This year’s FRAGTopia 2(001) will be just that: an ideal, near-heavenly place where people frag as much as they want or need, and where a mono-syllabic “Woot!” is the national anthem. This second annual LAN takes place at the local Curling club in Orangeville, Ontario, on June 2nd and 3rd. Naturally, I wanted to know more. So I caught up with Marauder, president, web designer, and self-proclaimed gopher at FRAGTopia, to find out just what the buzz was all about.

What’s in a FRAG?

At first, something told me there was more to FRAGTopia than meets the eye. “Lean close and listen,” Marauder confesses, “for the universe may depend on it. FRAGTopia is an evil plot hatched by shadowy, nefarious underworld lords to take over the world by force.” Marauder pauses, scratches his head, looks to the right and to the left. “Wait,” he says, “you mean the OTHER FRAGTopia…Uhhhh…That’s actually a little news and reviews site run by some weirdo who calls himself Marauder.” Not being sure what mental note to make to myself, I decided to let the mysterious fellow continue.

The said Marauder, who runs the fore-mentioned site on a volunteer basis along with Dopper, Kingpin, Rune and Skotos, explains that FRAGTopia was born “a long time ago, in a computer store far, far away.” He adds that one Belial suggested someone should organize a LAN in their area (Orangeville is located 1 hour to the north of Toronto). “Naturally,” he says, “we though he was right off his rocker. After Belial disappeared mysteriously, we all sat down and discussed his madness. About a year later, on May 6th & 7th, 80 gamers descended upon our small town of 20,000 people and a party ensued. And it was good.” FRAGTopia, having published a web site for the event, then became a place where the original organizers of the LAN could continue to write about news and views on gaming.

LANning Around

Besides making sure everybody has a great time at FRAGTopia 2(001), Marauder says that he and the FT crew also hope to achieve “sub 20 pings…gaming the way the gods truly intended that it should be.” The LAN will feature competitions including Counter-Strike (5 on 5), Quake III (1vs1), Unreal Tournament (1vs1), and Tribes 2 (match type undecided). The prizes? CASH!!! Marauder and the FT gang have been spreading the word about their event, and people from other news sites have also been promoting the LAN, not to mention “IRC & ICQ spamming.” And if that doesn’t entice you, DMan, a friend of Marauder’s, composed some spellbinding music for the FRAGTopia 2(001) site that should put you in a fragging mood.

Press Play

Marauder is definitely an authority on video games. He’s been playing video games since the Commodore PET. His first personal computer was a VIC 20. From there, he moved on to the Commodore 128, an XT, a 286/16 (“the first machine I built,” he says), a 386/40, a 486/66, and so on. “The list gets pretty silly and expensive after this,” Marauder admits, “I’ve always enjoyed computers, especially the gaming aspect. It’s just one hellovalotta fun. Oh, and my mother hated games. Especially violent ones.”

Being a video game veteran, Marauder has a thing or two to say about the evolution of gaming culture. For one, in the past, the image of the gamer was thought to match that of one of the Revenge of the Nerds characters. Today, the average gamer could be a DKNY-clad Casanova, whose profession could be anything from a doctor to a truck driver, who listens to country music or electronica, and who is, most of the time, male (“Come on Ladies,” Marauder says, “Let’s get some gaming going on!”). On the whole, Marauder finds that “the largest change is that gaming has become a lot more mainstream…on the other hand, it’s kinda sad that as companies get bigger and bigger, they seem to lose that personal touch and not care about releasing buggy or incomplete games (*cough* MechWarrior 3, Tribes 2, Ultima Assention *cough*).”

At this point, I can’t even make sense of the etchings in my notepad, so I bravely ask Marauder what he looks for in a good game. “Well,” he begins, as I anxiously await his reply, “I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t say this: 0% Romero really helps. Other than that, you have to have decent graphics (everyone likes the eye candy) and a hook…Something that draws people into the game, get them pumped about it and keep them playing long after they should have gone to bed or work. Half-Life is a good example, (Hmmmm…Counter-Strike) as is Evercrack. I also appreciate ambiance and a killer soundtrack (thanks Undying!).”

As well, Marauder counts himself amongst the many gamers who are tired of video games being persecuted for the violent behaviour in certain adolescents. Quite simply, he doesn’t think there is a connection between video games and violence. “Many people go out and watch boxing, football or hockey, things that I consider to be truly violent or disturbing.” He explains that people often seek comfort in a scapegoat after a regretful event occurs. “Now it’s video games, the most recent trendy ‘cause’ to stand against if you don’t know how to think for yourself.” (You can read more about Marauder’s view on the issue right here…)

Stay tuned for the finale…

It was at this point that my time with Marauder was almost up. I asked the FT Prez if he had any famous last words. To which he replied, “Oh God! Don’t shoot!!! I have a family! They’re waiting for me back at my base!” On take 2, Marauder had these wise words to share: “Don’t listen to the media [GameCitizen notwithstanding –Ed.]. Get online, game, hang with your buddies, have some fun!”

This is definitely an interview that Cattrah won’t soon forget!

To sign up for FRAGTopia, click here…

*Disclaimer: the pictures below are of last year’s FRAGTopia LAN...Except for that dude in the bottom right...that’s Marauder!