High Score Interview: Davenport University Esports’ Jonathan “Zylue” Walker

Today, we’re talking to Jonathan “Zylue” Walker, the Support Rifle and Secondary AWP for Davenport University’s Counter-Strike squad. See how he got started, how he and his teammates get the victories, and what tips he has for players who want to join college teams!

Special thanks to Colin Graham for giving us access to the players!

What first got you into games?
I first got video games when I would go over to my friend’s house and play Medal of Honor: Rising Sun on his PS2, and before that, I was huge into Pokemon. After the Xbox 360 came out I started playing Call of Duty competitively until about 2014. That is when I picked up CS:GO and I’ve been playing ever since!

What drew you to Counter-Strike?
A couple of my friends had started playing it back in 2014, and I started watching the Majors, which brought me to love the hype and competitiveness of the game. I have taken breaks in between now and when I started to play in MOBA’s but I was always drawn back to this insane game.

What is your position on the team? What do you like about it?
I am a Support Rifle and Secondary AWP. I love this position because it really sets me up to have impactful frag’s while being able to make big brain plays. I endure lots of thinking during our matches because I have to play off of my other 4 teammates to make the best plays possible, to ensure that we are going to win the round. I love taking a secondary AWP role, simply because I won’t be the entire reason we lose a game, plus pointing and clicking is easy 🙂

Do you prefer to play a more defensive style or an aggressive style? Why?
It really depends on the day and how I am feeling, and more importantly how the team is feeling. I usually prefer to play aggressive when my confidence is high personally, but when my team’s confidence is high, I like to play passive so if they make a mistake I can calmly adapt and trade out their kill.

What do you see as your team’s main advantage?
Our advantage definitely has to be that we can adapt to lots of different situations and comeback from games we 100% should have lost. This involves pausing in-game to strategize exactly what we need to do and become dynamic in where we play certain angles and positions.

What advice do you have for younger players who are hoping to join a college team?
Before joining I never really understood the amount of time that not only do I need to put in, but from a team perspective as well. Give it your 100% effort, because for a team to be successful, each player needs to give it their all.

When you’re not practicing Counter-Strike or studying, what games do you play?
I usually just play Counter-Strike, but sometimes I enjoy playing Teamfight Tactics or OSU. I’m in the process of grinding out Counter-Strike to get my rank up.

Follow Jonathan on Twitter!
Find out more about the Davenport University Esports teams here!
To read our other interviews, click here!

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