Jonathan Shroyer | Leaders in Gaming | Exeleon Magazine

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ThePower
of
Immersive
Games
IN - FOCUS
IN - FOCUS
The Rise
of Misfits
Gaming
Group
FROM ESPORTS
ORIGINS TO
ENTERTAINMENT
INDUSTRY DISRUPTORS
LevelingUp
with
Nicholas
Donarski
Jonathan
Shroyer
E M P O W E R I N G G A M I N G S T U D I O S
W I T H C X
Influential
LEADERS IN GAMINGTO FOLLOW

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Embracing Excellence

C O N T E N T S
JONATHAN SHROYER
26

C O N T E N T S
PHILIP WRIDE
24

Jonathan
Shroyer
C O V E R S T O R Y
12 EXELEON MAGAZINE

ustomer interaction is everything when it
comes to building a brand or growing a
business. It possesses so much power that
it can either take a business to the zenith of
success or weaken its core and bring it
down right to its roots. This interaction is
even more pronounced in industries like
gaming, which solely revolve on the
connection between the player and the
virtual world they participate in. One
mishap or a negative outlook can put a
strain on this delicate bond, which can lead
businesses to lose their player base and get
into their competitor's hands.
That's why pioneers such as Jonathan
Shroyer advocate implementing the right
form of customer experience when it
comes to running or sustaining a business.
And with Arise Gaming, Jonathan envisions
creating an amazing experience for the
players, not just on a customer service
level but rather at every step of the way. He
calls the players 'superfans', and through
Arise Gaming, wants to elevate their
experience as they are an essential
component of the gaming industry today
and in the future.
CX IN THE GAMING INDUSTRY
One of the early gaming memories
Jonathan has is of taking charge of Mario,
collecting in-game coins, and rescuing the
princess from the villain Bowser on his 8-
bit Nintendo.
Mario Bros is the classic example of the
right implementation of CX that players
long remember even after three decades.
Taking cues from the same experience,
Jonathan calls CX to be the need of the
hour in the highly competitive and rapidly
growing gaming industry, where the short
attention span and a variety of games can
quickly change a player's mind.
According to him, right from the inception
of the game, its design, to the market
rollout, CX must be the top priority for
gaming companies to succeed. Solid
customer experience will set the tone for
the new players to come and join, while the
existing ones will take the involved gaming
community to the next level. He shares,
"Creating superfans who will evangelize the
game is what sets companies apart from the
competition. But how do we achieve that?
Customer Experience is the answer."
Jonathan states that a positive CX will lead
to increased player retention,
monetization, new player acquisition, and
a positive brand reputation. However, to
take complete advantage, gaming
companies must invest in novel
technologies that enhance the game,
conduct thorough game testing, and place
dedicated Quality Control agents who
assess and respond to valuable customer
feedback.
Furthermore, the perfect fusion of
impressive design and storytelling can
create an impressive experience that
players will love. "In a saturated market,
good CX can make or break a game's
success. It is crucial to prioritize CX and
create superfans who will keep coming back
for more," adds Jonathan.
C
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C O V E R S T O R Y
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Arise aims to be a
trusted partner to
gaming companies
and unlock their full
potential.
“ “
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L E A D E R S I N G A M I N G
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SEAMLESS COLLABORATION IS
THE BACKBONE
Jonathan admits that creating a
cohesive and eﬀective CX strategy
necessitates true collaboration
among various teams, including
development, design, and marketing.
To carry out the same, his team has
paved the perfect roadmap by
rede ining a shared vision for
customer experience and setting
clear, measurable goals aligned with
your organization's overall objectives.
“Form cross-functional teams
comprising representatives from
development, design, marketing, and
other relevant departments to
facilitate communication,
collaboration, and idea exchange, we
ensure everyone involved
understands the signi icance of
delivering consistent, high-quality
CX.”
The company also maintains regular
contact through meetings, updates,
and status reports, encouraging team
members to share ideas, feedback,
and progress updates. “It is also
imperative to leverage the unique
expertise of each team by
encouraging knowledge sharing,
experience sharing, and utilizing
their strengths to develop a well-
rounded CX strategy,” he adds.
The pioneer considers collaboration
to be yet another essential element to
forming a uni ied and ef icient
strategy. For him, it is important to
clearly de ine each team member's
roles and responsibilities to avoid
confusion and ensure everyone
knows what is expected.
“We collaborate to create a detailed
customer journey map outlining
every customer interaction with the
brand, identifying pain points,
improvement opportunities, and
areas requiring team collaboration,”
details Jonathan. He adds, “We also
strive to foster a collaborative work
environment by promoting open
discussions, teamwork, and idea
sharing through team-building
exercises, workshops, and
collaboration tools like project
management software and
communication platforms.”
And for the performance metrics,
Jonathan advises monitoring and
measuring the progress of the CX
strategy by assessing Key
Performance Indicators on a
consistent basis and sharing the data
with all the involved teams. Such hold
over the analytics lets Arise evaluate
CX strategies continuously and make
improvements based on feedback
and data analysis, supporting teams
to share insights and collaborate on
re ining the strategy.
And lastly, Jonathan's team makes
sure that team morale always stays
on top by promoting a culture of
teamwork and continuous
improvement, all the while
recognizing and celebrating all the
major and minor achievements.
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Arise Gaming offers a comprehensive
set of services for gaming studios at
every stage of development. The idea
and overall goal is to drive success,
create engagement, and elevate their
games to new heights. And to
accomplish the same, the company
brings a multifaceted approach that
encompasses player support, game
testing, community moderation, VIP
services, global gig-PX, and consulting
services.
Being tailor-made, all these solutions
are ﬂexible and customizable,
empowering studios to match their
unique goals and budget requirements.
As a result, Arise lets the studios focus
on their goals, ideas, and things that
matter the most while it brings forth
personalized support to help them
achieve growth and success. “With our
suite of services, we aim to be a trusted
partner to gaming companies and
enable them to unlock their full
potential,” explains Jonathan.
ARISE'
END-TO-END
SOLUTIONS
EXELEON MAGAZINE
C O V E R S T O R Y
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EXELEON MAGAZINE
C O V E R S T O R Y
USING COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
TO ENHANCE CX
Jonathan is of the opinion that
community engagement plays a crucial
role in delivering a positive experience
in the gaming industry. He believes
that a strong gaming community can
help build brand loyalty, foster a sense
of belonging for players, and drive
player retention and acquisition.
However, in order to do so, studios
need to build and maintain a strong
gaming community wherein they
actively engage their players and
create opportunities for them to
connect with one another.
Here's how, according to Jonathan,
studios can foster a thriving gaming
community:
Leverage Social Media Platforms: A
powerful tool for engaging with
players and building a community,
social media platforms can be used to
share game updates, increase
engagement, and promote community
events.
Forums & Chat Rooms: Designed to
draw input, forum and chat rooms can
create a sense of community among
players. Studios can facilitate such
rooms to conduct discussions, provide
support, and gather feedback
regarding the service.
Events & Competitions: As the ultimate
engagement tool, events, and
competitions can be a great way to
connect players and build
relationships. As there are various
ways to conduct and organize events, a
wide number of engagement routes,
content creation, and communication
channels can be set up based on the
requirements.
20

Ÿ One Book Entrepreneurs Must
Read– “The Lean Startup” by
Eric Ries
Ÿ One Productivity Tool / App
that Everyone Should Use–
Slack
Ÿ One Podcast / Course that
you would Recommend–
“How I Built This” by Guy Raz
Ÿ One Game that you would
Recommend– Civilization
Series, version 6 is currently
out
Ÿ One Quote that Motivates you
the Most– Nelson Mandela's -
“I never lose, I only win or
learn.”
Ÿ One piece of CX Advice that
you Always Follow– Data
provides both leading and
lagging indicators of
customer retention and
stickiness’.
Exeleon Shorts
Content Creators: Partnering with professional games,
streamers, and content creators to reach new audiences
and establish a community of players. Further
collaboration with in luencers can also help create
content, promote the game, and engage with the followers.
DEVELOPING A WELCOMING SPACE
Johnathan advocates the bene its of playing video games
and how they oﬀer a multitude of bene its, ranging from
physical bene its such as hand-eye coordination to
mental bene its like increased focus and problem-solving
skills.
He even highlights how gami ication has found itself at
the center of classroom learning, corporate training, and
personal development. However, he also believes that
there are individuals with negative perspectives
regarding gaming and considers it a stigma.
For the collective growth of the industry, he advises game
studios to break away from the stigma by ensuring good
gaming communities, moderation for quality control,
heartful welcomes, and bullying. They can also stay more
transparent about the age ratings and tools to manage
and control the gaming environments.
A TECHNOLOGY-LED FUTURE
Envisioning a future led by the marvels of technology,
Jonathan clearly states that the future of gaming services
will be taken forward by AI, variable staf ing, and AR/VR
as they currently are the new frontiers in the industry.
And since every bit of gaming is dependent on customer
experiences, companies will need to deliver incredible
gaming experiences to be distinctive and achieve success.
Jonathan's Arise is following up on the same by being one
of the leading frontier of delivering ultimate CX with
variable staf ing with exceptional collaborations with AI
& AR/VR products to help deliver a seamless experience
across its umbrella services of localization, game testing,
community engagement, and plater support. “People will
want more immersive experiences, which means oﬀering
more immersive CX Experience. Arise Gaming is all set to
deliver the same to its customers today and tomorrow,”
concludes Jonathan.
21

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CEO
Cheesecake Digital
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24

Pioneering
Game-Based
Learning with
ClassBridges
hilip Wride is a remarkable individual
Pwho has left an indelible mark on the
gaming industry and now sets his sights
on revolutionizing education through game-
based learning. With an impressive career
spanning over 22 years in the gaming
landscape, Philip's expertise encompasses
esports, game publishing, and consulting for
renowned powerhouses such as EA SPORTS,
Disney, and Square Enix.
Recognizing the growing in luence of video
games in children's lives, Philip founded
ClassBridges, a groundbreaking project that
harnesses the captivating power of popular
video games to enhance learning experiences,
particularly in the realm of mathematics.
Philip's deep understanding of the gaming
industry, combined with his expertise in
education, has enabled him to create over 1000
math practice sheets tailored to diﬀerent age
groups (6-11). Drawing inspiration from
beloved titles such as Minecraft, Roblox, FIFA,
and Fortnite, these resources provide a
dynamic and immersive learning experience,
capturing the imagination of students while
reinforcing crucial mathematical skills.
In this Interview, Philip Wride talks about his
motivation behind ClassBridges, his gaming
journey, as well as the future of the esports
industry.
Give us some background about yourself
and your role as the CEO of Cheescake
Digital.
For a question like this it's best to start at the
beginning. I began playing games at the age of
7, and one of the early games I fell in love with
was a combat light simulator called F-19
Stealth Fighter. I loved it because I was able to
pretend to be my dad who was a ighter pilot
but retired from the forces before I was old
enough to fully understand what he did. Then
at 16, I started playing online with friends and
we created teams and started taking part in
online leagues and tournaments. That was my
irst entry to esports and it's a space I've been
involved in since.
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I've now been involved in the games
industry for over 22 years and have
had the privilege to manage some
of the world's best esports teams,
travel the world, consult for global
brands and governments, and
operate events.
My role as the CEO of Cheesecake
Digital is to wear many hats – part
cheerleader and business
development, part strategist,
project manager and consultant.
Cheesecake Digital is a boutique
company, wherein we build
specialist project teams rather than
have a large staff. I therefore get
involved in a little bit of everything
depending on the project or needs
of the client.
What is your earliest memory or
association with gaming?
At the age of 7, I started with an
Atari ST. My dad brought it back
from one of his trips abroad. By this
time, he'd moved from being a
ighter pilot to a commercial pilot
and was regularly making trips
from the UK to the US. There were a
handful of games I remember
including lemmings, rainbow
islands, operation wolf, and the F-
19 stealth ighter game I mentioned
earlier.
What prompted your interest
and subsequently your foray into
the gaming and esports space?
I think this is really a combination
of things – my love of gaming and
the different experiences I was able
to get through playing games
whether that was saving the
universe, completing puzzles, or
working to progress to the next
stage of a game was de initely a
factor. Add in the competitive
element of esports and the ability to
play in structured competitions and
it became the perfect combination.
I've always been competitive and
played team sports growing up so
esports was a natural extension to
that. It also meant I didn't have to
ight against the rain and mud in my
“normal” sports. At 16, I gained
regional honors for rugby but didn't
pursue them because my gaming
took over – I was progressing
rapidly in the community I was part
of and I was constantly
experiencing new things. That
de initely played a part in my focus
on esports – it was always changing
with new teams, competitions, and
events to think about or participate
in.
Talk to us about ClassBridges and how the
project aims at developing the math skills of
children using videogames they love.
ClassBridges is a project I created during the
pandemic. At the start of 2020, just before the
pandemic started, I broke my neck playing rugby
and didn't get the surgery that was suggested. I
let it heal naturally but the whole experience got
me to question what I was doing and where I was
going in life.
Through some personal development there was a
question about what would be said at my funeral
and what impact I had made on the world and
that got me thinking about how I could use my
knowledge and experience of videogames to
bene it people.
My partner is a teacher and one day she needed a
math lesson for her students. I knew her whole
class loved the game Among Us so we worked
together to create a lesson plan and resources
she could use the next day. From that I created
the PARROT Framework which uses different
parts of games, and different mechanics, and uses
them as the basis for math questions.
ClassBridges focuses on using videogames to
support learning and skill development with an
emphasis on math. Some of the work we've done
includes going into schools and hosting Minecraft
competitions and coding workshops along with
creating math practice worksheets based on
different games. The mission is to use the power
of videogames to develop the math skills of 1
million children.
EXELEON MAGAZINE
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Although esports has been a
booming industry with an ever-
growing audience, there is a lot
of skepticism surrounding the
future of the industry. Where do
you think the industry is headed
towards?
We are in a correction phase. The
money that has been pumped in has
not yet returned the ROI and so
new investors are more hesitant.
The majority of revenue is still tied
to sponsorship and advertising, and
nobody has yet unlocked the
revenue from the players and the
fans. Merchandise and ticket sales
are a small fraction of revenue
compared with sponsorship and
advertising and so esports needs to
ind a way to move game revenue
from players and fans towards
esports teams and events.
This is also where the game
publishers and IP owners could do
more. They already sit making a
good amount of revenue and
esports is often seen as nice to have
rather than a valuable and core part
of the overall community
experience. If their view changes
and they share more of the revenue
with teams and event operators it
will become a little easier for those
involved to keep going. If we look at
other traditional sports, there was
always quite a long learning and
growing curve and esports has
skipped a few steps and is now
having to do a mini reset.
I still think esports captures the
imagination of fans and the
spectacle is there, but the revenue
is going to continue to be the key
driver.
Having consulted some of the
biggest game developers and
publishers, coached esports
entrepreneurs, and actively been
involved with the industry for
more than two decades, how do
you look at your journey thus
far?
I feel very blessed. When I irst
started playing Counter Strike
online back in 2001, I obviously had
no idea where the journey would
take me. Looking back at the things
I've been able to do because of
gaming and esports is amazing. Yes,
there have been some lows,
projects and ideas that didn't quite
work, lost championships, and
general business struggles but the
experiences have de initely made
up for those.
27

Finally, what would be your advice for
new and emerging entrepreneurs in
the esports space?
One piece of advice would be about
service. How can they serve their
customers in the best way possible.
What does that look like and what does
it enable their customers to do.
Another would be about acknowledging
and embracing a level of uncertainty. In
the way that I look at esports we are
th
now entering the 6 age – the age of
correction and consolidation. Before
that we had the age of investment, the
age of Twitch, the age of Championship
Gaming Series and how it destroyed the
US community for several years, the age
of nation vs nation with the Esports
World Cup and the World Cyber Games
and before that the age of beginning.
Each of them has brought uncertainty
but also opportunity.
As entrepreneurs we are often driven by
something and if we are working
towards some goal or vision there will
be an element of risk. This is the
uncertainty I'm talking about. Esports
doesn't have a 100+ year history with
everything ironed out and so new and
emerging entrepreneurs need to
acknowledge and embrace the
rollercoaster.
EXELEON MAGAZINE
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T H E P O W E R O F
I N - F O C U S
EXELEON MAGAZINE
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ames allow us to experience new worlds, new
Gsituations, and in a way, new selves.
We are each born into a unique set of circumstances — a
particular body, gender, health-level, family, geography,
environment and culture. Our speci ic circumstance has
its own set of rules, norms and allowed behaviours, while
'shunned' behaviours are dis-allowed, or might even have
extreme repercussions attached to them (depending on
where we are physically located).
In a way, we can escape this particular reality, and try on
new SELVES. What we dislike, we can simply discard and
forget about. What we like however, we can take back, and
potentially even integrate into our real selves back 'home'.
This can be true for anyone, anywhere. All we really need
is a mobile phone, game console, laptop or desktop… and
we can escape into new, immersive realities that
entertain, teach and engross us in numerous ways that
may be missing in our daily life.
GAMES AS ESCAPE HATCHES
Given the many variations of games, the types of game
play, mechanics and available choices, it's no surprise that
upwards of 3.09 Billion people consider themselves
'gamers', while most play games daily, spending hundreds
to thousands of hours, and numerous billions of dollars on
game experiences. The numbers have increased a
whopping 32% over the past seven years (now including
more than 1 billion additional people!), while the number
is expected to increase to 3.32 Billion by 2024.
And perhaps it's no surprise; real life can be repetitive, full
of responsibility and at times boredom, while games oﬀer
an immersive colour scheme that players can escape to.
The National Institute of Health (NIH) estimates that
31.9% of youth 13–18 years of age have some type of
anxiety disorder, while an estimated 8.3% of adolescents
experience severe impairment due to anxiety levels.
Temporarily 'tuning out' of our own dif icult situations
might bene it the psyche much more than we know.
EXELEON MAGAZINE
I N - F O C U S
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GAMES AS SKILLS ACQUISITION
A CEO friend I've known since childhood (and
who shall remain anonymous!) once said:
“Games were the irst place that made me feel
like I could do something interesting, something
new… something… different? I never considered
myself a 'natural-born leader', but in WOW
(World of Warcraft), gamer friends kept on
insisting that I lead the team, and it was the irst
time that had ever happened. After some time,
many abysmal failures, and some great winds, I
developed enough skills to actually lead, and it
seemed like these were skills that could actually
spill over into the real world. They did.”
Today, he is a self-made tech industry success, a
ridiculously shy and quiet math-geek-turned-
tech-startup-star multi-millionaire with 100+
employees whom he leads daily, and at least
three successful companies under his belt. He
further adds that without games, none of this
would have happened, and he would still be
'stuck in a cubicle', working on projects that
generally didn't inspire him, or push the
boundaries of his coding abilities. It was the fun
and low-key failure tactics of gaming that
allowed him to try and push the boundaries in
the real world.
GAMES AS TEACHERS OF SUCCESS & FAILURE
Many of us are terri ied of failing, and rightfully
so. In many communities, cultures and societal
situations any type of failure — big or small —
can have a lasting effect. We're even wired to
succeed, or at least remain safe at all costs.
Games can be a wonderful 'vaccine' or 'antidote'
to the fear of failure, given that if we fail in
games — and fail we will! — (unlike in the real
world) we can just try and try again. Many
games are purposefully dif icult, with game
challenges being hard to increasingly
impossible, and failing them miserably only to
learn, move forward, and ultimately succeed can
inoculate us against the terrifying fear of failure.
Given enough tries, we can perhaps even learn
that life itself can be a game, and that failure
here doesn't have to be fatal.
In short, immersive games can allow us to
explore new discover situations, experience
new environments, people and places. To push
new limits, expand our fear limits, and set our
own boundaries. Games always effect the real
world, whether we know it or not, and the more
immersive, the more they have the potential to
do so.
– Written by Vive Games
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The Rise of
From Esports Origins to Entertainment
Industry Disruptors
Talk to us about the Mis its Gaming
Group and the vision for this global
esports and entertainment company.
Mis its Gaming Group has undergone a
remarkable transformation over the past
year, shifting its focus from esports to
become a thriving media and entertainment
company. Originally known for our success
in esports, particularly in League of
Legends, we recognized the need to adapt
to the changing landscape of the industry.
As we closely monitored trends and
projections, it became apparent that
generating suf icient revenue to cover the
costs of running expensive esports teams
was becoming more challenging. In
response, we made a strategic decision to
pivot our company and capitalize on the
unique value proposition oﬀered by the
creator economy. By partnering with
creators and supporting their aspirations,
we have embraced a new path forward to
ful ill their dreams while ensuring the
sustainability and growth of our
organization.
Our journey into the creator economy was
driven by a clear vision: partnering with
creators to help them ful ill their dreams as
they pursue new projects and creative
ambitions. We received an in lux of requests
from our creators eager to collaborate and
achieve their aspirations, which really dove
this pivot home for us. Recognizing the
opportunity to be the conduit that
empowers them to achieve their dreams, we
made the strategic decision to fully embrace
the creator economy, allowing us to be part
of their experience, supporting them as they
bring their visions to life.
Through this transition, we've collaborated
closely with creators to showcase their
E X E L E O N E X C L U S I V E
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stories and ventures through our
channels, building strong
relationships between Mis its
Gaming Group, creators, and
brands. This synergy became vital
to our success. Inspired by this
momentum, we ventured into new
platforms, most recently partnering
with Karl Jacobs and Kreekcraft to
bring exciting new opportunities to
Roblox with Pixel Playground. Our
vision is to become a premier
gaming and lifestyle entertainment
and media company, curating
exceptional content for our
audiences. We aim to leverage the
incredible talent and intellectual
properties we have acquired and
developed to deliver the highest
quality experiences to our
passionate fan base.
Aside from participating in
global esports competitions,
Mis its is dedicated to bridge the
gap between gaming, media, and
culture. Talk to us about this
intersection.
Mis its Gaming Group is at the
forefront of this intersection,
embracing the cultural relevance of
gaming and amplifying the voices
and stories of creators. We
understand that gaming is a
powerful force that in luences and
shapes contemporary society.
We're not just focused on
competition but also on the stories,
experiences, and cultural
connections that gaming oﬀers.
Through our collaborations with
talented creators, we've been able
to amplify their unique narratives
and perspectives. We share these
stories through our media channels,
bringing them to a wider audience
and showcasing the diversity and
cultural impact of gaming and the
creator economy.
What is the Mis its Creator Fund?
How is the company helping
translate a creator's vision into a
reality?
The Mis its Creator Fund is an
exciting initiative that allows us to
collaborate closely with creators
and bring their visions to life. This
initiative is designed to partner
with creators who have bold project
ideas but need additional assistance
Karl Jacobs and Austinshow
EXELEON MAGAZINE
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to turn their visions into reality. We
work with creators who possess
innovative, creative, and
sustainable ideas spanning a wide
range of domains, from captivating
events to compelling content and
captivating consumer products.
We recognize that creators possess
remarkable ideas that often need a
helping hand to come to fruition.
That's where the Mis its Creator
Fund comes in. Through this fund,
we oﬀer a meaningful partnership
that bene its both parties, providing
clear pathways to success backed
by our extensive experience and
trusted reputation in the industry.
Our commitment to creators
extends beyond their daily content
endeavors. We oﬀer comprehensive
support and guidance, creating a
solid foundation for their projects
to lourish. Our ultimate goal is to
empower creators, amplifying their
voices and enabling them to reach
their full potential.
Although esports has been a
booming industry with an ever-
growing audience, there is a lot
of skepticism surrounding the
future of the industry. Where do
you think the industry is headed
towards?
Esports and gaming are the future.
Despite challenges that may arise,
we believe in the industry's
potential for growth and success. If
we look at the trajectory of
traditional sports, the NBA for
example, it took decades for it to
become the powerhouse it is today.
Esports is on a similar trajectory.
We're still fully invested in it,
holding our teams, and recognizing
its importance as the nucleus of our
company.
Gaming as a whole is thriving, even
in the face of economic
uncertainties. Advertisers, brands,
and consumers are all captivated by
the gaming sector, and esports
stands as a signi icant subset,
attracting the most passionate and
dedicated gamers. As the landscape
continues to evolve, we embrace
the opportunities it presents. We
are committed to staying at the
forefront of innovation, delivering
captivating experiences, and
contributing to the continued
capacity of gaming to shape the
future of entertainment.
Having been backed by some of
the biggest names in the
traditional sports setting, what
do you think will be the impact of
Mis its Gaming on the overall
growth of the industry?
From the very beginning,
investments in the industry from
traditional sports organizations
signaled a shared belief that esports
would eventually reach the same
level of recognition as major sports
leagues like the NFL, NBA, and MLS.
This belief has had a profound
in luence on the growth of the
industry as a whole.
When in luential entities like the
Kroenke Group and the Kraft Group
invest their resources and belief in
esports, it speaks volumes about
the immense potential this industry
holds. They envision a future where
esports stands shoulder-to-
shoulder with the likes of the NFL
and NBA, capturing the hearts and
attention of fans worldwide.
Our collaborations with esteemed
sports franchises like the Heat and
the Magic have been instrumental
in establishing our presence in
Florida and overcoming the unique
challenges of introducing a new
form of competitive gaming to the
market. And it's not just us. Across
the esports landscape, you'll ind
partnerships between major sports
teams and organizations. This
fusion of traditional sports and
esports brings a wealth of
experience, resources, and strategic
insights to the table, igniting a
powerful synergy that fuels
industry growth.
Additionally, our investors such as
Scripps Networks, with their deep
expertise in media and
entertainment, have played a
pivotal role in shaping our new
trajectory. Drawing upon their
wealth of knowledge, we have been
able to craft compelling narratives,
devise innovative commercial
approaches, and elevate our
production quality to deliver
unparalleled experiences to our
audience.
About Mis it Gaming Group
Based in South Florida, Mis its
Gaming Group is a global esports
and entertainment company. The
company competes in some of the
most successful video game titles
worldwide and are permanent
partners in three franchised esports
leagues: Riot Games' League of
Legends European Championship:
Mis its Gaming, Activision-
Blizzard's Overwatch League:
Florida Mayhem, and Activision-
Blizzard's Call of Duty League:
Florida Mutineers, as well as
competing in other major titles like
Fortnite.
39

Leveling Up with
CTO and Co-founder of ORE System
Talk to us about your growing up years.
What is your earliest memory or
association with gaming?
I grew up in Chicago. I grew up at home
living with my mom because my parents
were divorced. My dad was into computers,
so that was where we connected and that's
where I got my start. I like to say that I was
born and bred on the Internet. I was always
a gamer at heart and still remember my irst
56 K modem.
My dad was awesome. He was a ireman and
paramedic, and my mom was an emergency
room nurse. My dad always had a passion
for computers and we had them at home.
My generation is the last one that actually
saw the early stuﬀ and used it.
The very irst program that I wrote was a
Halloween-themed chess game all the way
back in 1989. Instead of knights, there were
horses that were pumpkins. That was what
got to me where I am today, to where I am
making video games for a living. That's one
of those things that helped me in the cyber
security industry because people in that
industry will never see those things happen
as they did back then or live in the Wild
West of the Internet.
What prompted your interest and
subsequently your foray into the tech
space?
I lived the big corporate life and I've worked
for various alphabet agencies in my time.
I've worked for some of the biggest
corporations all the way down to mom-and-
pop companies and startups all through my
career. I've traveled and taught at
conferences, but at the end of the day, I love
creativity. I love the ability to go in and play
a video game. I'm fortunate that I got the
opportunity to jump in and live my dream.
How is Ore System revolutionizing the
gaming industry? What can be expected
from the company in the coming years?
ORE System is always looking to change the
conversation with its gaming content. As we
dive into the unknown to leverage new
EXELEON MAGAZINE
42

technologies, we look to improve
content for gamers and developers
to remove barriers to entry into
the space, ultimately giving the
gaming community better content.
We have also engaged our strategic
partner MD DAO to assist with
providing a provider network to
connect those who need assistance
with getting to someone who can
help facilitate these challenging
conversations. We wanted a
solution ready for conversations
that will hopefully start due to the
With Them: Frontlines gameplay.
As the CTO and Co-founder of
ORE System, what role do you
play in the day-to-day
proceedings of the company?
As CTO my focus is
primarily on making the
technical dreams come
to fruition. Building and
designing tools, video
games, and technology is
a passion for me. This
began many years ago as
a kid tinkering and
hacking stuff in the 90's
and early 2000's. Now I
get to do it for a living!
The business is driven
by the business
development team, and
this allows me to focus
my efforts on building
bleeding edge solutions
for some of today's
newest technologies.
Through addressing and
charging into these
unknown areas allows
no bias, no
preconceptions, and
allows me to build in a
completely unexplored
universe.
The organization "work" stuff
requires my day to day to support
the servers, support the software,
and help the development team
build the next fun add-on to ORE
System. While the business day-to-
day is where I spend working to
help develop production times,
update schedules, and interaction
with ORE to help push the
technical future of what ORE looks
to achieve.
Recently along with your
business partners, you released
a video game named With Them:
Frontlines. Please talk to us
about this project and the idea
behind it.
We are really excited about this
game. With Them Frontlines is a
irst-person shooter that tells the
stories of real veterans and real
combat missions, aimed at helping
Veterans overcome and ind
solutions for PTSD. The game
enables a Veteran to share their
stories as a part of gameplay to
eliminate the stigma of talking
about challenging situations.
Our team has three veterans with
several years of deployed time in
combat zones. Each of us has been
impacted by one of our peers that
have taken their own life. This
game means something to all of us.
Mental health is one of my irst
priorities in my personal wellness
planning. I see a provider to
discuss the challenges of being a
veteran with exposure to situations
that create different perspectives
on life. Mental health aside, ORE
System has been in the gaming
space for about 18 months, looking
to enhance gameplay with
innovative measures like this.
When we irst started pulling all of
this together, we had some candid
discussions about potentially
making someone worse or
contributing to their struggles with
the FPS game. After looking at the
data and research, veterans are
more likely to associate with these
types of games as a release from
what is bothering them. What
better place to connect with other
veterans to ind similar people who
have some of the same challenges
that you could be dealing with.
What do you think will be the
biggest changes or
advancements in gaming over
the next 5-10 years, and how do
Nicholas Donarski
CTO & Co-founder of ORE System
EXELEON MAGAZINE
44

45

EXELEON MAGAZINE
46

you think they will impact the gaming industry and the way
we play games?
The cool thing is the internet has brought a lot of things
together. We believe ORE System are trailblazers when it comes
to where the gaming industry is going. We've revolutionized the
gaming industry by reducing the time, cost, and experience a
game developer needs to integrate blockchain technology into
their games. Within the ORE Ecosystem, gamers truly own the
gear, and developers truly own the game. The complete ORE
system is the irst cross-platform ecosystem available to the
blockchain community where for the irst time, participants
REALLY determine if an item is worth anything.
Finally, what would be your advice for someone developing
a new game or concept?
The biggest mistake we made was that we tried to answer all of
the questions instead of focusing on one question at a time. In
the early days, it was hard for us to ind ourselves because we
didn't really know who we were at that point. As we grew, and
as we started to igure out exactly what we were trying to do,
we've been kicking butt ever since.
My advice is don't get frustrated in those early days. Having the
idea of the dream is the irst step, but don't get frustrated when
it doesn't quite go your way. None of us are able to achieve
success without some help along the way.
My dad is the only reason that I have been able to do as much as
I have done in my life. He was into sci- i and having computers
at home in the 1980s when nobody else had it was important.
His motto was “If you hack into my stuﬀ, just know how you
broke it.” The rule was to never hack from home. It was the fact
that he was cool about allowing it to be a learning process. If
you made a mistake, it was ine as long as you learned from it;
success or failure, just learn from it. Without him, I wouldn't
have had the career that I have today.

n this month's Company Spotlight, we
Iare looking into ExitLag, an innovative
one-of-a-kind platform that helps
address issues related to lagging during
gameplay. Developed by Leandro
Sandmann and Fabiano Skowronski,
ExitLag helps people around the world
improve their connection and enhance their
gaming experience.
Leandro talks with Exeleon Magazine about
ExitLag, his gaming journey, and the future
of the company in this interview.
Talk to us about your growing up years.
What hooked you to online gaming?
I was only 11 years old when a friend of
mine introduced me to the MMORPG called
Tibia. Launched in 1997, it was one of the
irst in the industry. It was around the same
time that I also started to learn
programming language. I was instantly
hooked on both. Fast forward a bit, and I
put that experience to use, creating game-
related applications until ExitLag was born.
What led to the start formation of
ExitLag? What was the pain point you
wanted to address?
I made a lot of friends playing Tibia, one of
them was Fabiano, Exitlag's co-founder.
Because all the Tibia servers were located
outside of our home country of Brazil, we
struggled with lag issues and packet loss.
These issues would aﬀect our game.
Fabiano did some tests and found out that
Say No
to Lags!
C O M P A N Y S P O T L I G H T
EXELEON MAGAZINE
50

L e a n d r o
S a n d m a n n
C O - C E O | E X I T L A G

the change in routes could optimize our
experience while gaming, which was like a
miracle back then. We began to work on a
solution for ourselves, but soon all our
friends were asking to use it as well. The
network of people using it started to grow
and we started a subscription business
without even noticing it at irst. Over the
years, we started to increase the number of
games we would support and improved the
technology to be the best it could be. We
realized that it was a problem for gamers
worldwide.
What were the challenges/complications
that you faced when building this
software?
It was hard to scale quickly at times. There
was some unexpected growth and it was hard
to keep the pace with how fast things were
moving. We also spent a lot of days and
nights focused on improving the technology
and making sure it was the best it could be. I
remember investing a lot of time into
creating a product that would be resistant to
DDoS attacks without sacri icing high
performance. Our proprietary multi-path
technology was also a big leap in
performance for our users and we were very
happy to be able to deliver it to them.
What has been the response thus far from
the gaming community about the
software?
We get a lot of great messages, but more and
more, people are saying that ExitLag is
indispensable as a network optimizer. Of
course, this makes us really happy. From
casual to competitive gamers, everyone
wants to have lower latency and a better
experience while playing.
How has the gaming industry changed in
recent years? What can we potentially
expect in the coming years?
The gaming industry has experienced absurd
growth in the last three years and has
become the most prominent entertainment
market in the world, surpassing the
popularity of movies and music combined. I
think, over the next few years, we will have
even more players embrace e-Sports,
especially with the explosion of technological
advancements like the 5G.
What does the future look like for
ExitLag? What are you most excited
about?
Exciting! We are thrilled about the launch of
ExitLag Mobile. So far, the feedback received
through the closed beta test has been
remarkable. I think we are set to make
history by pioneering the market with a
gaming accessory for network on mobile
devices, but there are still a lot of challenges
ahead. We want to be present on consoles
and routers eventually, which constitutes
more work on our end. But our mission
remains the same: to help every player out
there, no matter where in the world they may
be playing, have the best gaming experience
possible.
C O M P A N Y S P O T L I G H T

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Jonathan Shroyer | Leaders in Gaming | Exeleon Magazine

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