Christian Perkins, (AKA ChickenTech), of the DC Eclipse, started gaming as an escape from reality, but he took a hiatus in high school as he explored new passions. More than a decade, two hobbies, and one ankle injury later, Perkins has made his way back to his gaming roots.
“I skateboarded for about 12 years – even got to the point where I was getting sponsored,” Perkins explains. Following a career-ending ankle injury, though, he shifted his focus to playing drums, but eventually, that injury also interfered with his ability to play music.
What never changed was Perkins’ love of competition. “I still wanted to be competitive, so I focused all my energy on gaming.”
To date, Perkins’ Mortal Kombat career has brought him to places like Florida, New Jersey, Texas, Las Vegas, Tennessee, and Kentucky, competing with some of the biggest names in the scene. He’s also a contracted streamer for Facebook/Meta Gaming.
Perkins discovered Ultimate Endgamers League (UEL) when he was looking for someone to train with for offline Mortal Kombat competitions.
“It’s two completely different games when you play online versus offline,” Perkins explains. “Online, there’s a frame delay that you just don’t have in person. So, you have to be more precise and quicker in person.”
When Perkins initially found the league, he traveled two hours each way to get to competitions. Now, however, his circumstances have changed, and his travel time has doubled. Despite the distance, he is no less committed to the competition and his team.
A self-described veteran gamer, Perkins is inspired by the enthusiasm of his team and other players. “I’ve been doing this forever now as my 9-5. So as someone who’s not quite as excited about it anymore, it’s good to see people are still interested,” he says.
“It’s hard to find that one person who will want to focus just on MK,” Perkins says.
More than just a casual observer of gaming strategy, Perkins only half believes a strategy until he tests it out himself to make sure it’s true. “If I can’t figure it out, I go straight to the source. And if no one answers, it dies,” Perkins explains.
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