Mathieu is a young man who loves Halo, and you probably have at least a few things in common with him: a shared passion for the franchise, fond memories of previous titles, and a healthy obsession with the most recent game-related offering. That’s more than likely where the similarities end, however. Mathieu has successfully battled cancer three times in his 16 years of existence, but he was recently diagnosed with the deadly disease yet again. Not one to give up, he remains steadfast in his goal of finishing the fight. Pull up a chair, soak in his inspirational outlook on life, and take a few minutes to enjoy his Halo-related tales.

On the battlefield, you’re the Spartan with blue flames. But tell us more about the guy behind the highly sought-after helmet.

My name is Mathieu. In real life, people always call me Mat. On Xbox Live though, it’s ROG Survivor. I love playing Halo; that’s almost all I do if I'm not downloading a movie or talking to my friends on Facebook. Speaking of movies, I really think they should make a Halo movie. That would be awesome!

I heard Noble Team is a little tough to get in front of the camera these days! Speaking of Halo, when did you first discover the game, anyway?

I actually got introduced to the series with Halo 2. I had never heard of the first Halo, but then I started to see Halo 2 posters pretty much everywhere. Plus, everybody was freaking out about it because the first Halo was supposedly the best game on the Xbox. I still had a GameCube at the time, and I didn't really know what Halo was all about. Then one of my friends invited me to a party, and that’s where I fell for the game. I was so passionate about the graphics, the controls, and the competition!! At first they kinda kicked my butt, but then I eventually started to learn the tricks.

That sounds like a classic case of the student surpassing the teacher. Since you’ve played almost all of them, which of the Halo games is your favorite?

My favorite Halo game is Halo: Reach because of all the new stuff you can buy. The credit system, the armory, and especially the armor effects are awesome!

I bet those credits are constantly burning a hole in your virtual pocket! Armory-related or not, what has been your most memorable Halo moment thus far?

Wow, that’s easy. That would be when I got 100% Armory completion!! I nearly had a Heart Attack when I saw that! But I'm also an achievement guy. If I see someone who doesn't have a specific achievement, I always offer to do it with them, or I give help and tips on how to get it. I really enjoyed doing the Vidmaster Challenge on Halo 3 where you have to beat the last mission on Legendary with the four Ghosts. I think I helped 17 different people do that challenge.

You sound like an incredible teammate. So incredible, as a matter of fact, that I bet you have tons of people who regularly enjoy gaming with you. Can you tell us about some of them?

''ROG'' is the clan that recruited me. It stands for Rebels of Gaming. We just started the clan, so we’re trying to get as many recruits as we can. We are divided into four squads: Recon, Blood Lust, Wicked, and Soul. We like to help people with training and achievements while having fun with other gamers around the world. The best part is that we make friends doing it. Sometimes we'll organize tournaments where the winner gets a prize. It’s really fun, and members of the clan seem to enjoy it. If anybody wants to join the ROG clan, all they have to do is send me a message or friend request. We never trash-talk, and we respect both our opponents and our teammates. The most important thing is that we always end up having fun, whether we’re winning or losing.

Clearly you enjoy Halo, but how exactly has the game influenced your life?

Halo has inspired me to be very competitive and never give up. It’s the only game that I play on Live, and I really enjoy it. Because of Halo, I’ve been able to find a lot of other friends around the world who like the same stuff as me. I play almost every day, and I never get bored of it.

Let’s wrap this up with something we’ve all thought about at some point. If Halo made a character based off you, what would he be like?

I would call him Noble 7 Mat, nicknamed Survivor. I would equip him with the Security helmet, right Security shoulder and the UA/Multi-Threat configuration. He would have a strong personality, not scared of putting his life in danger to help others. Also calm but knows how to do his homework, if you know what I mean. He'd be very smart and have a strong will to live, to protect the people, and to never, ever, GIVE UP.

If you'd like to know more about the ROG clan, check out the links below. A super big thank you to Mathieu for the interview, and may you continue respawning in real life just as you do in Halo.

Check out the ROG website
Watch the ROG movie