aKm: " I’ve dedicated everything. I've given up everything for this game."

Dec 16, 2017

Dylan "aKm" Bignet was a big hit in Taiwan. There were tons of fans lining up for his autographs and the former DPS legend for Rogue was happy to oblige. The Overwatch Heroes Rumble isn't exactly the type event that you'd think would interest someone as competitive as aKm. However, contrary to what you'd expect, he seemed to thrive in the environment.

Interacting with fans and competing in non-traditional game modes where he can flex his signature mechanical prowess seemed natural for aKm. During a more tranquil moment when he wasn't being asked to play in an exhibition match or sign more t-shirts, I asked him some questions about the event and his thought on developing a pro mentality.

Yesterday you had a 1v1 with Moowe from Hong Kong Attitude and many were surprised to see you lose. What happened?

Well, in the 1v1 I was very unlucky, I got to play tanks only and it was very hard. I wish I could have played some hit scan heroes that I specialize in, I think I could have won the 1v1 if I had the heroes I actually played.

During the press conferences, all of the Pacific region teams talked highly of your play. How does this make you feel?

I’ve heard their comments, they say "He is so hard to face, he can run, shoot, and pressure us while never dying!" It’s nice to hear this praise, They are the best teams in the OPC so I respect that.

I am getting praise from Korea, now from the OPC, from every region I play: It feels really good.

How has meeting fans from the Pacific region been like?

They are amazing, all fans are amazing. I’ve never actually felt that people would come up to me because of Overwatch. That is still weird to me because that has never been a thing. It’s a huge thing for me to have fans watching over my play and liking me in general. It honestly feels really good for me.

What are your future plans for your Overwatch career after this event?

I can’t really answer this because I don’t have any plans. I have offers and I can either wait for the mid-season or perhaps for a contenders team. Either way, I want the best team for me and a chance to show myself as a player.

I don’t want to sign for a high salary but for a team, I don’t really like. Like a bad team. I rather play for a good team and I want to wait for those opportunities and that type of offer.

Say you were in charge of a struggling team and they needed to improve Which is more important? The individual team members mechanics or their whole team play and synergy?

There is a bit of both. In Overwatch, the biggest impact on the team would be working on the team play. But after that comes individual skill which is entirely up to the motivation of the player. If they are dedicated they will grind by themselves.

Usually, a pro Overwatch player spends 6-8 hours a day scrimming. Personally, I think you need at least 1 or 2 days of days off. You also need to grind on your own to improve your personal skill-- to improve your aim, your movement, everything like that. Otherwise, you are not going to keep up with young players that are hungry to be the best players. Grinding is important. It is in every game and Overwatch is no different.

The thing is, you can have 6 all-star players and if they don’t work together they will still fail.

▲ aKm at the Overwatch Heroes Rumble in a 1v1 match.

Where does your talent in Overwatch come from? How can you explain it? Do you simply work harder or does aiming reticles on peoples heads come easily to you?

I think there is a bit of talent obviously. Coordination with eyes and hands. However, most of the job is not talent, it’s hard work. You need hard work to achieve. You need to grind a lot. Personally, I’ve dedicated everything. I've given up everything for this game. I put school aside, everything aside. It’s been a lot of dedication, hard work, and motivation.

You strike me as the type of player that is always looking for an opportunity to get better at Overwatch. What have you learned from this event?

The 1v1 and 4v4 game modes actually taught me to be more patient about the plays I have to do.

In 4v4 and 1v1 you have to be very patient. Especially in 1v1. I am the type of player who always wants to rush and kill people. If I am not patient enough I am going to die and die and eventually make my team lose.

It taught me to be more patient about my playstyle and not be greedy. To be safer and value consistent damage output-- not always going for the flashy kill.

In this game, it’s just so important to just stay alive. If we all don’t die, eventually they will. Team fights are about who is going to make the first mistakes.