PUBG Esports pro players strive for survival and great glory! The “PLAYER_X” interview series returned for the PUBG NATIONS CUP (PNC) 2022 where we met with pro players from around the world to look deeper into their lives and dreams. The fifth PLAYER_X interview is about Anssi “mxey” Pekkonen of Team Liquid, one of the most popular European esports teams, as well as of Team Finland for PNC 2022. Keep reading to learn this veteran player’s life as a pro.
※ This interview was held before PNC 2022.
Glad to meet you! Could you introduce yourself to the readers?
mxey: Hey, I’m mxey. I play in Team Liquid and I’m here to represent Finland.
What was your childhood dream when you were 10 years old?
mxey: My childhood dream? I don’t remember if I had any. I’ve always liked games. So maybe one of my childhood dreams would be able to play games for living, which already happened. I’ve been in love with games ever since I was three or four years old. I played games on the consoles and computers with my brothers. Gaming has always been fun, and I was hooked from the very beginning.
What did you do before becoming a PUBG Esports pro player?
mxey: I was an electrician. But when I got the chance, I instantly quitted the job to become what I am now, playing video games as a pro.
How much are you satisfied with your current job?
mxey: Very satisfied. It feels like living in a dream. I’m playing video games for living. What else is going to be better than this?
What do you think is the best part of being a PUBG Esports pro player?
mxey: The best part would definitely be to come to the tournaments like the PNC 2022. As a pro player, you can travel around the world, you live in your dream, and you play the game that you love. Hopefully, we can get more chances to play in offline event like this once the COVID-19 starts to come down.
Many professional esports players in Europe have another part-time or full-time job. How’s life as a pro in Europe?
mxey: In Europe, even if we make it to the professional level, some of us still have to do another job to be able to do what we love. But I think it differs by which team you get into. Different teams pay the players higher or lower salaries depending on how good you are at the games. I’ve been fortunate enough that ever since I started my pro career, I’ve been able to focus only on gaming.
What does your nickname “mxey” mean?
mxey: I started to use this nickname when I first played “PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS” in 2017. But honestly, it doesn’t mean anything. It was like going to the keyboard and clicking the buttons at random. And it just came up. That’s the secret. (Laughter)
Have you ever thought of changing it to something else?
mxey: At this point, no, because then I would come up with a problem again what would I change to. What I’m going to do next is to go back to my keyboard and push random buttons once again. So, why would I do that? It doesn’t make any sense. People already know me with this name, and I’ll just take with it.
How would you describe yourself as a pro player? Do you have a specific keyword that best shows you?
mxey: I’d say I’m honest. I give feedback as honestly as I can. And I expect my teammates to give their honest feedback to me. Sometimes it’s not fun to hear bad things, but if I make mistakes, I’d like to hear them straight. I guess “honest” would be a good word to describe myself.
What do you think is the most important standard that makes a great PUBG Esports player?
mxey: I think it comes to the mental side. Anyone who’s in the top level or would be in the top level in PUBG Esports are already very good at the mechanics. So, I don’t think it matters. Being a good team, being able to take criticism, and giving it to others are also very important. And of course, not giving up at any point. If you feel your team is down, you should try to bring the positivity to the team, even if you’re doing not well.
How do you do that? Not getting too personal when you get criticism from your teammates?
mxey: I think you must put aside the fact that they are your friends. In the end, your goal is to win. If you or your teammates don’t get that everyone wants to win, you’re going to have problems. If everyone in your team believes that the goal is to be the number one in the world, you all should be able to take the criticism. You should be able to think like; “Okay, I need to use this as feedback for myself to be a better player.” If you cannot do that, you’re probably not going to be the number one in the world.
You played in many intercontinental competitions including the “PUBG GLOBAL INVITATIONAL.S (PGI.S) 2021” and the “PUBG GLOBAL CHAMPIONSHIP (PGC) 2021.” Can you tell us about your experiences in your previous international tournaments?
mxey: The PGI.S 2021 and the PGC 2021 were the longest tournaments that I’ve ever played. I’ve spent several months in a foreign country playing the game only. Due to the pandemic, we were stuck in the island and there was not much to do. I mean it was easier for me to keep myself fully focused on the game and to bring the team together.
In such a major tournament, disappointment is huge when you do bad in the end. You may think like, “I’ve been here for months, and this is what I get.” But that’s how it is. You must be mentally strong to be able to reset yourself between every game because you have so many games to come.
Now you’re one of the most experienced active PUBG Esports players around the world. What is your own driving force that keeps yourself in the professional stage?
mxey: That’s a very hard question. I’ve just been playing and doing my own thing. I’ve been able to stay on top for a very long time. And I guess the biggest reason for that is that I always try to win. In fact, I’m still missing the world championship and want to win a championship title. And maybe this puts something in my mind, making me want to work extra hard.
As I’m getting older, new young players are coming in and they are really good. Still, you have the experience that you can use to stay on top because it means you know things that they don’t. And you can also handle pressure better than them.
So, is that your ultimate goal? Winning the world championship?
mxey: Yes. To win the title at the PGC. After that, there will be new goals. But for now, that’s my goal.
Finland came 5th at PNC 2022 and is one of the countries that continues to produce world-class professional players. What do you think about your country in terms of esports?
mxey: I agree that Finland produces many young players that can be on the top. Since we are a nation of about 5.5 million population, getting those many players on top of many esports games is huge. I think we need more teams that fully consist of Finnish player since currently it’s more likely that we have some international teams with one or two good Finnish players playing in them.
What is your favorite part of PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS?
mxey: Esports, definitely. There’s so much randomness in this game, and then it also has the esports. You can see how this game works around that randomness and be consistent as an esports game. I think it’s beautiful.
When you are not practicing PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS, what do you usually do?
mxey: I still like to play games. When I feel that I’ve played PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS too much, I take a break and play some other games because I think it’s not good to force yourself to play only one game. If you do so, you may end up disliking it.
When you retire, what kind of player do you want to be remembered by your fans?
mxey: That’s a hard question. I never really cared about what other people think about me. When I’m done, I want to feel that I gave everything to achieve my goal, even if I didn’t make it. I don’t really mind what people think of me. What matters more to me is how my teammates and my coach remember me after my retirement.