As I waited to call Sydney Chiefs’ player late last week, I was reading a little about him and his life before the Gfinity Elite Series Australia. Wilson quit his job to become a full-time carer for his mum, who for the past five years has suffered some serious health issues.
While it’s incredibly telling about Wilson’s character that he put his life on hold to help his mum, what’s even more impressive is that he’s only 23-years old.
This is a man with integrity, someone who understands the meaning of family and loyalty. This extends to Wilson’s entry in the Gfinity Elite Series, his time with the Sydney Chiefs and his days playing Counter-Strike: GO with his team.
Gfinity Doom
“I made a decision to become a carer, full-time carer. I quit my job of six years,” Wilson tells me matter of factly. He’s not bragging, he simply tells it like it is. To him, looking after his mum was just what needed to be done, so he did it.
Wilson is incredibly open when he talks about his personal life, something which is really refreshing from someone in the public eye as well as a professional gamer. “She [his mum] had some run-ins with death a couple times where if things had gone slightly different or I didn’t act on something she would have died.”
Again, he’s not bragging or trying to impress me, he’s simply telling it like it is. It’s an attitude that serves him well in the realm of professional esports.
I tend to look very rationally and handle my emotions pretty well. Where I can take a step back or acknowledge things before they ever become an issue. Talk things out with myself basically and rationalising with myself, you know what I mean?
And, then I work out my emotions from there. Basically, it’s like YES … it could have happened but you can’t be stuck focusing on what could have happened, only what did happen.
If anything did negatively happen where you didn’t do anything about it then you take that into account and learn from it. That ties into pretty much my entire life. Even my gaming, that’s my outlook, it’s sort of facilitated my growth as a player.
Wilson says that his philosophy has already served him well in the Gfinity Elite Series after he was named MVP for the second week of play.
“I got the MVP for that weekend and they’ve invited me back every week since.” However, it’s not just his incredible skill or mature attitude that he attributes his success to. Wilson is keen to praise his teammates at every opportunity.
“The guys are really cool as well. They’re really cool guys and they’re really accommodating. Just playing with guys who definitely know what they’re doing makes a huge difference.
“You can tell the difference as soon as you get into the server because they converse so well and you make a call and everyone knows what you’re talking about. No one’s confused, you go, “Oh yeah can you do this for me?” And, they’re like, “Yep. Done.” Immediately it’s done. It’s so good.”
Gfinity Elite Series
Unfortunately for Wilson’s teammates, only the Sydney Chiefs’ Counter-Strike: GO team has managed to make the finals happening this weekend.
Wilson was confident going into the semi-finals that his team would secure a place at the Finals. “I get to play semi-finals and the finals as well. Which, is gonna be awesome,” he tells me. He’s also hoping that his performance sees him continue to rise the ranks of Australian esports.
The ultimate goal is to perform really well in the semi finals and grand finals and get noticed by top tiered team or top tier players and then get an offer from that.
Thankfully for Wilson, his mum’s health seems to be recovering which certainly helps him when it comes to being on the road. He’s also incredibly happy to have his dad attend his matches in person. “My dad will come to see me and he’s been coming to watch me every weekend.”
Surely that’s the absolute dream for aspiring esports players. Dom Wilson’s story is a real success and a great example of how Gfinity is giving players opportunities in Australia that have never existed until now.
When I ask Wilson what he thinks the best part of esports is his answer is unsurprisingly about the players;
The real hook I would say would be…. Seeing these players, seeing their stories and seeing the emotional side of things.
Gfinity Australia couldn’t have hoped for a better face for their organisation.
Thanks to Dom “Doom” Wilson for his time and good luck in the finals.
