'I'm pushing the limits': Retirement not an option for oldest Counter-Strike 2 pro Karrigan

He’s 34 years old but he’s nowhere near done with being an esports athlete.

Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) professional player Finn “Karrigan” Andersen is the oldest in the scene to have won a Major, but he has no intention of retiring just yet, he shared in an interview with AsiaOne on Tuesday (Oct 29).

CS2 is a five-versus-five first-person tactical shooter game by Valve, where players take on the role of terrorists trying to plant a bomb, or counter-terrorists that attempt to foil their foe’s plot.

Finn, who plays for FaZe Clan’s CS2 team, has been a professional player since 2006.

Although he got married to psychologist Anna Suder in 2022, Finn’s primary focus is still CS2, he told AsiaOne during the Blast Premier esports league held at the Resorts World Convention Centre in Sentosa this week.

“My goals in life have not changed,” he said.

His wife’s support also helped him to continue pursuing his passion in esports, he said.

“I’ve had thoughts about it (retirement), and what I should do. But she’s like, ‘You’re not done’. She’s shooting down my retirement plans,” Finn said with a laugh.

“Obviously, sometimes when you’re playing bad, it’s very hard not to think about retirement, especially because I’m the oldest player right now in CS.

“I’m pushing the limits — the limit is myself.”

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Figuring out family

https://www.instagram.com/p/CgISql8MfP7/?hl=en

Finn also expressed his gratitude to his wife who has been there for him 24/7.

“She’s doing everything to prioritise my career even though she’s working as a sports psychologist for another team,” he said. 

“With a great foundation, I know I can go out there and give my everything, and if I feel bad after a tournament, she’s going to be there to catch me and make me think about better things.”

One of his goals in life is to have children, which may not come easy considering the hectic schedule of an esports professional.

“Traveling around the world all the time while under stressful conditions does not make it the easiest to think about,” Finn admitted. “I think most important thing is we don’t force it, and it just comes naturally.”

While becoming a dad isn’t on the horizon, he told AsiaOne: “The most important thing about having children is what they want to do”.

“I’m going to be supportive of video games, sports or whatever else. It’s always good for your mental health to do something you love, and physical activity is always good. 

“But I know myself that if you really love a game, you’re going to dedicate your time to it — and why stop it?”

Plans in Singapore

Make no mistake — Finn and his fellow FaZe Clan teammates are “hungry for a win” at the Blast Premier league.

However, that doesn’t mean that he has no time to explore Singapore.

He’s already taken a morning walk in Sentosa, and while he did find the island “pretty”, the humidity and heat meant that he had to immediately shower afterwards.

“I have only heard good stuff about Singapore, and I’m looking forward to feeling the culture and how it’s different from other Asian countries I’ve been to so far.

“I’ve only met nice people… everybody is very well-behaved and respectful, and the food has been great so far… I just look forward to exploring the culture even more when I go further into town.”

As of Thursday, FaZe beat NaVi and progressed to the playoffs.

Other competitors in the tournament are the world’s top-ranking team, Natus Vincere, current champion Vitality as well as Astralis, G2 Esports, Team Spirit and Team Liquid.

The Blast Premier’s grand finals will take place on Sunday.

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khooyihang@asiaone.com