Hello Esports: Recent Episodes
Orange | LESF | Lëtzebuerger Journal
Welcome to Hello Esports, a podcast by Orange, Lëtzebuerger Journal and the Luxembourg Esports federation (LESF) about all things Esports in Luxembourg, to smoothly introduce you to the world of competitive gaming. Esports has evolved from niche to mass phenomenon in the last few years. Yet, it remains a mystery for most people. And it’s no different for Maxime Toussaint, who meets up with actors from the video games scene to discover more about it.
This time, Maxime looks at the Business Model of big, successful Esports organizations in an episode featuring Berlin-based team Sprout, which is ranked world’s 32nd in CS:Go. From engaging with the fans to wearing special jerseys in support of Ukraine, there is much to think about. Daniel Paulus, their head of management, tells him about the identity and values of his club – growth, team spirit, sustainability – and reveals what strategy he and his partners went for to see their team grow into a big name of the gaming scene.
In this episode, Maxime sheds light on another, darker side of video games: addiction. He is joined by Stéphane, who, during his studies, became addicted to World of Warcraft and 12th in the game’s European ranking without ever being a pro. Andreas König, psychologist and psychotherapist at Ausgespillt, further discusses this often-overlooked disorder that is specific to gaming in the world of sports.
In this episode, Maxime looks at Luxembourg's Esports clubs and the ecosystem that surrounds them. Chris and Tim Miller, two of the three brothers behind amateur club Team Game Changers, and Joe Hoffmann, managing partner at 4Elements Esports – the only professional club in the country, although on hold at this moment in time –, tell him how a club works, identify the strengths and the weaknesses of the Luxembourgish gaming scene and suggest how it should evolve to help Esports organisations all over our small country grow.
In this episode, Maxime speaks with Esports researcher Chuck Tholl and Luxembourg’s first (and only) professional Esports athlete & Germany CS:GO Champion Max Kugener in an attempt to picture the lifestyle of a pro gamer as accurately as it gets. How do they train, what injuries do they have to deal with and how much pressure do they feel? This podcast is the first step to understanding that Esports is as much of a sport as the other, more conventional ones.
Dans cet épisode exceptionnellement en français, Maxime parle des events d’esports avec Daniel Araujo, un joueur de Pro Evolution Soccer (récemment renommé eFootball). Connu sous le nom de Diffside_45 en ligne, il est le seul Luxembourgeois à avoir participé aux World Championships 2021 à Eilat où il s’est emparé d’une exceptionnelle 5ème place dans sa discipline. Maxime et Daniel se sont rencontrés deux fois : un jour avant le départ du gamer pour Israël et trois heures après son atterrissage de retour au Luxembourg. Cet épisode est ce qui vous rapprochera le plus de son expérience unique.
In this first episode, Maxime is joined by LESF founder Joe Hoffmann and its latest member Sacha Weichel. Together, they chat about the two guests’ early gaming days and draw a landscape of the Luxembourgish Esports scene, defining what Esports really are (with the help of expert René Treur) and answering general questions that could apply to any traditional sport to set the stage for the adventure to come.