Paul ‘astz’ McGarrity, one of the UK’s top original Unreal Tournament (UT) pro players, has sadly passed away.
He played UT 2004 competitively and also Quake Live for the likes of Dignitas back in the day.
Paul also previously provided consultancy around gameplay and game mechanics in FPS (first person shooter) games. He was also a product manager for Play2Improve and its FPS Trainer product.
Paul is survived by his partner Kathleen and his three children.
Wouter Hinloopen from the UT2004 Community Facebook group has set up a GoFundMe page to help with the costs of Paul McGarrity’s funeral.
At the time of writing, just over €1,000 has been raised towards the €3,500 goal.
Wouter said: “Today we lost a legend. It pains me deeply to say this, many of you know him from his competitor days, being among the world’s top UT players in peak competition during the glory days of UT.
“Paul was not only an amazing player but also an amazing person and father. He was always a joy to have within the community.”
“In 2011 he hosted a reunion event in Scotland that he did not even play in himself, as he was too busy hosting the event and making sure everything was running smoothly. This just shows the kind of person he was. He will be forever missed.”
Many other comments were made paying tribute to astz on the UT2004 Community Facebook group post.
Paul ‘astz’ previously said in this Play2Improve video: “I’ve competed all over the world against the best of the best, I’ve done something I’ve loved. I’ve got a real passion for gaming and it’s been great to have done it for such a long period.”
British esports veterans Michael ‘Odee’ O’Dell (Dignitas founder and ReKTGlobal chief gaming officer), Paul ‘Redeye’ Chaloner (retired host and caster) and Rams ‘r2k’ Singh (former pro gamer and current esports lecturer at the University of Chichester), paid tribute to astz on Twitter:
Very sad to hear that my friend & one of my first signings in Esports @astzgamer Paul "astz" McGarrity has passed away. He was a very talented UT player he represented his country many times. He leaves behind a young family the community has set up a fund. https://t.co/rjOia7MNti pic.twitter.com/YA16Litrpp
I learned some horrible news this morning, a very dear old friend passed away today.
Paul "astz" McGarrity was an incredible UT player back in the day and we shared plenty of matches, LANs & bootcamps together.
My condolences to his wife and 3 children.
Rest in peace Paul ?
rip @astzgamer, devestated to hear this truly. only had his 36th bday a few days ago toohttps://t.co/AqcIVRlRXl
A post by zelvZ on ESReality.com read: “Most of us knew Paul as a true artisan and member of the UT2004 community. He was a true friend for this community, a kind and funny guy to spend time with and a great father for his three kids.
“I had the pleasure to meet him during a LAN tournament he organised in Dundee in 2011 (he did the full coverage of the tournament on ESR). I remember having a blast meeting UT legends for the first time such as ScrMz, Frantic, ecko and of course Paul.”
zelvZ also shared the following video of an epic last-minute comeback made by astz in an old ESL tournament, cast by British esports personality Paul ‘Redeye’ Chaloner:
“May you rest in peace UT legend, you will be missed.”
Dom is an award-winning writer who graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV as well as Riot Games and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Association up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and as an esports consultant helping brands and businesses better understand the industry.
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