Cyber Security student wins first place in prominent UK based ESports tournament

A Cyber Security student and high ranking OSU! Player has won first place at a prominent ESports game tournament in Kettering, England.

Ryan Cranie competed in the EPIC.LAN 43 ESports tournament in the OSU! Category; a rhythm-based game which is often used in ESport competitions.

On October 26, Ryan travelled to the in-person tournament in Kettering where he would compete to play OSU! in front of a live audience as well as viewers watching using a live-stream. Despite not being new to the ESports scene, Ryan had never experienced in in-person tournament before and felt nervous to be competing on a live stage.

Ryan was delighted to have won first place, made even more special after finding out his family had been watching his performance.

As someone who has appreciated the world of gaming from a young age, Ryan has reflected on what has been a successful journey so far:

Choosing to study Cyber Security at GCU

“At my secondary school, I didn’t get the chance to do Advanced Higher Computing so I ended up starting a sandwich-scheme where I attended college for two days a week and school three days a week.

Instead of Computing, it was a Cyber Security course. I thought that it was a cool niche so I decided to stick with it and then eventually used the grades that I received to study at GCU.

I’ve also competed in Worldskills, which is something that I started while in college and continued that into university; so I’ve taken part in quite a few extra-curricular activities!”

Finding his interest in gaming and ESports

“When I was two years old, my ears were blocked and I didn’t speak because of it. I would play with a VTech, so I was playing games before I could actually hear. When my ears were unblocked, I continued playing games growing up. This continued into my teens, where I was starting to rank highly and I discovered OSU which is a single player game. It was purely skill-based which really appealed to me.

For years, I had never played in any actual gaming tournaments, which is unusual for someone who is playing at a high rank. I had people reach out to me to suggest that I should compete, so that’s where it really started. At first, I didn’t do it consistently and I would work on my skillsets whenever I didn’t compete.”

Entering and competing in EPIC.LAN 43

“The tournaments tend to take place online and people can compete internationally. It’s not very often that you will find a tournament hosted in the UK, but in this case we had all the best UK players travel in. I got to meet people that I had spoken to online for years which was really nice too. It actually felt like more pressure with it being in-person, because I had to compete on stage in front of an audience.

The way it works is that 25 people can enter into the tournament, with the top 16 players making it through to the final. I wasn’t actually playing at my best, mostly due to the fact that I was playing using a laptop rather than a monitor which is what I’m used to, but I still managed to make it through.”

The experience of competing at an in-person ESports tournament

“It was bizarre! Up until the final, you wouldn’t play on the actual stage so it felt really weird to have to play there once we made it to the final round. I also wasn’t aware at the time that my family was watching via the livestream. The game is rhythm based so you really need to concentrate for it, meanwhile you can hear the commentators through the speakers in the background – it was really tough trying to focus! I actually felt quite nervous too, my leg was shaking. Luckily I stayed calm and eventually won the game. It was a crazy atmosphere! There was a slight delay in what the audience could see, so you could hear their reactions to something that had happened during the game a second or two after it happened in real time.

Looking back on previous games that I played, I’ve learned how important it is to focus on your own game so it’s difficult when you can hear how the opponent is doing based on the audience reaction.”

Winning first place

“When we were approaching the end of the game, I could see people in the audience jumping out of their seats from my peripheral vision – it was mad! My girlfriend was watching and she started crying, especially with how close I was to losing the game. When I realised that I had won, I stood up and gave my opponent a hug. I turned to the crowd and got them to cheer for him – he was only 16 and yet played so well!

I really got lucky that I won. With these types of games, it’s not about who is the better player but who is the better player on the day. Since it was in person, I got to witness the audience standing up and clapping – it was really awesome.

Before this particular tournament, my family didn’t exactly see the value or importance of my interest in gaming and ESports. I guess to them, ESports wasn’t something that you could take seriously. Seeing the tournament in person for them was what made it more real I think, even though I didn’t even know that they were watching. I definitely got a lot more respect from my family after that.”

Continuing to follow your passion

“Continuing to harness what you’re passionate about is good for all areas of your life. I also think a lot has to be said about the people you meet while you’re doing it. I’ve been getting to know people for years through doing it and they have really made the experience for me.

You should do what makes you happy. Even though my family didn’t necessarily support what I was doing from the start, I know that if I had stopped because of that then I wouldn’t have got to this point.

That also doesn’t mean that you have to be the best at what you’re passionate about; if you have fun then that’s the main thing.”

By Rachael McAlonan

Got a SCEBE or GSBS story? Email me at Rachael.McAlonan@gcu.ac.uk or connect with me on social media