for my driver's FT to allow me score the majority of my points. It has been a thrill to race alongside some of the best in the game as well as joining a couple of other Nuvolari teammates in Elite.
JH: Nice! Speaking of teams, what made you change from the Red Hawk family to the Nuvolari family? And did they message you or you applied?
KA: I had a great time with the Race Hawk family. It was a great group of guys that enjoyed learning the game together. While we did not have all of the necessary knowledge to ascend to the upper levels of the game, it was fun discovering things together. I want to recognize Phil Symonds, who was our team leader > he is a great guy and was the brains of the operation, creating the majority of the tools we used. I am entirely thankful to Phil & the rest of the core group at the 'Hawks that helped me out so much at the beginning. Like many teams, the Hawks began to see some inactivity as some of the core left the game and it was time to move on. I was looking to Join a team with a lot of knowledge and a good team atmosphere, so I applied to Nuvolari. While I was likely not their first choice at the time, I am glad that they eventually accepted me :) While it was difficult to leave the Hawks, it was certainly the right choice for me and my future in the game.
JH: Always a tough time leaving your first team, but I can see that it is for the best for your career.
Enough about the GPRO career, let us talk about your silly games hosting! How did SRS come about?
KA: Thanks, I've said too much...
SRS (Single Resource Strategy) is a game that was created by Henri Erilaid. He brought it to the GPRO silly game forum just a little over 3 years ago and ran a test season. I was one of the participants of that beta season and ended up taking over the hosting of the game for the next season - Season 1. It began with 16 players for that inaugural test season and has now begun it's 24th season. Since Season 4, there have been 42 players every season and as I write now, there are 9 players currently on the waiting list to enter the game. For Season 25, the game may see it's next expansion.
JH: Haha didn't mean it like that!! :D
Did you ever predict SRS to be as big as it is now, with like you said 9 people currently waiting to join (including 2 former SRS champions?)
And have you ever thought that you will be a multiple Oscar winner with the best Silly Game in S48-51 and S55-58?
KA: Certainly not. The fact that so many players keep playing from season to season is quite remarkable - a big thank you to them as they make it possible. The impressive thing for me is that there are several players that keep playing SRS even though they are retired from racing on GPRO.
JH: Gah! Forgot that Nate was in the waiting list :D
Do you think you will release any new silly games on GPRO?
KA: No, I think the 3 that I run are enough. Only 2 of the games that I've hosted are ones that I've created.
JH: Fair enough. Running multiple games at once must take a load of time and effort!
Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions! Appreciate it very much!
Finally, as you have been through the mentor stage, any tips for new players out there?
KA: Signing up for a mentor is a definite must for a new player. Mentors will help guide you in the right direction. Joining a team is also important to helping you gain knowledge and improving in the game. Even players who have been around for a couple of season have much more knowledge & data than someone just starting out. Probably the most important thing to keep in mind for players who want long-term success is to have patience. There is no quick easy path to success.
Also, Join some Silly games. By joining in a forum game you will become involved in the community and you may even get GPRO advice from some of your fellow game players if you approach them nicely. While my game, SRS has been fortunate to receive some GPRO Oscars recently, there are several other great silly games hosts out there who are fantastic including Alan Halford, Greg Tierney, Jukka Sireni, Mikko Suhonen, Sebastian Jóźwiak, Stuart Foster & even Kyle Morris. All of these guys do great work creating and running Silly games - please support them!
While I'm sure the vast majority of players have little care about what I think or have to say, it has been pleasure. Thanks Jun, I hope you are back in the community for a while.
JH: I am pretty sure that the vast majority of people would definitely be interested in your interview! Much love Kevin! :)
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#2 Skrevet maj 25 2017, 12:15:09
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Great interview with a great guy. Nice one guys!
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#3 Skrevet maj 25 2017, 12:17:02 (senest redigeret maj 25 2017, 12:29:05 af Kyle Morris)
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Even Kyle Morris ;) most notorious to being one of the laziest hosts around :D should be able to keep on top of things when I get home from London
Greater interview Kevin and Jun :) always awesome to get an insight into the goings on with a manager
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#4 Skrevet maj 25 2017, 12:23:18
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Great interview you two. Kevin's a proper down-to-earth guy, and it was nice to read his story. Thank you :)
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#5 Skrevet maj 25 2017, 12:23:20
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Where is the notification when you need it? :)
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#6 Skrevet maj 25 2017, 12:27:09
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I'm sure Doru is messaging Vlad to request it as we speak ;)
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#7 Skrevet maj 25 2017, 13:23:44
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Quote ( Robin Goodey @ May 25th 2017,12:27:09 ) I'm sure Doru is messaging Vlad to request it as we speak ;) He's on the ball then :D
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#8 Skrevet maj 25 2017, 13:23:48
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#9 Skrevet maj 25 2017, 13:25:43
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Quote ( Jon Day @ May 25th 2017,13:23:44 ) He's on the ball then :D
What happened? :D
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Really good interview Jun. Your best so far. Nice and short, and gave us some details about Kevin we didn't know :)
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#11 Skrevet maj 25 2017, 14:29:19 (senest redigeret maj 25 2017, 14:31:06 af Jun Ho)
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Quote ( Luke Frost @ May 25th 2017,13:44:57 ) Really good interview Jun. Your best so far. Nice and short, and gave us some details about Kevin we didn't know :)
Thaaaanks :)
I have got someone for an interview, so look out for that in the next coming week or so!
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Great interview Jun and Kevin! :) Looking forward to the next one Jun ;)
Kevin thanks for the recognition but I'm not sure if I'm good enough to be among those great silly games hosts and Kyle :)
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A Jun(in)Ho masterpiece. Also many thanks to Kevin!
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Great interview, Jun and Kevin!
And Kyle must be happy that he got a mention, that's all he ever whines about to me when I write up results for FootGolf :P
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Nice time reading two nice guys talking =P
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Quote ( Robin Goodey @ May 25th 2017,12:27:09 ) I'm sure Doru is messaging Vlad to request it as we speak ;)
No....It`s ok.....Stay calm:)
I don`t have something to say about this notification.....it`s ok! And today was my birthday! No stress
Quote ( Jon Day @ May 25th 2017,13:23:44 ) He's on the ball then :D
Don`t be like that :)
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Quote ( Doru Paraschiv @ May 25th 2017,22:04:34 ) it`s ok! And today was my birthday! No stress Well Happy Birthday Sir, I hope its been a good one so far. :-)
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Thank you! No problem for me this notifications! It`s not bad ! That was in the past....
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Very nice interview and a pleasant reading. Congrats to both of you.
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I always said that big careers start up with big mentors..
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Quote ( Tomás Naranjo @ May 25th 2017,22:54:18 ) I always said that big careers start up with big mentors..
Not in the case of Kevin Abdalla. :D
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We should get a notification that Doru is not upset by this notification.
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Quote ( Tomás Naranjo @ May 25th 2017,22:54:18 ) I always said that big careers start up with big titties..
Agreed
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