Gamertag explanation

Over the years, many people have been curious about my gamertag and have had some difficulty in trying to pronounce it. Zikan is an anglicized version of Жиган, which was the nickname of the most prolific Russian sniper at the Battle of Stalingrad in World War II. The role of the Russian sniper in winning that battle was made famous in the Hollywood movie Enemy at the Gates which tells the story of another famous Russian sniper, Vasily Zaitsev. Zaitsev was credited with 149 kills at Stalingrad. The mysterious figure Zikan was credited with 224. Little else is known about him, including his real name.

The transliterized version of the name is zhee-gan. Most people that have played with me for years actually use the literal English of the gamertag tsi-can. Either one is fine with me - especially if I happen to be looking at you through the scope of a sniper rifle at the time...

Posted by Zikan @ 7:28 pm EDT | Permalink | 3 Comments