BIO: ZenAku is an Australian Quake Player, currently playing in the Quake Pro League. ZenAku has been playing competitive video games for over 15+ years.

In January 2020, ZenAku moved to Europe to pursue his career as a professional Quake Player. During IEM Katowice 2020, he qualified for the Quake Pro League and since has been apart of the Top 20 Quake players in the world.

ZenAku pursues his mission of being a world champion, and to discover fulfillment in life for himself and others.

Hi David, first of all thank you for stealing some of your time you should spend grinding and visiting QUAKE PUB. IRONFIST is the first LAN after almost 2 years, how are you feeling about it? Hyped to show some mad moovez?

First off, thanks for having me :)

So far everything has been going pretty good - I feel more and more comfortable about the game, and I think my approach has been much more solid in regards to mindset and practice. More than anything I'm just excited to see everyone and put on my best performance.

Thanks to the Quake Pro League and your determination, you made a huge change in your life and exchanged deadly Australian nature for a quite safe place in Poland. How tough that change was and do you enjoy your stay in Europe?

At first it wasn't so difficult, coming with my Australian friend "Lure", but during corona and spending a longer time here, problems do come up. I'd say overall it's hasn't been overly tough - people in Poland are friendly and English is relatively used. I think the European lifestyle suits me better. I think if I'd do this again, I would be much more prepared for the challenges I would face - but overall it's been manageable.

Dragonborn esports article about  Matthew "Lure" Jaworski

So you have no problem to pursue your dreams even if it would mean another moving? Thats what I call complete dedication to your goal and dreams and you have my full respect on this!

If I would move again, I would be much more prepared for having a base to support me. So far this move was a nice idea, but brazenly executed.

We can clearly see that there are huge improvements as you move from stage to stage. What are the main reasons behind this shift?

Every stage I always kept my foot in the game. For me to achieve as a competitor, I really had to improve on every aspect. I don't have a very scentific approach besides what issue arsies next, then I figure out how I can make it better, or find a way to work around it. Like all things, if you keep working at it, keep thinking about it, all those small changes eventually turn into a complete piece. More importantly, it can take different time frame for everyone - some may achieve more or less in the same time, but it's irrelevant. Everyone is unique and progresses at their own rate.

Your stream is quite an educational one. I love your interaction with the community and I was surprised how much Australians are visiting. Do you feel that your decision to move and sacrifice everything to live your dream somehow impacted the Australian community?

I think it's good for them to see an Australian carrying the flag in the QPL, and show that we're capable. Sacrificing almost everything for this game has been quite a tough decision for me, but I wouldn't want it any other way. I think for people looking at my journey, they can see that if they're wanting to go after something, it's better to try and fail then to never try at all. When you sacrifice a lot of things to achieve something, your reason for why should be solid. The more solid it is, the easier it is to strip things away and focus on what you want to achieve.

Do you see any other potential players from the region making it to the Quake Pro League and follow in your footsteps?

From Australia, the barrier for entry is too high. I'd say it's almost impossible unless someone has had exceptional previous experience to overcome the boundaries of the game. Overall, if someone were want to do the same, I think they'd have to follow a similar process - living and playing amongst the best and to shape yourself. At the moment there is potential for some players, but they really need to push for it.

Is there any chance you see that could make this barrier bit smaller? Some more events in the area, some type of change in format of Quake Pro League maybe?

Even with more events, the main problem is having the player and skill pool to learn from. Even playing them on 150-200 ping isn't a great learning experience to understand the game.

There are quite a few players preparing to move to Poland prior to IRONFIST (maxter, nosfa) are you in touch with them and are you going to join their “bootcamp” or do you want to keep your daily routine.

I think I'll keep my daily routine, but I'll definitely hang out and check-in with them. If we had better conditions to bootcamp together I'd be more than happy to but as of right now, it's not so possible.

Vengeur mentioned in his interview how important was the physical part of preparations for his improvement in Quake. You seem  like somebody that is also not far from living in the gym  Can you tell players what is the main impact in physical preparation before events or even online tournaments?

I think physical exercise and mental exercise are both important parts of being a competitor, and overall in life. The most impacting thing that I notice with exercise is that I can play for longer, because overall I just have more energy to expend. Not to mention the benefits of confidence, being more energised (over the course of training for many months to years). The biggest thing I find is mental stamina - which comes from experience, and questioning your beliefs. Both are important, and I don't think it's possible to do well if you only have one, but not the other.

Thank you for the interview and good luck in London! Looking forward to meeting you there!

Thanks again for having me! I'd like to give a big shoutout to all the ZenAku fans - we're not quitting until we're world champion - the ZenAkrew, Dire Wolves for supporting me all the way from Australia, and anyone that just shows love for the game and it's players - you're the ones that are keeping this train going, keep it up!

<3