Equinox Moves Away From The Local Gaming Scene

It seems like the time has come that we have to say good bye to the former director of AGASA, Ben Greenwood. The man known as Equinox online has said that he will be moving on with a life away from gaming as he is taking a new job overseas.

The AGASA league is very successful in the country, and it should still continue to grow with someone else being the new face of the league.

Ben’s full message is below:

Ben “Equinox” Greenwood wrote:

Over the past few months, there have been several major changes to the structure and management of AGASA. Unfortunately, these changes have been planned coincide with my permanent departure from the SA gaming scene. As of July, I will be taking up a full time position overseas and my involvement with AGASA will come to an end.When AGASA was founded in 2005, we were simply a group of inexperienced volunteers with the distant idea of creating a free, fair and formal online league for a couple of games which we enjoyed. We soon realised that we had the opportunity to create a tool which the community could use to shape the direction of competitive gaming in a way which was acceptable to all and it seemed unimaginable that our intentions might finally amount to what they have — a world-class gaming platform with a unique “local” touch.

Thanks to the extensive contributions of various members of the gaming fraternity, the league has grown beyond my wildest expectations. Without the input and lessons taught to us by the community members who volunteered their assistance and ideas, we would’ve fallen short long ago. My deepest and sincerest thanks to everybody who has ever been involved with AGASA — it is your generosity which has shaped the future of gaming in this country.

As a result of this growth, competitive gaming has unfortunately become rife with politics which have somewhat tainted what originally was envisioned, however, I’ve had to accept that this is a consequence of the success of the industry. I sincerely wish that the unnecessary wrangling between gamers, federations and corporate sponsors reaches an amicable solution in the future and that the parties involved realize that the disparity which they are spreading is of absolutely no benefit to anyone. Gaming is, above all, about community and enjoyment — not ultimate control or elitism.

I’ll be the first to admit that I have made many mistakes during my tender and learned many valuable lessons from these. Thankfully, the culmination of these lessons was the pleasure of seeing the success of rAge 2008 and witnessing a new standard being set in competitive gaming. In the capable hands of the AGASA Committee and its community representatives, this level will no doubt continue to improve in the future.

I’ve been privileged enough to enjoy involvement in all sorts of spheres of gaming, from competing alongside extremely talented players to working with the incredible volunteers who have been kind enough to lend a hand when it was needed. Thank you to everyone who has taken part in this incredible journey! AGASA offered me the experience and satisfaction of seeing a tiny project develop into something great and I have no doubts that this will continue as I move to a new chapter elsewhere.

Sincerest thanks for your support.

Regards

Ben

Sad to see you leave Ben.

Best of luck in the future!