It all started in the early 2000s with Tekken. Since then he fell in love with competitive gaming. His passion for it made him travel the world and experience the beauty of fighting games!
With the key elements of his training being patience and perseverance, today he is one of the leading gamers and coaches.
He is next to every gamer who aspires to a successful career and by passing on knowledge and experience he contributes substantially to his development.
Along with their actions he introduces the seminar “Esports Management & Professional Gaming” of GGA.
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– Uh… First of all wow! It must be hard to stay on top for so many years! But there must have been times when you had a hard time? Or were you always strong? Many times we see the success of people, the face of the iceberg, but we don’t see all that is underneath.
Good evening Vivi, thank you for the interview! Definitely trying to stay on top of any activity requires hard training, perseverance and sacrifice. That’s why it is imperative that you love what you do in order to withstand the pressure that championship sport requires! Combining work, training, shows and private lessons can be a great challenge. Even now that I’m working alongside an indie game studio in Greece (Pixel Reign) I always try to stay warm and ready for battle!
No one is ALWAYS strong. To become better one has to lose, and lose a lot! Without strong teammates in Greece and abroad combined with the motivation of losing and of course the friends and teams that have supported me for so many years, I wouldn’t be where I am right now. I’ve found it hard, I’ve had tough times in my life like many people, I’ve lived more frugally by making sacrifices for what I love and I’ve persevered when everyone else would have given up. I love the iceberg analogy because every success hides a lot of work that many will see but few will understand!

– At the same time you are also a coach for other gamers in video games right? What exactly do you do as a “coach” of video game gamers? Since many may not be comparable in that sense.

I’m a seminar presenter at GGA and a mentor-coach on the Metafy platform. As a facilitator I offer the knowledge I have cultivated over the years in the eSports industry by traveling, studying and participating (and co-organizing) in tournaments in Greece and abroad. From team building to possible jobs on eSports. The seminars are group calls with presentations on important eSports topics as opposed to private lessons which are often a direct video call with the student and focus on their skills.
As a coach I am responsible for the proper introduction to the theory of fighting games and by extension the practice to apply the new knowledge. Beyond that I take on up and coming talent and veteran players to take that extra step that will set them apart from the competition. Lessons range from listing the student’s basic character moves and what their best moves are, to the psychology of the opponent in specific pressure situations.

– What profit can you make if you have a coach in Esports?

I believe it is the same answer if you try to study business management on your own. It’s not that you won’t get some knowledge or that you won’t succeed but it will definitely take more time and you will miss a lot of important details. I have often had students come in for a few lessons to “break out” and then continue on their course uninterrupted afterwards. But I also have students who come back year after year to improve on that particular version of a fighting game. By taking the step to train, however, you are also making a commitment to yourself to get better with someone with years of experience behind them.

– Do you think that on a national level compared to other countries in Esports we are ahead or behind the developments? Are you happy with the level and their progress in Greece or is there room for improvement?

Despite its size, Greece has successes in many eSports categories and of course on a global level. Marios Papanagiotou in efootball 5th in the world championship in Romania, Haris Lambrou in Tekken 7 5th in the world championship in Israel and Kostas Lambrou in DNF Deal 8th in the world championship in America are some of our biggest successes. I am proud of our country and we have very strong players.
On the topic of the organization while a few years ago you would have found me on the negative side of things, now I am optimistic and I see a lot of upgrades compared to the past and to similar organizations abroad. We may be a small market but we support the efforts of all those who provide the spectacle and conditions we demand.

– Finally, would you like to reveal your future plans for us, your fans?

I can’t reveal anything publicly about the plans of millions (hahaha)! Now that at work I’ve gotten into a groove and upgraded the PC, it will allow me to restart the Twitch.tv/Nivek_the_Gentleman shows I’ve been missing quite a bit. Lots of stories coming up with travels with Team Phantasma and Greek announcing moments at the monthly LegacyOfKaizer team tournaments! You can find me on the souls of your choice, if I don’t have one send me a message.
Thank you Vivi!

– Thank you Nivek and we wish you wholeheartedly good luck!