I recently sat down and talked to Vietnamese AWPer Công "crazyguy" Anh Ngô to talk about his career. His first tournament in the international scene was Dreamhack Stockholm 2015, the qualifier for the Dreamhack Cluj-Napoca Major.
*Editors Note: The interview has been edited for clarity.
When you qualified for Dreamhack Stockholm what were your thoughts about making that tournament?
When I got a call to stand-in for the main player cLb, I just thought that this could be my chance to know the atmosphere at a big tournament, and I wanted to know if I had any chance when playing against other top players.
What were your thoughts toward the community reaction to you when you played at that event? I know a few people were calling you the Asian KennyS but did this build confidence for you?
I can say that no one knew my name before the event. So, I thought, 'oh this is my big chance because I have nothing to lose,' so I gave everything and played the best cs I could. When they gave me the name Asian KennyS I was thrilled because from the beginning when i started playing this game my idol was kennyS.
So after you played with SkyRed for this event what did you do afterwards? Did they pick up or were you still with another team at the time?
Actually, back then in SkyRed TuKoN and I didn't have a good relationship already, like we can play with each other in the game but cannot be friends outside the game. So after the event, they asked me about sticking with them but I didn't want to do it. I joined my friends' team A5tw and played with them until TuKoN stepped down from the active roster.
Was it hard to make the transition from being focused internationally for your skill to playing just at local events?
Yes, but there was nothing I could do because CS:GO in Vietnam is a dead game. They just want to focus on MOBA games like League of Legends or other online fps game like crossfire. So we don't have any tournaments to play, cannot find any new talent, and the old generation stepped down so we are in a bad place right now.
Did you view this as a way to try and step up into the scene to put CS:GO on the map? Or were you looking for an international team to pick you up?
If I have a chance I want to compete at a higher level, but to do that I feel I have to climb to be at the top of the Asian scene.
Do you think moving to a region like NA or Australia would help you or do you want to stick to Asia for right now and grind out your skill?
I think for now I need to show to everyone that I can compete at a high level, and then after that maybe I will get a chance to move to other regions to play. if I received an offer today to move elsewhere, I would take it.
I know you were selected to play on 5power but couldn't get a Visa to china, do you think that was a big opportunity for you?
Yeah, I think if I can get a visa to go there, my career would be different. They have a big scene in China, a lot of tournaments, and good conditions for practice. It was unlucky.
What are your plans for the future in CS:GO?? Is there any big tournaments that you're going to soon?
Maybe I will move to another city with all new teammates very soon, but it's just a plan for now.
Crazyguy's next tournament will be the WESG SEA qualifiers playing for team Vietnam. With the hope of qualification to and another chance at redemption for himself to prove to the world that he is at the level from our first time seeing him in international play.
Will Crazyguy continue to impress in 2019? Comment below!