The history of a Pro-gamer

Stuart Morrison was a Pro-gamer who retired in 2005. He takes us back over the the past 20 years and answers a few questions about what it was like to play at competition level, and he gives us some interesting details on some of the events he took part in.

what were the main influences you had in becoming a pro-gamer?

My friends, constantly bigged me up and used to hustle arcades for me watching me fight all comers at my local arcade. I was in their eyes at least, the undisputed Gamesmaster in the Thames Valley and I wanted to see how far I could go.

what are the pros and cons of being a pro gamer?

I'm not one anymore, but like Roy Castle used to say, if you want to be the best, dedications what you need. Which means relationships can end abruptly, you can neglect your friends particularly when they're not massively into games as you are (and mine weren’t!). And you can be an asshole when you lose. Mainly because your so used to winning.

Pros are just the joy of competing with the best, knowing your one of them the strong sense of comradery you get when you find yourselves immediately connecting with total strangers just from a shared passion for the medium. I've got lots of happy memories of that time in my life.

as a pro gamer, were there ever any rivals you have come across?

Matt Leto and the Metroid Team on Crazy Taxi, Ryan Hart on Tekken, although I don’t flatter myself that I'm in his leauge. And Alex Liang on Soul Calibur and Sega Rally. That was on Gamesworld. Detalis available on Request!

is there any specific system you preferred to compete on?

Dreamcast, PS1 and PS2. This was the golden age of home gaming for me. Probably because at the time I could focus 100% on my hobby without having to worry about things like having to pay the mortgage or getting a Job.

its common today for pro gamers to bring along their own personal control pads to use in competitions, is this something you have done, or witnessed in the past?

I did it for a Tekken Tournament in 2003 held at Brick Lane London for the release of Tekken 4! I still got my ass kicked though! At least I got through to the second round and could leave with my head held high. Which was a major achievement in such talented company as Qdogg and Ryan Hart.

are there any recent events youve been involved in that we dont know of that you'd like to share?

Nothing Recent...

Here are all the Competitions that ran in the 90's and early 2000's that I know of and competed in.

HMV Games Challenge 1997
Twix Gamesplayer of the year 1997
Twix Gamesplayer of the year 1998
Twix Gamesplayer of the year 1999
Dreamcast Challenge - Soul Calibur 2000 (Can't remember its name, held in London)
Blockbuster Games Tournament 1998
Sci Fi Channel Ultimate Gamer 2003
King of Iron Fist Invatational 2003
King of Iron Fist Invatational 2005

My Last Tournament was in 2005 where I competed in the Tekken 5 Regionals. Then I met my wife and suddenly priorities were now career, mortgage and "life" I don’t regret it but I do miss those golden  years in the mid to late 90's they were awesome.

are you a games collector at all?

Yes! Absolutely. I mainly collect Dreamcast games and PS1, and PS2. It’s a modest collection, but I do have a few gems. I love fighting games, Tekken and Street Fighter were my favourites from the Playstation. I'll send you photos if you like of my games room.

would you like to talk about any prize possessions you may have, or any of your favorite games over the years?

I have every single PS1 Street Fighter Release and Every single Ps1 and PS2 Tekken Release. I've also got a full set of Power Foil Udon Street Fighter Comics, the recently released 25th Anniversary Street fighter Set with the light up Ryu statue and replica Black Belt. Nothing I own is paticularly rare but Condition is important to me so all my games are mint, some still sealed and it's unusual to find PS1 games in that good condition. Rarest Game I own is probably Super Pang Collection on PS1 and the Raiden Project on PS1. Love my Shoot Em Ups too. Also have a brand new copy of Legacy of Kain Blood Omen.

are there any games you woud have liked to have competed in, but never had the chance to?

Not really I entered everything I could in the 90's mainly out of my desire to live up to the reputation I had earned from my friends as being nigh on unbeatable at every game ever.....at least to them. :)

what would you consider to be your greatest gaming achievements?

My Greatest Gaming achievement has to be getting world Records on the DC version of Crazy Taxi during the Twingalaxies Crazy Taxi 2001 World Championship. It was a pretty low key event, not much notoriety at the time but knowing that my times were the best in the world was a source of constant pride. Three of my world records remain unbeaten to this day, and those that were beaten were beaten by a very small margin.

Taking the race on the line after my competitor used my Corvette Zr-1 as a Brake on Gran Turismo's High Speed Ring to take the Twix Gamesplayer of the year title in 1998 comes a close second! I can get you magazine scans if your interested.

and the worst?

Missing that Fucking Question Mark Leading to the Bonus Stage on Crash Bandicoot 2!

any future goals?

I'm a Sales Professional These days, My Gaming days, at least competitively are pretty much over. But I can still beat 90% of the people online at Tekken. I even beat Ryan Hart once. That was pretty cool.

anything else youd like to share that we may have left out?

Wagon Wheels are tasty. I eat far too many.

You can read more about Stu by clicking the links below, and please dont forget to leave a comment. We would also love to hear more stories from other competetive live tournament players, so if you think you have something to share then please get in touch.

Stuart answers some questions on the Blockbuster Playstation Challenge Here - Blockbuster Challenge