EPTSo the story starts off before SC2 is released, we start in BW. I got into SC watching one of my acquaintance play fastest map possible, it was the first time i had ever seen this type of game played (RTS) up until then i played SSB or Goldeneye games your average kid played. I just have to say i was at his house for an hour but in that little time i was hooked. Watching the units move to the players command and the sheer destruction someone could deliver instantly got me latched on. I asked to play a game and i had no idea of course but he helped me (Cheat Codes) then slowly and painfully learned what each building did etc... So when i had to leave my friend seeing how much i enjoyed this game let me borrow it! Now this friend/acquaintance i only ever saw maybe once every few months so we both knew he wasn't getting it back for awhile. Well he never got it back because i didn't see him for a year and he had forgotten about the game all together.
Well my SC1 time was nothing special, i didnt play any 1v1 games because it was to difficult to understand macro and game mechanics. What i did get into was UMS maps now UMS in the later Starcraft years was impressive, map makers knew how to do insane thngs (Building stackings my favorite or Ling stacking). Well UMS was simpler, you where given money to start or it happened every 4 mins or so. So most of the responsibility was managing your army. Well from SC1 since i really got no sense of macro playing UMS maps my Micro/Strategic planning was superb i would say.
SC2 was announced sometime (i dont remember) and i told myself i would be damn good at this game since i had SC1 "Experience" I was known around my friends in high school as the Starcraft "guy" so when one of my friends wanted to get interested i was really excited since this would be the first IRL person i could play SC with. Well SC2 is released during my Senior summer/College Freshman and i placed gold. I was one of those people who felt "misplaced" and stuck in Gold league being #1 in my ladder for week blah blah blah.... Well enough blabber of stuff you have heard a million times right? Husky and HDStarcraft where my only SC2 casters i knew at the time and they where entertaining so i thought at the time i was learning all this awesome SC2 stuff. During the HDH invitational i watched Day[9] Vs Tasteless, during the interview with Day9 they said he had a channel so i thought "How bad could he be?" I was getting tired of Husky and HD at the time any way.
Day[9] i watched his first video that i cant even remember, but i really liked his analytical style which HD and Husky lacked, i felt this guy sounded like he knew his shit. I found out about the Day9 daily's and watched those nearly every day but i have to say what really got me to LOVE Day[9] was Daily #100 which i ABSOLUTELY RECOMMEND you watch if you have not yet. I won't lie i shed a tear when he had to face Tasteless then beat him then get advice during the tournament. But I don't do Day9 enough justice, i would of never gotten my scrawny Gold League-->Top 10 Master league with out watching his Daily's every day.
Switching gears here; College new experience's, new friends , new environment.Being a freshman and not knowing a SINGLE person in this entire campus was both frightening but fresh. I had gotten bored of seeing the exact same people for 4 year (Not my friends of course xD). I really wanted to see how i could handle being on my own and i wanted to start new. i handled my self alright my first semester GPA wise. But friend/girlfriend wise, i had less friends than finger on my hands girlfriend 0. I spent my days at class my nights playing Starcraft and my Friday/Saturdays/Sunday's playing tournaments. I was basically a hermit, i went to less than 3 parties in my first semster. Came out of my room to use the bathroom/go to class/eat by myself. Needless to say i got through that first semster really only cause my best friend from home talked to me all the time on Skype so i could fool myself into thinking i still talked to people (So much for being able to handle myself huh?)
So its finals week and i have a shit ton of projects due and tests to study for so i decide to stop playing Starcraft for 3 weeks. Well it was during that time i noticed how dependent i was, going 3 weeks with out starcraft and limiting my time on TL proved itself to be a trial which i would say i failed. I couldn't got an hour without opening TL at least once to check on a new Strategy or learn some new little nifty trick. Well after my finals finished it was then i really noticed how dependent i became on Starcraft. It was like my own little drug sometimes the University internet shit itself on me and i would lag drop -->Rage. Let me toss this in im actually a pretty cool headed person but this school internet was so horrid i had never run into poor internet it was either good or no internet. Well when 6000 people are using the internet it happens, i hate being angry i honestly despise it. So when ever i get angry at someone because of something that had nothing to do with them i feel terrible. I didn't like being dependent on something, this is also why i hate drugs i never like to feel dependent on someone or something im an independent person, i might make excuses sometimes but i know its my fault at the end.
Some might say well didn't you have a room mate? the answer is Yes/no, yes i technically had one but we where two different type of people. Him a pothead, skirt chaser, me the nerd. Often times i spent weekends in the room and him at his girlfriends apartment. Eventually he spent probably 5 days a week there coming back for clothes or whatever so in reality we hardly ever spoke.
Well at the end of my first semester i really re-evaluated myself and i really didn't like it when i said it aloud to myself.
1. I got Lucky my Professors where nice and curved our grades since i was in intro classes.
2. I knew about 3 girls on campus and i could actually name every person i knew on a campus of 4000
3. Only ever won one tournament
4. Instead of watching TV so others could figure out what i was doing i watched my own replays/pro replays.
5. People only ever talked to me about SC2 but that was just cause they where friendly.
Winter break comes, and i tell myself i want to get good grades/be more social/ get laid-Girlfriend. I thought to myself what did i spend most of my time on? Wasn't difficult TeamLiquid/SC2 When ever i had projects or homework due i would browse SC2 Forum and just spend hours reading strategies or someones insane mathematical calculation about every little detail even worker splitting. SC2 consumed my weekends/nights and TL whenever i was on internet i just browsed it over maybe bumping NaDa's body to keep it alive. But still i didn't think of quitting i only thought of playing less and possibly browsing TL less.
So now we come to the end, while i was browsing TL i came across Plexa's retirement, although i didn't know much about Plexa i knew two things 1. He was an admin meaning he was powerful and a veteran. 2. He wrote up the PvZ guide that alone made me want to worship him. This quote really hit home for me.
"One thing I've learned over the last week is that if you want something, you have to reach out and grab it before it's too late. Don't be too chicken shit scared to want and go after the things you want. Last week I didn't, and by the time I realised it was almost too late (hell, it still might be). If you sit by passively and let the world wash you by then nothing will become of you. You'll just be another meaningless face on this planet. So step up and go after your dreams, desires and passions. You'll regret it forever if you don't... trust me."
This froze me up, not because he was a TL admin but now theres a person behind the name. Its not just your internet handle hes a living breathing person with his own problems. I wouldn't say this was the reason i decided to quit but it was a huge push.
So here i am now in my second semester, i've actually made more friends in 4 weeks than i have in one semester have been out parties ( Subjective to weather that is good or not, but being more social is the focus) actually managed to work my courage to talk to a few girls. Still working in the girlfriend situation hopefully will start to look up soon. My studying habits have definitely been better. My midterm just passed and i feel good about them. So really things have been looking up
Now for the possible most important section of this long winded blog. I LOVE SC2 AND TL, I do not at ALL blame SC2 or TL for my life short comings and failures. I blame myself and only myself, at the end of the day i CHOSE to click on that TL icon and click the SC2 Icon no one forced me. I CHOSE to not go out on weekends i dont blame SC2 for keeping me in my room. I'm not telling people to quit SC2 and bam your life all of a sudden gets better. The community is a great thing i expect it to grow and become even more amazing than it already is. People like Day9 and Tasteless will become legends and i'm happy to say if even for a short while i was apart of it.
I'll leave TL with final words and my favorite quote
Teamliquid i hope you stay amazing, the mods and people here are amazing E-Sports will grow and grow yea i wont be here to be a part of it Everyone may hate on Husky but i never would of found Day9 or TL with out Husky and Day9 with out you i never would of had1/4 of the game knowledge and skill i have. Everyone should follow their dreams no matter how wild it seems, i can say this because my dream is to go to outer space the most dangerous exploration there is and see the universe as it really is.
Thank you to everyone who read this and i hope you at least tried to enjoy the read if not im sorry but at least take my small amount of advice.
- DreamChaser
"Almost everything--all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure--these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."
-Steve Jobs
P.S i love this quote but i hate Steve Jobs
Enjoy your life, and maybe one day fate will bring you back here again 
