SpawN - Rapper or Pro-Gamer?

by David Abel

Original article on eGames.de (German)


Try it out. Walk around a Swedish LAN and ask a few kids who they think is the coolest ProGamer. In 9 out of 10 the answer will be the same: SpawN.

"No photos, please". SpawN is out partying and he does not feel comfortable with press around. Beer and cigarettes do not fit with the image Abdisamad SpawN Mohamed tries to promote. That matters a lot to him. "I don't want any 14-year old to start smoking just because some journalist caught me on one of the rare occasions I was smoking a cigarette."

This is actually possible with the great amount of fans SpawN can call his own. His reputation as a player is outstanding, but even greater for his "style". Caps, shoes, shirts - nothing looks like the average nerd-wear that can be found at eSports-events. It's more like some member of the Wu-Tang-Clan just started playing Counter-Strike. But Abdi does not just look like some random kid from the block that pretends to be cool: He is somehow "real". This does not make him a perfect gamer, but at least a role-model for all those gaming fans who do not only dream of excellent gaming skills, but also of the sweet life of a rap superstar chilling by the pool. Little is known about the Abdisamad outside of the gaming world. But this helps keeping up the image. Huge parties and hot babes, this seems to be his world.

But who is this guy? He is pretty reserved the first time you meet him. This special mixture of arrogance and shyness that is hard to interpret. Even ingame, where there is no reason for a superstar like SpawN to be quiet, he keeps his cool. He lets team-mates like fisker or zet do the shouting and screaming. Outside the game you quickly realize that SpawN is not much different from any other 20-year old kid who enjoys competitive gaming. But at the same time he knows who he is. When SK dared to cut down on his salary, SpawN quit. You can't do this with a superstar like him.

Shortly afterwards, SpawN found a new home at NiP where he quickly became a pillar of their success. A gold medal at KODE5 and a silver medal at WCG prove this. Within a short period of time, NiP was back among the world's finest teams with Abdi playing an important role by replacing legendary "One and Only" HeatoN, who took a break from gaming. The future of the team is still a bit uncertain, but rumours say that Oskar ins Holm will quit gaming because of his studies and HeatoN will be back once again.

Going back to school is not an option for SpawN right now. He has devoted his life to gaming and considering his achievements and his salary it was obviously not a bad deal. Besides, he just started his own business, selling a special kind of wristband that supports its owner's aiming and eases the wrist pain that might occur after long hours of non-stop gaming. You can doubt if this is really necessary or useful, but Abdi's name on it gives the device some kind of eligibility. If you want to play like him you have to use what he is using. As simple as that. Say the ads and SpawN himself.

The reasons for his new engagement are pretty obvious: What happens if no team in the world is willing to pay his first-class salary? SpawN has been playing for four years now and there is no real turning back. But so far he enjoys the pleasures of being a pro: "I have been to the United States, Korea, China and many other places. I can't imagine how someone else my age could have travelled that far." he says. Although he admits that Counter-Strike used to be more fun in the past. Without the pressure of competition, of being the best in world.

But what else does he do if he is not practising? "I am not playing any other computer games and I'm not that much into sports" he admits. But he has a passion for – what else could it be? – music. And his family. His older brother Abdiwahab was also a Counter-Strike player, going by the handle MegatoN, but "he always got into the wrong teams" says SpawN. There is not much else to say about his private life. No gonzo activities, no special interests. "When I'm home I try to spend as much time with my family and friends as possible" says SpawN. He is, after all, just a regular guy that loves gaming. But at least the one with the coolest gear.

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