Freak Elite

Freak Elite was a computer gaming clan based in southwest Michigan from 1998 to 2000. The group initially consisted of five individuals, all of which lived within five miles of each other. Freak Elite was the first gaming clan known for establishing close links with its members, specifically by not allowing outsiders that the group had never met to join. Because of this rule, the group developed very effective playing strategies, and was able to defeat most of their opponents, even if they were outnumbered five-to-one.

Initiation into Freak Elite required that an individual live within twenty miles of all other members. Rookies also went through a hazing ritual that involved ingesting an entire habanero pepper.

Players and Games

The members of Freak Elite wanted to play games that not a single person in the team was excessively better at than the rest; they also wanted to play a game that was different from everything else that was being played at the time. The group settled on Tribes because nobody had played it and it offered a unique feel different from other FPS games. After experimenting with what the game offered, Freak Elite settled on a modified version of Tribes known as "Shifter."

While the bread-and-butter of the team's gameplay was always Tribes, their horizons quickly expanded into other FPS games such as Quake 2, Quake 3, and Unreal Tournament.

All of the original Freak Elite players lived in and around the Kalamazoo, Michigan area, while the founding members resided in the town of Paw Paw. The founding player roster was as follows:

• Ultimatum (team captain)
• lethalwedgie (special operations)
• Mexican Wagon (engineer)
• Illcaster (defense)
• Doogar (offense)