By Conor "Anima" Kinahan Follow him at @Anima082

At 25 Years Old, Frej “kHRYSTAL” Sjostrom could be seen as a veteran in the eSports world. Having competed at both Dreamhack Winter, and Intel Extreme Masters, Sjostrom is known for his high-performance, no-nonsense play style. I recently had the chance to sit down and chat with himself and Team Acer Counter-Strike Manager Thom “NervO” Broeren

They talk about the scene, fellow players, and hopes for the future. They also offer some tips for new & old players alike.

Frej, Counter-Strike and eSports as a whole is growing incredibly fast right now. We’ve had some unbelievably close matches lately, such as your recent game against Fnatic. There have also been serious lows with betting scandals & match fixing controversies. If you had to give some advice to someone just making their way into the big leagues in this contentious time, what would it be?

-Just keep playing and playing, in the top scene today it's all or nothing. If you want to be consistent you have to make sacrifices, and prioritize gaming as you would with any regular job.

As a Professional Player, do you have any advice for those just starting their journey in the world of Competitive Counter-Strike?

-Take one day at a time, step by step and practice your weaknesses. It can be everything from communication to ingame awareness. Learn to take criticism, and take in as much information you can.

As a Counter-Strike player, naturally the question arises, “are there any players you admire,” and if so, what is it you like about them?

-When thinking about it, Pronax. He always fell short back in the day, and didn't really make it as far as he wanted. Look at him now, playing for the best team in the world, and being considered as one of the best in-game leaders. Big thumbs up for his huge heart for CS.

As a personal role model outside of the game, who have you looked up to throughout your life?

-My dad, a man of great logic thinking, aware of risk vs. reward. Hard, but fair.

I mentioned earlier those making their way into the competitive scene, have you any advice for newer players? A simple tip perhaps?

-The first thing you notice when you spectate a total newbie is the crosshair placement, so I have to say always be on your toes and practice angles.

Do you have any plans for the future? Do you have any thoughts as to where you’ll be ten years down the road?

-Working with eSports would definitely be something I would like to do, like casting, analyzing, or just being able to work at tournaments.

Some people think you should spend a lot of money on flashy accessories in order to get better at CS:GO. For instance, some people believe that mechanical keyboards reign supreme, and certain mice are better than others. Do you believe that the gear can make the player?

- It definitely can improve an already good player, but a total newbie wouldn't even be able to understand or feel the difference. I'd still say if you want to play seriously, you should atleast have a mouse that can respond to quick movements.

Thom, as manager for Acer’s Counter Strike team, is there anything you would like to say to those reading the article?

-To the readers; I hope the team will be able to keep delivering exciting matches, we will do our best in the upcoming leagues and tournaments. Make sure to watch the team as they compete in many tournaments, including the Acer Predator Masters which features some of the best teams and a $40,000 prize-pool.

While still fresh to the Counter-Strike scene as a unit what is your take on the team? Any complaints or comments?

I believe that they have an insane potential, and a deep passion for the game! The only complaint I would mention is that we don’t have enough time to practice due to the amount of scheduled matches. On top of that the players are already pretty busy, due to balancing education & outside work. Honestly no matter what the guys try their best, and always commit fully, so I would consider it to be going quite well so far!!

Where Can Readers find the Team on Social Media?

You can follow me at @AcerNervO on Twitter, where I actively try to update on Team Acer, eSports, and more. As for The entirety of Acer’s CS:GO Squad they can be found at: @kHRYSTAL_cs @THREAT_CS @wentonCS @SpitfireCSGO @slapCS @AcerVetic, and of course @aceresport

Gents, would you care to give shoutouts to anyone in particular? Shoutout to Acer for supporting the team, all the players, and the coach for being incredibly talented & strong individuals. And of course, to all the awesome fans that have been supporting the fairly fresh line up so far.