‘I am not 100 percent sure yet’, the young Emmeloorder is still a small blow, but the reality is that he is about to qualify for an international tournament on his own for the first time in his gaming career. That is, qualification through a complicated and long series of preliminary rounds. And in the eDivisie, Visser (19) performed very well on the Xbox. Together with the Belgian Gilles Bernard, he forms the duo AZ eSports. The pair finished sixth. Individually it went even better: second place, behind Ajax. ‘But that doesn’t matter. It is of no use to me. ‘ It is typical of the shape of a reborn Dani Visser.
The former champion of the eDivisie chose a gap year after his HAVO exam in 2019. Goal: to become even better and try to make international progress. It was not going to be the year he had hoped for. ‘The highest level was not achievable for me last season. I didn’t like the game anymore, lost a lot of matches in the eDivisie. Many matches ended in 0-0 or 1-0. The edition, FIFA 20, did not suit me ‘, Visser explains. In consultation with Team Gullit, he opted for another year of full-time gaming. Fortunately. ‘Defending has become more difficult and that is to my advantage, because defending is my quality. This year it is going very well again. ‘
Weekend League
From a business point of view, Dani Visser has his back to the wind. Not that his activities on YouTube and in the game world make him sweetheart, but he keeps a nice pocket money. ‘I can save well, which is a nice bonus.’ His Weekend League matches are streamed on Red Bull’s YouTube channel and his own account is booming on the same platform. The counter now stands at 91,000 followers; he got tens of thousands more this year. ‘It’s nice if I soon have 100K followers, but I think it’s more important that my videos are well received. Lots of comments are fun to read. ‘
The polder gamer not only has an eye for the commercial side of his digital activities, he also makes time to devote attention to socially relevant issues. Visser is participating in the Level UP! for primary school students about the advantages (good for concentration) and disadvantages (risk of addiction) of gaming. He tries to teach the students what ‘responsible gaming’ is. And through Team Gullit he has become an ambassador of Villa Pardoes. Visser supports this charity by raising money through online activities and entertaining seriously ill children and their parents.
Dear 64 gamers
Dani Visser has regained the joy of gaming after less than a year. ‘I practice and play a lot more. Things are much better now. Enjoying it is so important. ‘ Visser is performing according to his qualities again. He is on the threshold of qualifying for the FIFA 21 European final tournament, in which the top 64 gamers in Europe will compete. Visser recently finished in the top 4 in the third qualifying round. Next weekend he can secure his place among the elite. ‘I’m proud of. It will be the first time that I will qualify for such a tournament on my own. Fun.’ At the moment, the Emmeloorder is the number 17 in Europe and the second Dutchman in that ranking.
It makes the choice for Dani Visser next year difficult. What should he do? Going to study (he is thinking about creative business) or attaching a ‘gap year’ to it? His contract with Team Gullit expires, but if the Emmeloorder wants to, he can sign up. He has to make a quick decision. ‘I find it a difficult choice. A study can be combined with YouTube activities, but not with competitive FIFA. This year is going so well and I have the feeling that there is still a lot of potential in it. This is a unique period for me. ‘ And Dani Visser hopes to be able to play on location again this year. All things considered: bet he’ll be gaming full-time for another year?
Harry the Knight
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