We return to the spotlight focusing on RealJiren, one of the UK's top players. He joins us talking to us a bit about his life.
Jbeck: Introduce yourself.
RealJiren: My name is Corey Mitchell, I am currently 22 years of age and was born on the 28th January 1996.
Jbeck: When did you start playing video games?
RealJiren: I began playing video games around the age of 2-3, I have so many baby photos with a playstation 1 controller in my hand, at that age my father told me I loved to hold a controller whilst he was playing Crash Bandicoot and I thought that I was the one playing the game.
Jbeck: As a Dragonball I have to ask about your choice of GamerTag.
RealJiren: My Father had always referred to me as a very impulsive person, I would simply do something, whatever it may be I would just act and not really think of the outcome (positive or negative). So from the release of Halo 2 in 2004 my Gamertag was ‘Impulse’.
It wasn’t until just before the release of Destiny 2 I decided I needed to change my alias as I didn’t think the name fit my persona anymore, I loved the character ‘Jiren’ as soon as I seen him, everyone is supposed to love the main characters of a show but with Jiren I loved the way he was portrayed and the mystery to him just made me become an even bigger fan of the character.
Jbeck: Did you start Battle Royale games with Fortnite or did you play one previously? What stood out about Fortnite?
RealJiren: I have never played a Battle Royale game previous to Fortnite, I have been a console gamer all of my life and had never used a mouse and keyboard to play a game before Fortnite, I downloaded the game on Xbox in the beginning and the game was just way too sluggish, I have always had a PC good enough to play games on so I thought I’ll download the game on my PC and play it in 4K. I was hooked. I continued to use a controller and had extremely good stats with a controller, I had a 14 kill/death and a 60% Win Rate but I had heard that I wouldn’t be able to compete using a controller so I had to make the switch, I made the switch on January 20th 2018.
Jbeck: So currently you play 4K/60FPS or do you keep it 1440p/144HZ? What is the best resolution for you and the game, in your opinion?
RealJiren: I used to have a triple 4K monitor setup but I need higher than 60hz so I went straight to the top and get a 240hz monitor, I recommend 1080p as the resolution, view distance on maximum and everything else on lowest.
Jbeck: How often do you practice?
RealJiren: Every day. I stream 10 hours+ almost every day, I would love to make a career from streaming as I become a Father in May 2018… I can only dream.
Jbeck: You are quickly rising into the ranks in Fortnite. What do you attribute that to?
RealJiren: I have always been a very talented gamer, I competed at a professional level in Halo 3 and Halo 2 Anniversary, the strive to be the best is something that resides in me very deeply, I do not play the game just to play the game, I do not play for stats, I do not play for wins, I play to perfect areas of my game, whether it is being more efficient in editing in build fights, material management, overall accuracy etc. I will dedicate a day or specific times to work on certain aspects of my game and that… is how you continue to progress and will eventually achieve greatness.
Jbeck: How far did you get in Halo? Tell us about the weekly schedule for improving your game. What is your regime?
RealJiren: I competed at many events in Halo but when Destiny came out I followed along with Bungie and needed a change.
I don’t have a strict sleeping pattern so whenever I wake up I have some food and a caffeinated drink to start my day and I jump on my PC, I start with solos to get warmed up and then see where the day takes me, like I’ve said I often play to take no damage in games so I often see how many games I can take zero damage,
Jbeck: Currently you are ranked 24th in your country overall. What strategies do you employ during your gameplay?
RealJiren: The strategies I employ in my gameplay is I enter gunfights with the mindset to not take damage and I think that is a very intelligent way to engage in situations, I couldn’t say I am more passive or aggressive, unnecessary aggression is what gets you killed in Fortnite, I try and not fall in to other peoples playstyles (build offs) like I said previously about material management, in Fortnite you cannot afford to use hundreds of materials in a single fight so if someone wants to have a build off with me that falls right into my hands, why chase an enemy for high ground when you can either drop down and collapse the structure or simply work your way down and let the enemy come to you? So my advice to people is stay calm in situations and don’t fall into the enemies playstyle, control the fight yourself and remember… Highground doesn’t mean you control the fight, Highground is not advantageous!
Jbeck: What areas do you drop and why?
RealJiren: A variety of areas but as everyone will know, this game is very RNG based so you can to minimize the possibility of dying to RNG and by doing that I stay away from Residential towns most of the time, Salty Springs is the most RNG place in Fortnite, its attractiveness compared to the amount of loot and houses there isn't a sensible drop, Pleasant Park… the amount of players that go pleasant park is craziness, if you go pleasant you expect to loot 1 house and then fight for survival, looting 1 house isn’t enough, it is extremely possible to find just a pistol and no shields at all, that isn’t smart thinking. I drop unorthodox places like container yard but I fly in higher than you usually would to scope the area out and then decide where I will drop as I know all of the loot and chest locations, places like Junk Junction, Mostly, I also like the little gas station and house next to Retail Row.
Jbeck: What is your favorite weapon?
RealJiren: Hunting Rifle. An explanation isn’t even needed, the gun is just the most satisfying gun I have ever used in a video game.
Jbeck: For those that might not understand why is it so satisfying?
RealJiren: Once you have the timing and drop off down on the hunting rifle the satisfaction is just amazing, how consistent I have become with it through practice just makes it so fun to use.
Jbeck: Which gamemode is your focus for season 3 and beyond and why?
RealJiren: I don’t really have a focus on a specific gamemode, like I said previously I don’t really play for stats so wins or kill/death in a specific game mode doesn’t really give me any motivation, its all about self progression
Jbeck: Many people are talking about where the focus of Fortnite in the future should be. Where do you see Fortnite in the foreseeable future with content/patches/etc.?
RealJiren: I try not to have an outlook on where I think the developers should go with the game as I do not represent a strong enough position to have any input to the developers, I think the developers are some of the most talented game developers I have personally witnessed, the work ethic they have is something other game developers should really admire, EPIC Games are going to do everything right, I trust them.
Jbeck: Turning the discussion to e-Sports, do you think you would be interested in becoming involved? Why or why not?
RealJiren: My main goal is competing in eSports, I have had many team offers and offers from eSports organisations but I like to think of myself as a smart businessman and I haven’t jumped the gun, I have recently decided I am making my own team and I intend to make sure it is going to be special.
Jbeck: For those starting out what do you recommend they begin to do first as they become better players?
RealJiren: If you intend on purely becoming a better player it has to be said bluntly, don’t play for wins, don’t play for stats, don’t play for kills, if you are to take anything away from this interview then take away how I progress in this game, focus on shooting more accurately, never stop moving, play in a paranoid mindset (always thinks someone could be aiming at you) and most importantly… BUILD, always keep an eye on your opponent or if you cannot see him keep a rough idea of where he is and let him make the mistakes.
To catch RealJiren head over to his twitch at twitch.tv/realjiren. The guy does some great stuff.
As always we will be back next week with another player and another spotlight!