When you think about Crossfire, certain names are familiar and spring to mind. We have all become accustomed to the likes of Stuart Saw, Jeroen De Ridder, and Liam Crowley to the point of adoration. Today I add another name to the list, Floris Schermerhorn aka 
xRio!
The journalist!
Q – The name xRio isn't one that the readers would typically fear in a ET server, but you have managed to rise to the ranks of the somewhat bloated Crossfire Crew, can you explain how you came about being interested in the coverage side of ET and how you were added to the Crossfire crew?
Basically I've been improving in graphical work since I started doing it 2 years ago, but all I made was little 200x200 pictures for myself without purpose. I've been member of Crossfire for quite a long time (longer than my profile tells you). After a while I decided to combine my graphical skills with my activity on Crossfire and I came up with some news posts and articles. People seemed to like the new touch of graphics and soon I was promoted to Moderator.
Q – Many people have aired criticism over your appointment to the crew, labeling you as “graphics only” and that you lack substance. Do you just write off their comments as a touch of the green eyed monster or do you think there is something in what they say?
I got into the Crossfire Crew by being active as a news poster and supporting those news posts with graphics. So people saying I'm "graphics only" are overlooking the fact that there is also text involved in my news posts, although I have to admit I'm the not the best news poster out there. But every site needs a graphical man so even if I was "graphics only", why shouldn't I be allowed to become an admin?
Q – If my memory serves me right you were also responsible for the GameOn interview series along with Budhaz so time ago, and even further back going under the nick of iCed you were involved with Crossfire with the "Enemy Territory Challengers" concept. What caused the fall out that initially meant you “left” the Crossfire (crew), but eventually returned under a different nick and with new ideas?
I did go under the nick of iCed a long time ago but I was just too young at that time to be seriously involved in projects like the ET Challengers. Unfortunately I didn't realize that at that time, so when some Crossfire guys broke my dream of running the ET Challengers by just simply taking the idea and leaving me out, I reacted in a very immature way by calling names and stuff. I got banned for that and it was a deserved ban. I never got into the Crossfire Crew at that time by the way. As I came back with a new account I decided to act more mature and just do something valuable for the community. I started interviewing people under the title of Game On but because of my school I couldn't be active all the time. Therefore I called in the help of Budhaz who did a nice interview with Gifty at that time. Eventually I also stopped due to my inactivity.
Q – These days your posting has become more and more diverse, ranging from CoD2 Eurocup to your first article outside of the realms of ET in the form of the CGS: It's huge. Why the change?
I love the game ET although I stopped playing it myself, but there's just so much going on lately with the launch of the ET:QW beta and the whole cheater scene and I wouldn't be surprised if ET will become less important to Crossfire in a few years. I'm starting to build my knowledge of other games and projects to make sure I don't run out of work area when the time has come for ET. And I'm starting to like the CoD2 scene a lot more nowadays.
Q – Surely the best thing to do would be to move sites or organisations then. As you probably know the majority of CoD2 news, falls on deaf ears on the Crossfire site, wouldn't a change of scenery to perhaps somewhere like Tek-9 or Gotfrag be more rewarding?
No, it might sound weird but I'm not trying to make career. I like the Crossfire site and I like what TosspoT is trying to achieve here. I don't care that maybe 10 people find my CoD2 news posts interesting, in that case I have written it for those 10 people.
Q – What do you want to achieve from gaming and how does Crossfire help achieve that then?
As I said I stopped playing ET so basically I'm not gaming online anymore so there is nothing to achieve from it. But I just like to write articles or newsposts. And to be of value to a growing community. To help people in the community with graphics. I don't want to achieve anything. I'm just helping Crossfire in my own way, just like all the other Crossfire Crew members are doing.
Q - What do you get from working for evolve except a site next to no users and no reward?
Nothing, I'm a temporary news writer for evolve because they're currently searching for a new news writer. I don't want to be a clan writer because most clan sites, just as evolve's, have a hard to manage news post system. I hardly write anything on evolve.
Q – Do you think that actually playing the game, never mind competitively or to a good standard is a requirement for writers?
For good writers it is, but I don't consider myself as a good writer so then it's possible to just use your 'sense of journalism' and come up with a credible news post for a game you have never actually played.
Q – Who do you consider a good writer (in or out of gaming) and despite your reservations to further your “career” in gaming, do you not feel that you're obligated to improve your writing because of your status as a crew member? Or are there no expectations placed upon you, bar your own?
I haven't read a lot of articles outside Crossfire but on our site I think the native English speakers are the best writers, but that's just an advantage every native speaker has, I think I would be a much better writer if I could write my posts in Dutch. By saying that I have no intentions in a career, I'm not saying that I don't have intentions to improve writing. Of course I'm always seeking for better ways to express the information I want to publish. Though I think there aren't any expectations placed upon me...
Q – What does the future hold for you, and what games do you see grabbing your attention and more importantly your pen?
I hope to become more active in the ET:QW scene as a writer and of course I'll continue writing about ET, CoD2 and sometimes maybe a short trip to another game. But my main task will be supplying people, usually people with projects, with graphics for their news posts etc...
Q – I work for x site, I'm looking for talented writers and I'm willing to send you all over the globe to events and possibly even pay you! Does xRio still remain faithful to Crossfire and his roots? Is there no way I can force you to get “serious”?
Not if you want to send me all over the globe to events because I don't want to go all over the globe to events. If you are going to pay me, that will probably work. I think the word faithful is not the right one, I never promised anything to Crossfire, I just don't have any aspirations towards a bigger career. I just like doing this work and if one day a guy from site x crosses my path asking me to come work at his site waving with a pay check, I think I'll bite.
Q – Granted all the time and effort you've put into the coverage side of the game(s) did it have any effect and was it worth the effort in retrospect?
Sometimes I doubt about if it's all worth the effort, but then again, if you compare my first banner here on Crossfire with my last, even a blind man would see that I have improved. Crossfire is my training ground and I'm training here to get better at graphics, not because I want to become a graphics artist, but just because I like doing it. There are also people who train in the park for a marathon but who don't run the marathon to win, but just to participate.
Q – Can you give any advice to those out there, who may have admired your work and possibly even consider you as a role model. They want to follow in your footsteps in the coverage business, maybe not in ET or CoD2 but ET:QW perhaps? How do they go about it?
Just write down what you want to write down, don't hold back because you think someone will flame you for what you're saying. I have been criticized sometimes but all the positive reactions were fully worth it. And if you're going to use graphics to make your news posts more special; don't make them too extravagant. Make the banners and fields nice but still useful and readable.
The person!
Q – What does Floris "xRio" Schermerhorn do outside of xfire?
Go to school obviously, although it's holiday now!!! Hang out with friends, party, playing football from time to time and that's about it.
Q - What are you wishing to become or get from life ?
Well I'm going to start organizing party's this summer together with a friend of mine and of course we hope to make a lot of money out of it and maybe even pursuit a professional career in it. But I guess that's a very small chance :P I guess I'm going to study laws.
Q – How has gaming impacted your life ?
It has an impact on my life because it costs time, time that I could've spent on other things and somewhere else, but it hasn't had an impact on my social life (I think). Though when you spent more time on gaming and less time on school you will eventually get in trouble, and I did have problems in school.
The gamer!
Q – Your favorite game of all time?
Enemy Territory
Q – Your favorite player, team and team you have played in?
overboost, uQ.Gaming (When overboost played there. Yeh I'm his fanboy ;) ) and SPR; was my first clan together with my brother and we just had so much fun with all the members. It was a sniper clan and we played Fueldump with sniper only all the time. :P
Q – Name three people who you most respect or admire in the gaming world, and tell us why.
I can't name three particular people, I respect a lot of people for what they've done for the community and just for playing this game at such a high level. And I don't really admire people since it's just a game...
Q – Shout outs!
bo, for being a nice guy and doing the QCUP coverage together with me.
hannes, for being a great moviemaker and letting me use his screenshots.
taLa, for helping me out with stuff and basically for coding this website.
h3ll, for being a great guy and helping me with IRC problems.
evan (yes you), for being my muse.
Rafiki, nice guy, always helpful.
Cash, for always listening to my stupid ideas.
overboost, for not even living that far away from me and being a nice guy of course.
NxM, just had to add him myself after I forgot him in the first place. *sorry*
The whole Crossfire Crew.
And last but not least Schnee, for using my wallpaper!
xRio!The journalist!
Q – The name xRio isn't one that the readers would typically fear in a ET server, but you have managed to rise to the ranks of the somewhat bloated Crossfire Crew, can you explain how you came about being interested in the coverage side of ET and how you were added to the Crossfire crew?
Basically I've been improving in graphical work since I started doing it 2 years ago, but all I made was little 200x200 pictures for myself without purpose. I've been member of Crossfire for quite a long time (longer than my profile tells you). After a while I decided to combine my graphical skills with my activity on Crossfire and I came up with some news posts and articles. People seemed to like the new touch of graphics and soon I was promoted to Moderator.
Q – Many people have aired criticism over your appointment to the crew, labeling you as “graphics only” and that you lack substance. Do you just write off their comments as a touch of the green eyed monster or do you think there is something in what they say?
I got into the Crossfire Crew by being active as a news poster and supporting those news posts with graphics. So people saying I'm "graphics only" are overlooking the fact that there is also text involved in my news posts, although I have to admit I'm the not the best news poster out there. But every site needs a graphical man so even if I was "graphics only", why shouldn't I be allowed to become an admin?
Q – If my memory serves me right you were also responsible for the GameOn interview series along with Budhaz so time ago, and even further back going under the nick of iCed you were involved with Crossfire with the "Enemy Territory Challengers" concept. What caused the fall out that initially meant you “left” the Crossfire (crew), but eventually returned under a different nick and with new ideas?
I did go under the nick of iCed a long time ago but I was just too young at that time to be seriously involved in projects like the ET Challengers. Unfortunately I didn't realize that at that time, so when some Crossfire guys broke my dream of running the ET Challengers by just simply taking the idea and leaving me out, I reacted in a very immature way by calling names and stuff. I got banned for that and it was a deserved ban. I never got into the Crossfire Crew at that time by the way. As I came back with a new account I decided to act more mature and just do something valuable for the community. I started interviewing people under the title of Game On but because of my school I couldn't be active all the time. Therefore I called in the help of Budhaz who did a nice interview with Gifty at that time. Eventually I also stopped due to my inactivity.
Q – These days your posting has become more and more diverse, ranging from CoD2 Eurocup to your first article outside of the realms of ET in the form of the CGS: It's huge. Why the change?
I love the game ET although I stopped playing it myself, but there's just so much going on lately with the launch of the ET:QW beta and the whole cheater scene and I wouldn't be surprised if ET will become less important to Crossfire in a few years. I'm starting to build my knowledge of other games and projects to make sure I don't run out of work area when the time has come for ET. And I'm starting to like the CoD2 scene a lot more nowadays.
Q – Surely the best thing to do would be to move sites or organisations then. As you probably know the majority of CoD2 news, falls on deaf ears on the Crossfire site, wouldn't a change of scenery to perhaps somewhere like Tek-9 or Gotfrag be more rewarding?
No, it might sound weird but I'm not trying to make career. I like the Crossfire site and I like what TosspoT is trying to achieve here. I don't care that maybe 10 people find my CoD2 news posts interesting, in that case I have written it for those 10 people.
Q – What do you want to achieve from gaming and how does Crossfire help achieve that then?
As I said I stopped playing ET so basically I'm not gaming online anymore so there is nothing to achieve from it. But I just like to write articles or newsposts. And to be of value to a growing community. To help people in the community with graphics. I don't want to achieve anything. I'm just helping Crossfire in my own way, just like all the other Crossfire Crew members are doing.
Q - What do you get from working for evolve except a site next to no users and no reward?
Nothing, I'm a temporary news writer for evolve because they're currently searching for a new news writer. I don't want to be a clan writer because most clan sites, just as evolve's, have a hard to manage news post system. I hardly write anything on evolve.
Q – Do you think that actually playing the game, never mind competitively or to a good standard is a requirement for writers?
For good writers it is, but I don't consider myself as a good writer so then it's possible to just use your 'sense of journalism' and come up with a credible news post for a game you have never actually played.
Q – Who do you consider a good writer (in or out of gaming) and despite your reservations to further your “career” in gaming, do you not feel that you're obligated to improve your writing because of your status as a crew member? Or are there no expectations placed upon you, bar your own?
I haven't read a lot of articles outside Crossfire but on our site I think the native English speakers are the best writers, but that's just an advantage every native speaker has, I think I would be a much better writer if I could write my posts in Dutch. By saying that I have no intentions in a career, I'm not saying that I don't have intentions to improve writing. Of course I'm always seeking for better ways to express the information I want to publish. Though I think there aren't any expectations placed upon me...
Q – What does the future hold for you, and what games do you see grabbing your attention and more importantly your pen?
I hope to become more active in the ET:QW scene as a writer and of course I'll continue writing about ET, CoD2 and sometimes maybe a short trip to another game. But my main task will be supplying people, usually people with projects, with graphics for their news posts etc...
Q – I work for x site, I'm looking for talented writers and I'm willing to send you all over the globe to events and possibly even pay you! Does xRio still remain faithful to Crossfire and his roots? Is there no way I can force you to get “serious”?
Not if you want to send me all over the globe to events because I don't want to go all over the globe to events. If you are going to pay me, that will probably work. I think the word faithful is not the right one, I never promised anything to Crossfire, I just don't have any aspirations towards a bigger career. I just like doing this work and if one day a guy from site x crosses my path asking me to come work at his site waving with a pay check, I think I'll bite.
Q – Granted all the time and effort you've put into the coverage side of the game(s) did it have any effect and was it worth the effort in retrospect?
Sometimes I doubt about if it's all worth the effort, but then again, if you compare my first banner here on Crossfire with my last, even a blind man would see that I have improved. Crossfire is my training ground and I'm training here to get better at graphics, not because I want to become a graphics artist, but just because I like doing it. There are also people who train in the park for a marathon but who don't run the marathon to win, but just to participate.
Q – Can you give any advice to those out there, who may have admired your work and possibly even consider you as a role model. They want to follow in your footsteps in the coverage business, maybe not in ET or CoD2 but ET:QW perhaps? How do they go about it?
Just write down what you want to write down, don't hold back because you think someone will flame you for what you're saying. I have been criticized sometimes but all the positive reactions were fully worth it. And if you're going to use graphics to make your news posts more special; don't make them too extravagant. Make the banners and fields nice but still useful and readable.
The person!
Q – What does Floris "xRio" Schermerhorn do outside of xfire?
Go to school obviously, although it's holiday now!!! Hang out with friends, party, playing football from time to time and that's about it.
Q - What are you wishing to become or get from life ?
Well I'm going to start organizing party's this summer together with a friend of mine and of course we hope to make a lot of money out of it and maybe even pursuit a professional career in it. But I guess that's a very small chance :P I guess I'm going to study laws.
Q – How has gaming impacted your life ?
It has an impact on my life because it costs time, time that I could've spent on other things and somewhere else, but it hasn't had an impact on my social life (I think). Though when you spent more time on gaming and less time on school you will eventually get in trouble, and I did have problems in school.
The gamer!
Q – Your favorite game of all time?
Enemy Territory
Q – Your favorite player, team and team you have played in?
overboost, uQ.Gaming (When overboost played there. Yeh I'm his fanboy ;) ) and SPR; was my first clan together with my brother and we just had so much fun with all the members. It was a sniper clan and we played Fueldump with sniper only all the time. :P
Q – Name three people who you most respect or admire in the gaming world, and tell us why.
I can't name three particular people, I respect a lot of people for what they've done for the community and just for playing this game at such a high level. And I don't really admire people since it's just a game...
Q – Shout outs!
bo, for being a nice guy and doing the QCUP coverage together with me. hannes, for being a great moviemaker and letting me use his screenshots. taLa, for helping me out with stuff and basically for coding this website. h3ll, for being a great guy and helping me with IRC problems. evan (yes you), for being my muse. Rafiki, nice guy, always helpful. Cash, for always listening to my stupid ideas. overboost, for not even living that far away from me and being a nice guy of course. NxM, just had to add him myself after I forgot him in the first place. *sorry* The whole Crossfire Crew. And last but not least
Schnee, for using my wallpaper!
<3 xrio
xRio we love you :o :$ <3
I'll be 1/10 :p
Those who don't see the use of a graphic mastermind of this kind are just ignorant tards, which can't help they were born that way.
Keep on the good work!
xD
now i do admire your work!
ah well, you had very questions!
im off to bed now mate, nn!
nah i admire xrio cuz he gets ze criticzzz once in a while for no reason
You just get critism cuz you know the title of ze movie (kingdom of heaven) and now everybody hates you becuz you know that!!
but no worries, i'm your biggest fan!
keep up the good work
still remember you from when you had spikes instead of emo-hair
mad dog mikey gibbs :>
Great guy! <3
<3