Pro-gaming star

Ari ‘‘Shok’’ Greene-young, 17, has moved overseas and lives in a professional video gaming house.

Growing up in Auckland, what did you like best about living here?

The thing I always loved about Auckland is how diverse it is with so many different people and cultures. I think growing up in this environment really made me more outgoing and accepting as a person.

How long have you lived here and where are you originally from? Where are you now?

Originally born in Hamilton, I’ve lived in central Auckland almost my whole life. Now I live in a gaming house in Sydney.

What do you like least about Auckland and how can we fix it?

I’ve always thought that Auckland suffered from poor public transport compared to other big cities. Honestly, I’m not sure how to fix it as it’s such a large issue, but an important step is for the public to recognise it as a problem rather than just thinking it’s fine the way it is. How did you get into pro-gaming? Like many kids, I played video games a lot growing up but it wasn’t until I was around 14 when I attended a big New Zealand LAN event that I decided pro-gaming was what I wanted to pursue. From there I practised a lot while balancing school which certainly wasn’t the easiest thing to do. However the hard work paid off and as soon as I was competitively of age (17), I was signed onto a professional League of Legends team. How far do you want to take it? I want to take pro gaming as far as I can, I’ve always told myself that I would hate to look back

‘‘Like many kids I played video games a lot growing up’’

years in the future and wished I’d given it a bit more or tried a little harder, so I’m doing my best to take this as far as I can and hopefully play at a world championship one day.

The spot in Auckland I’d recommend to tourists is...

The Auckland waterfront, it’s a pleasure to look at and there are some great places to eat in the area.