Pro Unreal Tournament Player Reflects on 9/11

Jerry Stern, former professional player of the Unreal Tournament titles, has reflected on the events that took place during September 11th, 2001. “Unreal Tournament was one of the first team arena shooters that put FPS on the map, it was the Halo before Halo. E-sports was in its infant stages; there was no money or brands in it, only your honor on the line and the euphoria of grinding noobs into the dust. It was a crisp Tuesday morning in Jersey when I made my national championship on September 11th, 2001.”

Stern continued, “We had been playing for hours since 6 a.m., it was the only time a local bar would let us rent them out for cheap before business started. I was team captain of the Skyguys, and we were going up against the Devil’s Towers. The final match-up began at 9 a.m. In a close game, we took the win at 231-228. I remember running out into the street after we took victory screaming, ‘Never Forget the Skyguys destroyed the Towers on 9/11!’ After getting the absolute shit kicked out of me by my neighbors, I found out what else happened that day. If only I had known; it truly was the worst day of my life.”