tory: “I just went all in and dedicated myself completely to esports.”

I was born in Vladikavkaz. I have two older brothers who also loved to play video games. Thanks to them, I learned what Counter-Strike was. I was only about 11 years old at the time. My older brother bought a computer for himself. I was always watching him play 1.6 back then. And I kept asking him, “Can I play too? Can I play too?” That’s when I got hooked. I spent a lot of time at the computer. Later, back in high school, my classmates, friends, and I would go to computer clubs. We spent a lot of time there—we even skipped classes. That’s when I turned 15.

Mom and Dad were always against me gaming. I spent a lot of time playing games. My mom is understanding. We always managed to find some kind of compromise. She’d tell me, “If you don’t get any Cs this quarter, I’ll let you use the computer.” That was my motivation. I studied hard, and my mom would let me use the computer. If I got a C in a quarter, she’d take the computer away right away. Then, in 2017, I was about to leave ninth grade to go to a technical college. My mom said, “Maybe it’s time to stop playing video games?” She sat down with me and started talking to me like an adult. I said, “Mom, just give me a couple more months. If it doesn’t work out, <...> I’ll give up on the computer and video games altogether.” She understood me. She met me halfway. And, by the way, I was accepted onto the team. I signed my first contract. I started making money. My first paycheck was $500. 

I kept studying. I enrolled in a technical college. I graduated with a vocational degree—I’m a lawyer. But my mom made me go. Then I enrolled in a distance learning program at a university, also in the law school. And I realized that this wasn’t for me; I wasn’t going to work in that field. And I didn’t like it, basically. My mom understood me. I just went all in and devoted myself entirely to esports. And I didn’t think at all about what else I might do besides CS. No, I just wanted to be in esports—that’s all.

You could say TsaGa was the one who led me to all of this. He coached me. He told me, “Take a look, sit on the bench as a coach, and watch how the guys play.” He coached me and told me I had a bright future ahead of me—that I played very well. And he told me that if I competed in tournaments—even if I just put together some weak teams, gathered some girls, and just participated to show what I could do—people would notice me. And I really did play well. So that’s how it went—I just played KD tournaments with some less-skilled girls. Back then, there were more women’s tournaments. And I got noticed; they noticed me and invited me to a tryout.