In this latest installment of the Special Optx Series “What it Takes,” rebound interviews Chris Lemley, the head of Team Pandemic, one of the most successful professional gaming organizations in North America. Pandemic competes in Counter-Strike: Source, World of Warcraft, Guitar Hero, Warcraft III: Defense of the Ancients, and Call of Duty.


rebound: Could you give a rundown of your gaming history?
Lemley: I got my first Nintendo for Christmas in '89 when I was 3 years old and I immediately caught the bug. I came by it honest, as my parents were somewhat gamers themselves, and thanks to our newly shared hobby I was able to backtrack experiences otherwise before my time through their old systems and favorite arcades. Before I moved on to more NES titles in fact, I wore out their old Atari and played my fair share of Donkey Kong and Pac Man.

My competitive gaming background started with a '94 AltaVista search for 'multiplayer online games,' where I eventually would land on what I still consider to be one of the greatest gaming services of all time, the long-defunct MPlayer. I went to a friend's house and we both downloaded the Quake shareware client to play together over the network, and I played those same 8 levels (intro through e1m7) religiously for years to come. I was hooked, and the best part about it to me was the ability to play with a team. Over time this love for social gaming led to LANs, which led to Counter-Strike, which led to Pandemic.

rebound: How did you get involved with the Pandemic organization?
Lemley: I was actually introduced to Pandemic at my second CPL event in the Summer of 2003, where they were competing as the only other all-Arkansas team in the field. Through a stroke of luck, I wound up getting picked up by the team in 2005 for their return to local roots after some national pickups failed to produce desirable results. I didn't last long, and I was actually pretty horrible come to think of it... Mark (Dolven) obviously wasn't as good of a scout back then as he is today. What matters though, is that it would ultimately introduce me to Dolven and allow me to build those working relationships that grew into some of my closest friendships and led to the fantastic job that I currently hold.

rebound: I presume that you weren't the head off the start.
Lemley: No, Pandemic had been around long before me. Before I joined up with them, I had actually just taken time off from games, playing college golf and studying (er..partying? - AEKDB Scoots/Jax) my ass off at Rhodes College before a few weekend pugs convinced me to return to the life that I loved. I transferred in 2005 to Central Arkansas to change my course of study and was picked up by their CS team.

During my brief stint with them, I would have the guys over at my new house to practice and LAN. I was centrally located between teammates Elusive and Griff, and it just made sense to make use of my location. Mark would come down on weekends that we played and we would talk a lot outside of gaming. I expressed my interest in finding work some day in the gaming industry, but never really thought about investing in a team or going the E-Sports route at all.

Although I was no longer with the team shortly thereafter, we all continued to hang out and spend time together. Mark's girlfriend (and now fiancé), Julie, was enrolled at UCA as well and lived only a few blocks from me. I remember getting an invite one night to come over - she cooked for us a lot - and that's where he made me the offer to invest as his partner.

rebound: Did you think that this would be something you'd still be a part of, and in fact RUNNING, when you first got involved with Pandemic?
Lemley: Up until the talk of the CGS began, I never thought for a second about running a team on my own. I could not have functioned without Mark until 2007, and even then there was a rough patch the first few weeks of his absence. I never truly realized the time and effort he had put into every last detail - things that I took for granted as his partner - until it was my turn to have to do it myself. He taught me the ins and outs of the E-Sports world, and we still play small roles in each other's endeavors on a regular basis. We played off of each other very well and I can only wonder how much bigger we would be today, given our successes, if we were still working on the same project. That being said however, I'm very proud and happy for him in his position as I'm sure he is of me in mine. Who knows though, maybe someday we'll be working directly together again.

rebound: Give me a short background about the sorts of things Pandemic has been involved in since you took charge. I know all about the CSS team, but what about some of the other divisions?
Lemley: The first thing we did after the draft was establish ourselves a home with the late WSVG. I felt we needed some consistency and there was no way for us to build upon the game of Counter-Strike - it was already done, that ship had sailed. We did a complete 180 instead, going in a direction different than any of the remaining North American teams at the time, and picked up World of Warcraft and Guitar Hero to fill that void. I was scared to death we wouldn't be able to stay afloat without our old standby, but just look what happened instead. The "risky" WoW investment won every single 3v3 event held in 2007, earned over $120,000, a Team of the Year E-Sports Award nomination, and turned into arguably one of the most dominant gaming teams of all time.

As for Guitar Hero, it was a promotional home run and served us well through the WSVG's tenure. Watching one of my players crowd surf and smash a plastic guitar to win a tournament, or rock out to send off Bill Gates in his last keynote address at CES alongside Slash, to me, is just as cool as watching a "Real E-Sports" team take home a big victory. It was every bit as cool to our sponsors too, I guarantee you.

For 2008 we expect WoW to be bigger than ever, and our long-successful CoD team looks to maintain their status as the top American team in that increasingly popular game. DotA, a game we've had waiting in the wings forever, appears to be on the rise and of course our new TF2 division. For Pandemic, it appears to be time for life after Counter-Strike (and perhaps rightfully so), but hopefully not before sending off our CSS team this coming weekend to the CGS homes that they deserve.

rebound: Who else assists in the running of Pandemic?
Lemley: Right now, the only formal assistants that I have employed are my Editor in Chief, Samuel Lingle, my divisional writers Jared Coulston and Ted Ottey, and our graphics artist Steve Schoder. Every player on the team, however, inherits some responsibility and the more they do "above and beyond" or out of self-initiative, the more they seem to be rewarded...if not by me personally, then by our very active partners. Speaking of which, my corporate relationships so far have been fabulous and some of the contacts I have within those companies can often seem like they're on staff when I need it most. There's no question they're behind us and will do anything in their power to help us succeed.

At the end of the day though, it's just me for now. We'll expand appropriately as we continue to grow, there's no question about that, and I can't wait to find some help that brings the same passion and drive to the table that I (hopefully) brought Mark back when this first started.

rebound: How do you feel about how CGS has changed the proverbial landscape, in terms of independent organizations (such as Pandemic) as opposed to CGS franchises?
Lemley: Well, there is no doubt that the CGS has forever changed the face of American E-Sports. I miss the thrill of going up against Complexity, 3D, JMC, and the like back when they were nothing more than another group trying to get by, trying to succeed in the same space as us. Today it doesn't even remotely feel like these franchises are my competition, and quite frankly I miss that.

I think there is absolutely no question that, if these "brands" still existed independently today, we'd be in a dogfight day in and day out to not only beat each other in championships, but to earn sponsorships, to sign players, to be the "first" to do something big. Would this mean we wouldn't all be successful? Possibly.. but competition breeds good things, and rather than there not being enough sponsors to go around (to take only one example), I'm not too sure there wouldn't just be more sponsors out of heightened interest.

Am I saying that I think CGS is a bad thing? Absolutely not. I think if it's not the answer to taking gaming to those heights we all hope for, it will at the very least play a critical role in getting us there. I remember being on vacation during the first week of the CGS' televised broadcasts and walking by a storefront and seeing a FIFA match right then and there on the 101, and how great and almost giddy that made me feel to be even the tiniest bit involved with all of this.

Independent gaming has suffered in the states as an unfortunate side effect, but it's only a matter of time until the right investors come along, realize it never really went anywhere, and start up the next big teams. My advice for those is to simply take the blinders off (CS isn't everything), don't try and compete with the CGS, and take your risks with the unproven and emerging markets out there.

rebound: Do you have anything set up in terms of how you're going to adjust your CSS team if any of them get selected in this season's Draft?
Lemley: As I'm sure everyone understands by now, when a player or a team is drafted into the CGS, it means they become exclusive to that league and no longer play for their original organizations. You'd probably think that would make me not want to see my players get drafted, but you couldn't be more wrong if that's the case.

While I appreciate everything our CSS team has done for us in the past year and could not be more proud of them, I can't wait to see them get drafted. They deserve it, they've all earned it, and we have nothing left for them here that can compare to what their experience will be within that league. If something happens and they return to us un-drafted with interest in continuing to compete, I'll happily support them... but the CSS scene outside of the CGS is miniscule, and we all know that they've put all their eggs in this basket. I can only wish them the best, and I'll be at the combine supporting them from start to finish until they've all made that walk across the stage.

rebound: If the offer was made, would you consider heading up a CGS franchise?
Lemley: I think the world of the league and dream of one day being able to integrate my brand much as Jason Lake did with Complexity. I'd love to work day in and day out in a role helping the best in the industry develop E-Sports into the mainstream, and the sheer potential that the CGS has is enough alone to interest anyone who wants to work in gaming.

On the other hand, right now I'm in a very good place and WoW is looking like it could singlehandedly make us more successful than I'd ever imagined. If the offer was made tonight and I couldn't bring my team with me, I don't know that I'd be 100% ready to give up the independent ride just yet.

Times change and the E-Sports world is incredibly volatile, so there is no doubt that I want to stay in the CGS' good graces. If they begin integrating our headline games especially, I can't think of anything I'd rather do than work within the CGS or as a future GM. I'm young enough that I can afford to fail in this industry if that's how my cards are dealt, but I'm confident that I'll be able to find success in whatever I choose to do. While I hope the road leads somehow through the CGS, only time will tell how the rest plays out.

rebound: Thanks a lot Lemley. Anything else you'd like to say?
Lemley: I'm truly blessed to have the support I have from my family, without whom even my initial investment (especially the whole "leaving college" part) would have been impossible.. but equally as honored to have worked so closely with people like Mark (and Kat), who are making gaming a better place for us all. My utmost appreciation goes to my players, who without their hard work and determination, we'd cease to exist. And last but not least, good luck to all the individuals competing in the upcoming combine. Except when you play Pandemic.CSS ;)