TF2 Wednesdays – Why Do YOU Like Competitive TF2?

Every Wednesday, Patrick Panebianco (better known by his online alias ‘Shintaz’) shares his knowledge, opinion and passion for competitive gaming in Team Fortress 2. Each week holds something different, ranging from interviews, to tips and guides, to past experiences. All things said in this series of articles are his opinion and do not reflect the opinions of anybody else.

This week, Patrick goes into the streets of TF2, asking people with different backgrounds, different skill levels and who have had different experiences why THEY enjoy competing in TF2.

This week, I decided to get YOU lot involved. I scoured the internet for opinions on competitive Team Fortress 2 – from people in division 6, all the way to people in the premiership division. I asked them one simple question: why do you play competitive TF2? I also asked them to go into ‘as much depth as they want’, and here are their answers:

reko (Last Man Standing, Premiership Division)

The reason why I started playing competitively around 4 years ago was quite simple – I didn’t have anything better to do with my time. But the reason that kept me from stopping after so much time was the people I had been playing with. Obviously enough, playing the same maps with the same class over and over again can be boring – no doubt about it. But with the right people, you just don’t notice it. Every time, you play a new game which differs from the previous one. I do believe that when I only started playing I was more hardcore than I am right now – I think that the passion that I used to have for the game disappeared. I can’t deny the fact that I enjoy all that competitive spirit when you beat another team after training for some time but right now I am playing mostly because I want to spend a few hours with people who I enjoy shooting pixels with.

worms and plastic minnows (Karnage e-Sports, Division 1)

Pub TF2 was fun, but it got less challenging because I played it 24/7. I decided to step it up and play competitively. Also, there are no mini-sentries or dead ringer spies in competitive.

Raymon (Elite Nile Gunners, Division 2)

I play it because I’ve always enjoyed TF2, but transitioning to competitive seemed even more enjoyable to me. It also gets me away from the silly unlocks and whatnot.

LillCeder (Crack Clan Purple, Division 3)

It’s fun :D

Coleman (The Enigma Zone Crew, Division 4)

Well, I enjoy TF2 as a game, it’s the best shooter out there in my opinion. The heavy focus on team play sets it apart from CS which is basically just 5v5 DM. I’m a competitive person by nature, and I need to test myself even if I’m not even that good. I enjoy pushing myself and TF2 is a pretty good non-physical outlet for it. I’d also add that the community is a big reason for why I play as well. It’s a pretty inviting scene for anyone who is looking to play, or at least that’s what I’ve found from my experience.

EssEs (Civilized Play, Division 5)

The main reason is as everybody else, to have fun! But I have found another reason; I love the way tf2 can help you build yourself in terms of team-play, leadership and time/life management.

TheFriendlyCow (Scrubs with Hats, Division 6)

I’ve always been a deeply competitive person: sports, tests, you name it. But the thing about TF2 is that it’s just such a good game when teamwork comes into play, and it’s not something you tend to see in public servers. I like playing against stronger players rather than pub-stomping to better myself. All in all, I guess I play comp tf2 because it’s genuinely fun for me.

So there we have it – competitive Team Fortress 2, to the players, means companionship, teamwork and generally, fun! If I haven’t convinced you to sign up, I’m sure this lot would have done (maybe all apart from LillCeder).

My next article will be an ‘ask me anything’ article. Ask questions in the comments bellow, by adding me on Steam, over at ETF2L, or on the upcoming VanillaTF2 post (don’t have a link for the specific post, sorry! Also, it’s preferred to post your questions on the latter two).