Chances are, whether you like to admit it or not, at some time or another in your life, you loved to play some kind of video game. Well, imagine being a pro at it. That’s the reality for Matthew Haag a.k.a. Nadeshot, who is a former pro-gamer in American Call of Duty. Having recently held a #SettleTheBeef chat on Twitter, he kindly agreed to this interview to talk CoD, his gamer handle and the impact of social media on gaming society.

PopWrapped: How did you get involved in gaming? Can you remember the first game you really got into, and how did things evolve from there?

Nadeshot: Gaming is such a long timeline for me, and a lot of my earliest memories have to do with gaming. I have an older sister and an older brother, and my older brother always seemed to beat me at everything. I wanted to be better at him than something, so I think this was really my first motivation for getting really into gaming. But, growing up at my grandparents’ house, I remember playing a lot of the game Galaga on the original Nintendo and other classic games like Paper Boy and Space Invaders were my life. From there, my interest for gaming really took off, but I think my motivation was always just being better than my older brother at it.

PW: How did you come up with your gaming handle, Nadeshot?

N: This is one of the tougher questions I get, because I don’t have a super creative story about the origin of the handle, but here it is: When my interest really sparked with the idea of becoming a pro gamer I was playing a lot of Halo, and I had a teammate whose handle was Nadeshot. I was in love with his handle. One day he abruptly quit gaming — I think he might have gotten in trouble with his parents — and told me he was going to sell his console, so I had the thought of taking over his handle. So, essentially, the legacy of my handle is it’s stolen from an old teammate, but I’ve always loved it.

PW: You’re a former pro-gamer in American Call Of Duty, so what was it about that game in particular that you like(d) so much?

N: Before I got really into Call of Duty, I was playing a lot of Halo and Gears of War. Both games were in 30 frames per second, and, when Call of Duty came out, it was 60 frames per second, so it was just a better user experience. I think it’s a super intuitive game. I also love the instant gratification that comes in Call of Duty — when you get an engagement with another player, there’s an instant result. Once you decide to interact with another player, you’re going to take them out or they’re going to take you out, and that’s a thrill.

PW: How did your partnership with Slim Jim come about regarding the ‘Settle the Beef’ campaign? You held an event on Twitter on August 30th where, using the hashtag #SettleTheBeef, you attempted to do just that with other gamers. Where did the idea for that come from?

N: Slim Jim and I linked up, and I’m super happy about it because I love when big companies step into the gaming space and support the community. It was such a great fit for me because, for one thing, Slim Jims are really the perfect snack for gamers. You take a few bites, it’s quick, and then it gets you back to gaming so quickly. As you say, I’ve recently done a Twitter chat with Slim Jim where I settled the beef on a variety of topics in the gaming community. Gaming can be an intimidating place, and everyone in the community is very opinionated, so I found it very exciting to discuss all things gaming with my fans.

PW: The campaign is all about settling common beefs among guys in games, sports and life, but can you recall any major beefs you’ve had with people in your life?

N: There’s always beefs in the gaming community. It’s insane how opinionated and engaged this community is, so there are so many beefs about consoles and gaming genres and so many other things that pop up on the comments in my games, on social media and everywhere else. It’s really hard to pick out one beef with one person, but there are plenty of general beefs I could discuss!

PW: How do you think the boom in social media has helped/hindered the gaming industry?

N: Social media has enabled mainstream gaming to surge in huge ways and both really go hand in hand. I always use the example of a basketball fan following Kobe Bryant. As a fan, you don’t get to watch him play every day, and you can’t get inside his practices or training, but, as gamers, we can let our fans into our lives online or on social media, and this has built a community of super engaged and passionate gamers and fans.

PW: What, in your mind, makes a game truly great, and what sort of new game would you like to see arrive on the market?

N: For me, I think the most important thing is that developers and publishers have a strong connection to their player base. The best games come with developers, and publishers are listening to player feedback and making changes based on what players want from the game. They also need to incentivize players to keep playing. There are plenty of games that are fun for a week, but then you have no reason to keep playing. So, in my mind, a great game is fun to play, it’s intuitive, but there’s also longevity and a reason for me to keep playing.

PW: What do you say to those people you think young people, in particular, spend too much time on computers and game consoles?

N: It seems like parents have always had more of a problem with gaming than anyone else, so I’m going to speak from personal experience here. Gaming had a huge impact on me growing up, and I always focused on having a strong balance between gaming and other aspects of my life. I was always a good student, always got my work done, and, when I was the right age, I got a job. But I had a tough time talking to people and making friends when I was growing up, so gaming was an incredible outlet for me, and I’ve made many of my best friends in life through online gaming and the gaming industry. I think a lot of parents can underestimate the positive benefits of gaming and how it can help you develop in real life — like it’s made me a more strategic person and a great problem solver as an adult.

PW: Finally then, what are your future gaming plans? Are there any other projects or campaigns in the pipeline you can tell me about?

N: There’s always something new, something for everyone in gaming, so, right now, I’m really focused on playing a huge variety of games and finding the games I enjoy. I really love Call of Duty, but I can’t play it forever. When a new CoD comes out, I can play it for a couple of months, but then I tire out. When I can find new games I enjoy, I make much better content for my YouTube channel, which is a big focus of mine right now. So, when I’m not playing Call of Duty right now, I’m constantly looking for the next game that I can be really passionate about and really dig into from a content perspective.

You can keep up to date with Nadeshot by giving his page a like on Facebook, checking out his YouTube channel or following him on Twitter and Instagram.