Community Profile – Kaze Jung aka HideoshiKaze
*Our Community Profile series intends to spotlight members of the For Honor community who are doing cool things, both inside our game and out. Want to see yourself here? Come participate in our Forums or Subreddit, meet us at events, or share your cool creations with us on Twitter or Facebook!
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For our inaugural Community Profile we wanted to start with a guy who has become very visible in our community. Kaze has gained distinction in For Honor’s various test phases by regularly topping the leaderboards, but also by being a top contributor in our online community. He, along with a number of other great community folks, has helped create useful character guides, coach new players to the game, and even recently became a moderator of the For Honor subreddit. Get to know more about the man in our interview below!
- What’s your name and where are you from?
My name is Kaze Jung. I am both Korean and Japanese and I was born in Tokyo, Japan - Shinjuku-ku Prefecture.
- What faction do you align yourself with?
I align myself with the Samurai faction due to the discipline and honor they possess. Also for my cultural background as well. Gotta embrace who you are. =D
- When did you first hear about For Honor and what was your reaction?
I first heard about For Honor at E3 last year. When I first saw it, I saw a game that I truly could get into. I always talked to my friends about what if battles between Knights, Vikings, Samurai if they were ever to clash in history and who would win. When For Honor was showcased, it was like a fantasy coming true and I felt really ecstatic for it. A game like this can only be done right and from what I've seen and played, looks like you guys nailed it.
- What was it about For Honor that compelled you to get involved in our community?
When I first played the For Honor Alpha after E3 last year, I noticed that a lot of the devs were playing and communicating with players. I saw how much passion and love that they have for their game and wanted everyone that participated to enjoy themselves and to really grasp the core essence of For Honor. When playing the Alpha I noticed how immensely fun it was, it was also extremely polished and well optimized for how early the game was. This told me that the drive and ambition of the team behind it, that they were really keen on making a truly amazing game. I wanted to be a part of that passion and wanted to share with everyone what the game is all about and to show them the love and care that's been put behind it. I'm glad I did because the game has taken off very well and the community behind it is booming. = )
- Are you active in other online communities? Is this a special passion for you?
I'm quite active in other communities, prior to For Honor I worked at several online jobs as Social Media/Community Manager positions. But the one I'm most proud of is the one right here at home in Alaska. Our community is called 907 Gamers.
907 Gamers started a little over two years ago as a community dedicated towards uniting Alaskans under gaming. We started off with small LAN parties at a friend’s house, which then grew into size when we decided to partake in a charity event called Extra-Life. During this event with only 68 members and their families inside a small warehouse, we managed to raise over $11,000 dollars, which we then handed the check to our local hospital. The hospital had only gained less than $500 total for the year prior, before we formed.
Roll on to the next year and after we gathered 7,200 members, we did Extra-Life again after coming from PAX West. This time we gained partnerships due to our fast growth and connections we formed. The partnerships we gained were with our local ISP to provide free internet for the venue, our local hospital providing a large stadium area for our event to be held and also Gamestop's Regional Manager overseeing the event himself by having employees there to support it.
During this event, we raised around $200,000 dollars, up from $11,000 and we also had one of the highest donations per capita in an event held by ESA. Rich Taylor personally came to us and handed the check:
Not only this, but our local ISP (GCI) also matched our donation 100% for $100,000. This event was a huge success for 907 Gamers and through blood sweat and hard work we achieved what no Alaskan had ever done before. Thus we placed in the top ten nation-wide for the highest donations gathered for Extra-Life. Beating states like Seattle and California and teams like Rooster Teeth and Dirty Bomb, etc.
- You own a pretty amazing suit of vintage samurai armor. Was this in your possession before you got into For Honor?
Yes, my Samurai armor is a family heirloom passed down through and kept in outstanding condition. It's a keepsake from the days of old and a constant reminder that we must humble those who are always around us and always show an act of kindness to those that do not seek it. Your family, are what you have dear to you and you must always keep them close and with love.
- You’ve been fortunate enough to have participated in For Honor’s Alpha and the Tech Tests before that. Do you have a favorite character to play with from the 6 that were available in the Alpha? Why is that one your favorite?
My favorite character from when I first played the Alpha was the Warden. Back then I found the strength and virtue that Warden stood for, to really call to me. After a while I paid close attention to the Orochi and the development path the character was going through. The Orochi grew on me and after finally trying out the character, I really came to like it. The Orochi really worked with the play-style I had. Despite this, I still love all 6 characters as they are all unique and fun to play with. In fact I worked on an Orochi guide with two other outstanding community members "Draxel" and "PowerSenpai" and the Hall of Heroes community, check it out!
- What do you hope your biggest contribution to the For Honor community will be?
As one of the top For Honor players, I hope to bring the game to the eSports scene and to bridge the communities around the world, like ours in Alaska. This game has so much potential to really shine within the community and has what you need to make a successful eSports title. I hope that I'll be able to help do my best for both of these things. In my heart, I think it'll be my biggest contribution yet.
- How would you describe For Honor, in your own words, to a friend who never played the game?
Do you like Vikings? Good. Do you like Knights? Good. Do you like Samurai? Good. But have you heard of VikingBerghe? No? Well let me show you:
He's the Creative Director behind For Honor, I think you will love this game and it's in great hands. Heck he also made Red Steel 2. = )
- You have been invited to E3 to meet with the team, how would you describe your experience?
I would describe this experience as a once in a life-time event. The team behind the game that I'm so adamantly passionate about, the chance to meet them? The ability to go with Ubisoft and see E3? My mind was blown! I never expected to wake up that one day to see the invite to E3, I even had to question myself whether the email I received was fake because something THIS good had never happened to me before in my life. All I can say is that Ubisoft takes care of those that are truly passionate about their games and the community and how much you contribute towards them. They see those things and they see the people behind them. If you love a game they made, show your support!
- Is there any advice you could give to a new warrior who wants to play?
Fellow Warrior, if you want to have the chance to slay your enemies and wage the war with us, check out our Hall of Heroes guides. They have everything you need to prepare yourself for the long battle ahead: http://forums.ubi.com/forumdisplay.php/869-General-Discussion - Also be sure to check out our discord as well! https://discordapp.com/invite/vzqMAyf
- Is there any music you would recommend while playing the game?
I recommend playing Nujabes = )
- Outside of gaming, what are your hobbies and passion?
I love to go hiking/camping in the Alaskan wilderness, I also love snowboarding and reading the books of my favorite author Terry Brooks. I also love hosting and attending the events we have here in Alaska. Always try to enjoy the things around you, instead of the things always in front of you.
- If you were a member of the Beatles, which one would you be?
Paul McCartney bruh.
