PUBG Esports pro players strive for survival and great glory. The “PLAYER_X” interview series has returned to meet the pro players from around the world, looking deeper into their lives and dreams. The sixth PLAYER_X interview is about Nolan “Shinboi” Burdick of YAHO. Keep reading to learn this player’s life as a pro.
※ This interview was held before the PUBG Nations Cup (PNC) 2022.
Nice to meet you! Could you introduce yourself to our readers?
Shinboi: Hi, I’m Shinboi. I play for YAHO and I’m representing Team Canada at PNC 2022.
What does your in-game nickname “Shinboi” means?
Shinboi: My ID has long been “Shinobi” even before I started playing this game. But when I tried to create my account for this game, I realized that “Shinobi” was already taken. So, I simply switched two letters out of it to come up with “Shinboi.”
How would you describe yourself as a pro?
Shinboi: For the most part, I’m an aggressive player. I tend to take a lot more risks than many other players.
Are you a kind of player who enjoys the thrill during the games or who tries to contain the tension?
Shinboi: One of the biggest things that got me hooked on PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS is the feel of adrenaline and dopamine that you get when you make a big risky play and when that works off. It’s such an insane feeling. Especially when you do that in offline events like this one, PNC 2022, I think I’ll be able to feel that from the crowds and their audible reactions.
Do you remember the first time you had a Chicken Dinner?
Shinboi: I think it was mid-2018. I remember that I had like five or six kills in my first game. I did that with an M16A4 and a “Saiga (S12K)” topped with a suppressor and an extended mag.
A Saiga with a suppressor? For real? That’s a unique combination. It must have been so thrilling to knock other players down with it. Do you still use that weapon combination from time to time?
Shinboi: No, no! I don’t think I’d ever use a Siaga with a suppressor anymore unless I’m doing a challenge or something.
Then what’s your favorite weapon in PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS?
Shinboi: My favorite weapon right now is going to be “Beryl M762” and “SLR.”
Do you like those guns because they inflict higher damage?
Shinboi. Yeah. Under the current meta, people are divided into two categories on whether they like Beryl M762 or M416. Personally, I’m more of a Beryl person because it provides a bit higher damage. That’s where I find myself.
What do you think about the new rifle, “ACE32?”
Shinboi: I haven’t used that very much yet to be honest. But I think it’s pretty cool. For the moment I think it’s not as good as Beryl M762 but we’ve got to see. One thing I can say for sure is that I’d pick it up over an M416.
What about gadgets? What’s your favorite?
Shinboi: My favorite gadget is going to be the drone. That thing is so fun to use. By activating the drone, you can clear the buildings and tell your team that where everything is. People who don’t know how to react just shoot it down. It’s super fun to play around with it.
What was the most exciting PUBG Esports event that you saw when you were a student?
Shinboi: PNC 2019. I genuinely think it was the most fun PUBG Esports event for me to watch so far. All the cheering for your own national pride, in combination with all those mixed teams, I got a lot more fun. I still remember how each team did back then, especially Team Brazil, Team Vietnam, and Team Korea. Those moments don’t happen in regular major tournaments.
What do you think is the most important standard that makes a great PUBG Esports player?
Shinboi: I’d expect a lot of people would say mechanical skills or intelligence. But the number one thing I’d say is attitude. Without attitude, all the other stuffs don’t matter. I think attitude is your pillar for success. You can obviously get far with mechanical skills and game smarts. But without attitude, you won’t be able to reach the next level.
I think statistics are quite irrelevant in terms of the grand scheme of things. There’s a lot of unseen work, a lot of intangibles in this game. People outside the game don’t really notice such things. They might say, “Oh, this guy has lots of skills, this much damage.” But behind the scenes, there’s a lot more inner workings of the team.
Is there a specific way for you to relieve stress?
Shinboi: To be honest, I wouldn’t say I’m that stressed most of the time. But if I’m really stressed, I take a hot shower. With that, you can forget all your problems.
Not as Shinboi, a PUBG Esports pro player, but as Nolan Burdick, what kind of person you are?
Shinboi: To be honest, I don’t think I’m that much different in- and outside the game. I’m chill most of the time, and outgoing. Sometimes I’m very quiet and relaxed and sometimes I try to make people laugh.
Apart from gaming, what makes you happy the most?
Shinboi: Friends and family for sure. People I meet online, my personal family, people that cheer me on, people that are always there for me. That’s definitely those people.
Speaking of friends and family, what do you do when you hang out with them?
Shinboi: I just relax when I’m spending time with my family. With my friends, I go on trips, enjoying life. I think this is a very important point: how to spend your small amount of downtime that you have as a pro player. You must make sure you spend that time right. For me, I put my time for my family and friends, making memories.
What did you do before becoming a PUBG Esports pro?
Shinboi: I was in the high school. I started playing the game when I was around 16-17 years old. As time went on, I started to get better and better. By the time I graduated from school, I was at the point that I might try to do this professionally because I had so much fun doing this.
Before that, I mean when you were younger, what was your dream?
Shinboi: When I was really little, like nine or ten years old, I remember that my dream was to be a YouTuber.
That was very early. What made you want to be a YouTuber at that time?
Shinboi: I loved those contents a lot. I just thought it would be very fun. Getting to do what you love every day. And I think I haven’t ended up too far from that dream because I get to do what I love every single day, which I am very thankful for and hoping to continue.
Now that you’ve achieved your dream of doing what you love every day, what’s your goal now?
Shinboi: As a pro player, my personal goal is to help the team as much as I can and make sure we can secure the best place possible; I mean the first place and if not that then the podium finish.
