Interview with SirJeivus

[Katatoniopeth]

SirJeivus


One of the most well known as an excellent Tetris player and personality, he has his own Tetris community webpage (http://minodistrict.forumotion.ca/) and youtube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/SirJeivus)
Get ready to embark on a journey through the mind of the one and only, SirJeivus!


Katatoniapeth: You have been a huge influence in the Tetris Battle community, you have your own webstie (http://minodistrict.forumotion.ca/), how do you feel about the recent changes made in Tetris Battle, and the communities response to said changes?

SirJeivus: Recent changes, including the reduction to 30 energy regardless of level, the constant removal and re-addition of slots, and arbitrary increases in level have made Tetris Battle a less appealing game to both casual players and professional players alike. The game should reward players who play it more frequently, and the constant increases to the level cap are poor design in a sense that people equate a higher rank to a better player.

SirJeivus: The community has responded quite negatively to these changes, including swearing on TB's forum and on their fan page. However, with the most recent employee reduction (most probably dedicated to servicing TB), a lot of these changes won't be taken into account.

Katatoniapeth: Yeah it is quite a shame, I have had a blast playing on TB, got to 100 and was all like "wooooo" then my energy got reduced and it was very depressing.

Katatoniapeth: How do you feel about elitism within the harddrop community? I know it isn't nearly as bad as it once was, but there are still a ton of lurkers, many afraid to join let alone post topics?

Katatoniapeth: It is a very pressing topic for me, because it is something I have been working towards trying to reduce with the skype and stream and interviews
get everyone involved regardless of skill, ya know?

SirJeivus: Elitism in the Harddrop community used to be a lot stronger in the past, but now it's a lot better. This is reflected in non-constructive, negative comments towards a certain Tetris client or not recognizing achievements (despite how big or small).
Before I got into Nullpomino, I had a lot of people tell me how good it is and blatantly dismissing Tetris Friends. Now, I do agree Nullpo is a more solid client but people should be guided towards a certain platform, not have it shoved down their throats as Rosti_LFC would say. Self-discovery is what makes Tetris fun, and make a person stay longer with the game in general.
Also, even smaller things like a person sub-60ing. For them, it could be a big deal but it often gets overshadowed by other feats. Everything is relative, but for a community to thrive certain milestones should be recognized.
As for now, I don't really see much Elitism in HD but I definetly would appreciate more high-level discussion of guideline Tetris games.

Katatoniapeth: Yeah, I hear ya, people shouldn't be so pushy towards one platform
Tetris is Tetris
it is the love of the game regardless of the platform or client.

SirJeivus: Indeed so, and I play any client, even blockbox, which a lot of people don't know about.
I'm a practitioner of what I preach.

Katatoniapeth: Blockbox is like the Mr.Miyagi of downstacking.

Katatoniapeth: How do you feel you will fare in TTO3 and what are your predictions?

SirJeivus: I don't think I would fare as well as last year, given the number of people who have improved and my personal absence from TF given my studies. I'd actually be quite satisfied being Top 32. In terms of my personal improvements, my DS is a lot better and I know I can go faster as I've been cracking my Maserati and average speed records on C2. Although it is cross-platform, the block recognition and downstacking are transferable skills to TF.

SirJeivus: I don't have any predictions at the moment aside from Japan winning it agian. Subversive's most recent sprint of 26.xx on TF (if I recall correctly) is simply amazing, but raw speed aside he exhibited perfect finesse. But I'm not a big fan of predictions or speculation; I'd rather just play it out and see what happens.

Katatoniapeth: Fair enough, I personally think Hebo will win again.

SirJeivus: Wouldn't put it past him, he's a great player.

Katatoniapeth: How do you feel about the seeding in this tournament, meaning higher seeded players are versing lower seeding players,  I feel it is insulting to the newer players, sure the outcome will be the same, but let the newer players have some fun competing against each other, instead of hey "your sprint is 2:00, your first match is against hahaha"

SirJeivus: I am impartial towards this seeding method, as that is how it is commonly done in sporting events. It's kinda like the lesser of two evils (ie: if HAHAHA and Hebo played first round, one of them would be knocked out and deny the other a chance to play in the final 16, and it's clear that both of them should be in there).
I think what would be more fair is for the first round people who got final 16 from last year get a bye, and start playing second round. Then everything else gets seeded as normal. But the other way to look at it is that this is a competition, and you are expected to pull out all the stops: no questions asked and no bullshit attached.

Katatoniapeth: Yeah I hear that, I know that is how most tourneys work in E sports, but I feel as if a randomizer would be much less crushing to a lower level player
No one wants a 0-15 game losing in less then 20 seconds every game
even the most patient person would want to break their keyboard after that.

SirJeivus: A 0-15 game in 20 seconds is definitely not that great I know, but that's just because the skill levels in Tetris (high speed plays like Blink or Hebo) are relatively unknown. When kero's sprint was posted on a news feed (forgot the site), so many people thought it was fake. It does sound mean in a way, but lower level players playing higher level players in an environment where they wouldn't have had the chance otherwise gets the message across saying: "Hey, this is what hardcore tetris is like".

Katatoniapeth: Sure, it is a wake up call to those unfamiliar with harddrop.

SirJeivus: And it would pave the way for more quality Tetris players (attitude-wise) to join our communities.

SirJeivus: So it does have a level of exclusion in it, but at least it provides a benchmark for lower players to work towards, giving them motivation to improve themselves.

Katationiapeth: Yep, that's why I am participating in it

Katatoniapeth: What is the most satisfying moment in the history of your Tetris gameplay?

SirJeivus: The recognition that followed caught me off guard. I was mentioned twice in a local paper and nominated one of the most influential people from the University of British Columbia in 2013. I've made a couple guest appearances to EXP Bar and Grill on West Pender Street where I played Tetris Battle for a couple hours (in exchange for free meals).
As for my foreign affairs, I have arranged meet-ups with the Taiwanese Tetris community in October 2012, met Killahbee in 2011 in Markham, and met up with Lim Bonyan of the Phillippine Tetris Society (PTS) in person last week. I was also asked to participate and play in a few Toronto gaming conventions, but the time was inconvenient and the travel expenses would be too large. I still plan to visit Manila one of these days once my studies have relaxed a bit.

Katatoniapeth: That is a novella times 2, but quite a bit of accomplishments!

SirJeivus: Sorry haha...the community has been great and I have been happy to do what I've done, and hopefully more now that TTO3 is near.

Katatoniapeth: Definitely, well I appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions, I will throw one more curveball at you and then conclude this interview!

SirJeivus: Haha okay.

Katatoniapeth: Do you prefer the booty or the booby?

SirJeivus: So you're asking if I prefer the rear or the chassis? lol

SirJeivus: Chassis, definetly.

Katatoniapeth- Fair enough.  

Katatoniapeth- Wait folks! There's more, now to get onto the more personal aspect of Mr.Sir!

Katatoniapeth: Where do you work, and how do you feel about your job?
And for the last question, how would you describe your personality in social situations or by yourself? Are you an introvert or extrovert?

SirJeivus: Well, I graduated from the University of British Columbia with an honours degree in Chemical Engineering. My most notable past working experience is working with Ballard Power Systems Inc., which put Vancouver on the map as a top-leading fuel cell research facility. This helped me secure a position as a Ph.D candidate in the University of British Columbia working on thermal promotion of anode water electrolysis at high pressures (> 30 bars gauge pressure).
I enjoy my job very much, as it is academically stimulating and I'm helping solve the world's energy crisis. I made a post in HD earlier about how I'm working with the Fraunhofer ISE institute in Freiburg, Germany, and I'm also loving the travel aspects as well. The impact of my research, if successful, would possibly qualify for a Nobel Prize according to my supervisor. So in short, I enjoy the challenges and prospects of being a graduate student with this research topic.

Katatoniapeth: Wow, very impressive! All you have left is my last question .

SirJeivus: I'm definetly an extrovert. Most people who I first encountered online then subsequently IRL commented on how there is not much difference between how I am online and IRL in terms of outgoingness and attitude. I would describe myself as an easy-going, family orientated, and expressive individual. My sense of humour is often sardonic, but the topics which I poke humour with often have underlying truths. When I'm not playing Tetris, I'm either playing badminton, drinking bubble tea, blowing hundreds at the Baccarat tables or slaving away at my thesis.

Katatoniapeth: Niceee, well thank you for answering my questions, I am very grateful for this interview!

SirJeivus: This was really fun
Keep at it.
Good questions.

Katatoniapeth: Thanks man, I will !

[Profane]

Nice I didnt know you graduated with a chemical engineering degree. Im on my way to USF to finish my chemical engineering degree this spring.

[caffeine]

Good interview. Do you smoke a pipe IRL?

[SirJeivus]

Good interview. Do you smoke a pipe IRL?

No sir. Smoking is bad, m'kay?

[Katatoniopeth]

I am bumping this because it is a good interview, and I want more people to see it.

[eevor]

Great interview! SirJeivus watching your videos on youtube made me start me start playing competitive tetris, so thank you for that.  (maybe you could now do a video on how to stop playing that often and focus more on studying).

I've recently met in Switzerland a lady at a post doc named Cheryl who did her PhD at UBC. Gotta ask her if she voted for you for most influential.

[Sisu]

could you elucidate the events surrounding your 2011 retirement?