Remembering
The Spy
<Episode 2>
There was only ever one reason I played the Spy--for the Backstab.
Sneaking up to somebody, and hearing that comical scream as they fall face first in front of you—I’ve probably done this close to 3000 times. Yet, it’s as funny as the first time you do it.
And here’s something even better: landing that backstab in Sudden Death. It gives me the chills just thinking about it.
What makes a good Spy? I’m asked that question a lot. Perhaps it’s because being a good Spy is so elusive.
Most people say you need patience. You need quick-thinking skills. You need to be sneaky. I agree for the most part.
But the thing that sets good Spies apart from mediocre ones is that you need to like your victims.
Or, at least, you need to like them enough to watch their every move.
Where is that Demoman going? What’s that Engy going to do for the next 5 seconds? Why is that Scout running away? A good Spy knows the answers to these questions.
He learns to get inside the head of his next victim. And perhaps, he begins to sympathize with him.
Oh, that must be why stabbing him in the back is always so funny.
I remember in the good old days, Sudden Death was still on the servers. I’d always go Spy.
I saw it as a gamble. The Spy was a wildcard. Either you died in the first 3 seconds of Sudden Death, or you ended up killing everybody.
I remember one night we were playing on Well. It was a stalemate and it came down to Sudden Death. I distinctly remember Oopsie being there, because you’d always know if Oopsie was on your team. He’d always say your name on voice comm. and it annoyed me a little to hear my name called all the time. But he was like that, and somehow, we still loved him.
Minutes passed. It turned out that I was the only BLU alive, and I was up against three other REDs.
Mind you, in Sudden Death when your team of 12 players is dead, everyone is forced to spec you until: a)You die, or b) You manage the impossible and kill everyone else. It was on me. I was so nervous by this point, my hands were shaking.
The three remaining REDs were going for a Cap-win. I crept up behind them as they were capping the middle point. There they were—a Medic, an Engie and a Demoman. All looking the opposite direction.
Come on now. That’s just asking for it.
I rush up and backstab the Engineer but that’s all I go for. The Medic who was healing him tries to run after me. But by then, I’m a puff of smoke. I hide in that special place that no one knows about. The remaining two have no choice but to try and continue on. Somehow I manage to kill both of them.
We win. I suddenly hear everyone come on the voice comms. again, congratulating me, cheering me on.
“LEON, that was more suspenseful than a MOVIE.”
“I’ve got to say, that was actually interesting to watch.”
Amidst the euphoria I realized that video games could be something more. In that moment, it was like theatre.
