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An increasing number of people seem to believe that I work full-time in gaming/eSports. As much as I'd like to say that's true, this is simply not the case.
When CGS (Championship Gaming Series) closed it's doors in late 2008, I tried very hard to stay full-time in the world of gaming... but unfortunately I had difficulty finding a company who was hiring, and paying enough for me to support my family (Jade519, miniWHEAT, & the Cats) in Los Angeles (which is a very expensive place to live... and raise a family).
In early 2009 I had to make one of the most difficult decisions of my life. I either had to put my family at risk and try to make ends meet with various (and inconsistent) gaming gigs, or I had to fall back on my IT background and rejoin the Workforce in Corporate America. Technically, the decision WAS easy because family will always be #1... but what made it difficult is that my heart belongs to gaming and the thought of going back to "regular work" was not something I was ready to do.
So in 2009 I rejoined a company I had worked for previously, and took over the position as the Manager of their Remote Cloud Backup Service. This "8 to 5" job brought a level of stability back to my families lives and that allowed me to step back into gaming... but strictly from "hobby" standpoint.
For the past two years I've continued in this fashion. And below is an insight to my everyday life (under OneMoreGame) as a husband, a father, an IT Professional, and a broadcaster:
6:30AM - 7:00AM: Wake up. Get ready for work. Put on the shitty shirt and tie that we're required to wear. Say goodbye to the wife and the miniWHEAT.
7:30AM - 4:00PM: Arrive at work and get ready for a day of managing the team, improving the infrastructure, bringing on new clients, maintaining our current customers, 2nd level support... and whatever else gets thrown into the mix. I take a small lunch, usually dedicated to eating quickly and trying to catch up on everything going on in the world of eSports/Gaming. I try to sneak in some TL and reddit time during the day, but for the most part I am on the phone with customers and/or employees. I don't like my job much. It's not challenging, it's very repetitive (except when there are disasters - and it's sad to say these are my favorite times at work... simply because they present new challenges) - but the biggest benefit from the job is stability and knowing that this job provides everything I need for the family.
4:15PM - 5:30PM: Come home from work. Immediately begin working on the setup for the shows for that evening on OneMoreGame. I usually get about 15 minutes during this time to hang out with my wife and son.
6:00PM - 7:30PM: Shows are on air. This is a fun part of the day  I am always happy with a Microphone in front of me.
7:30PM - 7:45PM: During the break before EG Masters Cup (or whatever we are covering) I usually say good night to miniWHEAT since he will probably be going to bed while I'm on-air. It's sad to think that I get about 1 hour with my son everyday. And I only hope that when he grows up he'll understand why I put so much time and effort into my hobbies.
EDIT: I feel less guilt about this now because miniWHEAT has begun school! And now that he's actively learning all day I feel much better about our quality time in the evenings. Thank goodness for Kindergarten!!!
8:00PM - 11:00PM: Casting EG Master's Cup.
11:00PM - Midnight: The one hour I get to enjoy with my wife. Whether it's just chit-chatting, watching TV, or playing some games... this is another valuable hour of the day that I can't imagine not having.
Rinse and Repeat.
At least on Thursdays and Fridays (which have no shows) I get to increase the time spend with my wife and son by several hours. This is also about the only time I get freetime to myself. It's usually poured right back into playing games or watching SC2 VODs.
Saturday is typically reserved for FAMILY day, and we always try to do something together to make up for all the lost time during the week. Sunday is a half-n-half day since the shows begin, but there's no work so at least I can put in some family time.
As I write this... I almost feel ashamed. Someone could look at this and go, "God Wheat... you put more into gaming than you do your own family". And I guess I can't deny that. Thankfully, I'm married to a wonderful woman who's been with me on my entire eSports journey. She knows that gaming and broadcasting are my passions and that I want more than anything to dedicate my entire professional career to it. The fact that she can even endure this type of schedule is beyond me... but she knows deep down why I do it... and she lets me continue to chase my dream.
As for miniWHEAT... I honestly hope that I'm laying a solid foundation for him to follow in my footsteps. Whether he turns out to be a Fireman, a Space Marine, a game commentator, or a pro-Gamer... at least he can see that if you pour your heart and soul into something you believe in... you can make your dreams happen.
I'm trying very hard to get back into gaming full-time, and I hope that OneMoreGame will be the start of that. I don't think about the content I'm currently producing... I think of all the content I COULD be producing if I could dedicate my 100% to it. The balance is very difficult though, and it's something I may have to deal with for my entire life.
It could be easy to just say, "FUCK IT"... accept the desk job for the rest of my life and be done with everything. But frankly, I think I would become a lifeless shell of nothing if I didn't have some level of gaming, production, and eSports in my life. I don't like to sit on the side lines... I like to be right in the middle of the action.
Thanks to everyone for supporting the new project, eSports, etc. but if you've made it this far... I want to ask you a favor. I want you to take a moment and thank all the people BEHIND the people in eSports. The JenJen's (@jade519 - my wife) and the miniWHEAT's (@djminiWHEAT - my son) of this industry who deal with the dedication of those in pro-gaming. Without them, I can't imagine any of this would even be possible.
For all you aspiring casters out there, who are also looking to do these things full-time... I offer you a bit of advice:
- Don't get burnt out. Trust me... it's VERY easy. And the more you juggle the bigger the possibility is that you will get completely burnt out. You never want to feel burnt doing the things you love... so be careful (I have to tell myself this constantly)
- If you're going to be in a relationship, you better find someone who is going to support you in EVERYTHING YOU DO. I'm fucking serious here. I would not be who I am in eSports if it wasn't for the support of my wife. My own best friends don't even understand why I dedicate so much time to eSports, but JenJen is different. She's seen me compete, she's seen me grow as a caster, she's always been there to bring light to even the darkest of times. If you don't have this support behind you... you will fail.
- Better have a backup plan. I'm fortunate enough that before I began casting (when I was first playing Quake Professionally) I put alot of time and effort into schooling and specifically Information Technology. While it's great to be working in gaming full-time, you have to remember that we're still a fairly unstable and fragile industry. One day you could have a job doing this or that, and 2 years later everything could change. For your own sanity, safety, and future... you should be able to answer the question: "What would I do in life if I wasn't working in gaming full-time?"
I'm happy to finally write this blog... I hope that it can provide some good insight for those wondering and for any aspiring casters, players, writers, etc who want to get into full-time gaming. I'm always happy to advise and consult in these types of things, and make myself available to anyone who may have questions or seek direction.
The End.
Bortlett Asks: How much do your coworkers know about your casting? Is it tough to get time off work to travel to various events such as MLG?
I'm glad you asked that question. My co-workers know that I'm this "guy who goes to gaming events", but I'm not sure that any of them quite understand just how deep my involvement goes. And that's fine with me. I'm happy to separate the two from one another (even though it would be awesome to work with a StarCraft nerd to two [we have zero... they all play CoD and crap like that]).
But more importantly, I wanted to talk about that time off. I have 3 weeks of vacation (because I've worked at this company for so long). When I take time off to do an event, I have to tap into my own vacation in order to do it. It really sucks. Because I would love to say YES to every opportunity that comes around. A great example is the Dreamhack series. I love those guys over there and would have loved to be involved with them this year, but with such a limited amount of vacation I have to consider things like, "how many days would I be traveling", "if I go do this event, can I go do these other events?". It's another aspect of delicate balance I have to deal with. It's also the reason why I have to favor the NA events over the EU events. Because an EU event can mean 5 days away from work which is a large chunk of vacation. I want to cry every time Day[9] and I talk about doing an event that I cannot goto because of this limited vacation. Probably one of the worst things about the job.
Another problem with this is that my "bank" job can't always be so flexible. If a big project is underway or a major disaster happens, I may be called to duty. So every time I sign on to do an event, I'm praying that shit works while I'm gone :D I'm lucky enough to not have dealt with this (minus a few conflicts with work meetings/trips that prevented me from doing some coverage).
 
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This is great insight especially for younger people or those who are not familiar with your work.
Keep up the great work, and know that [ if you didn't already ] that a lot of fans and players at least somewhat recognize the enormous effort/time-commitment/entertainment that you provide.
Personally the whole caster and streaming boom has been overall negative but I'm happy as hell your voice and personality joined our community. You are totally right about needing someone to support you 100% if you want to go all the way in sc2 esports.
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I must say, Wheat. It's a damn amazing blog. I think you are lucky enough to have a family of your own that supports you for what you love to do. I know that times are tough and you need to balance things out for the sake of your family. Still, I wish you the best.
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God, wheat. You're an inspiration - I used to work in technology and am now a lawyer but all I do at work (while doing law) is think about gaming. I can't tell you how envious I am of you!
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It's amazing to see what people can do with 168 hours when they are really passionate about something.
Lotsa respect, Marcus!
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This was a very heartwarming blog djWHEAT, thank you very much for sharing. I never realized how much you sacrifice to supply the community.
If you ever need help for anything, please don't hesitate to ask .
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you are the man djWHEAT! cheers to mini & Jade too!
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These kinds of people that makes Starcraft and esport so awesome! Love your mindset and dedication! Keep it up!
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Mind=blown...
No more doubts in my mind bout you Wheat.
G frickin G.
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Thanks for the insight Wheat! You have an entire community that supports you. Being aspiring casters and aspiring eSports businessmen, HyperCrew has always listened to and heeded your advice. I wish you the best at your job, and I completely agree about getting burned out. I sometimes have to find ways to get excited, but watching what places like, IGN, MLG and onemoregame can do, it's easy to have goals. Thank you so much from HyperCrew and the entire eSports community! See you in Columbus.
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Thank you for everything you do for the community, and thanks to your wife for being so supportive. Amazing blog, I never really considered that you put so much of your freetime into gaming. You are brilliant.
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djWheat: I don't like my job much. It's not challenging, it's very repetitive... but the biggest benefit from the job is stability and knowing that this job provides everything I need for the family [emphasis added].
Great perspective, much respect sir. All the life noobs (i.e. "younglings") on TL need to do some laddering to your GM status!
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Wheat, you're awesome.
I started my own company so that I can have more free time to be a geek
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Very interesting to see what it's like behind the scenes. It's good to see that you have family only time that nothing else can touch, and I'm sure your kid will understand when he's older. You're a lucky man to have a wife that supports you with all that you do, especially given the unorthodox choice of gaming. Great blog and thanks for all that you do for the community and that I'm sure you will do in the future
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Good article. I love all the content you produce and if there is something, us - your fans, can do to help you to go full time eSports, please let us know.
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How much do your coworkers know about your casting? Is it tough to get time off work to travel to various events such as MLG?
Thanks a ton for the blog djWheat, you're an irreplacable member of the esports community and an inspiration to all .
EDIT: Also, I really hope you save this for miniWheat when he's older, I think it will be something he will love to read.
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Very interesting read
It's sad that one of the biggest most popular names in Esports still can't support his small family financially doing what he does
If I had the diligence you do I'm sure I could contribute a whole lot more to this community, even though the passion is there. If a family man with a son and wife and a full time job can do this much, a med student living with gf and Dog like myself sure as hell should be able to easily contribute more.
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As far as I can tell man MiniWheat will grow up to be a great person, he is a super cool kid and I think he will turn out great. I wish you luck as you try to keep your sanity in that insanely crazy schedule you have.
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Canada1637 Posts
Keep up the great work Wheat, if anyone deserves to be able to support themselves fully off eSports, its you . I think you'll be there soon!
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5/5 good read buddy. I know it's a tough balancing act between lady friend, family and games. It's lucky you found someone who is so accepting of the hobby. I can only hope to be as lucky as you in this regard.
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Great blog. Having passions is so important. I hope someday you find a way to replace your job with a steady income from esports
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djWHEAT holding life down like a boss. :D
Thanks for all the incredible content you give to the community! Thanks to everyone behind the scenes who remain supportive of all the great people in the E-sports world.
Keep up the good work djWHEAT. I look forward to each week's shows.
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I remember watching you cast WCG some years ago with Tasteless when you weren't involved in sc. The sc community is pretty damn lucky that you're fully involved here now.
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Easily 5/5, and I think you said it in the blog, but when miniWheat grows up and if he wants to follow you in the world of gaming, all the time you do OneMoreGame can be essentially time spent with him.
Props to you Wheat.
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Marcus,
Thanks for sharing. The time management skills, support and constant focus is something that is a gift. I agree with the above poster that you should save tis for miniWHeat!
Great, great post!
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Thanks for writing this Wheat. Its great to have some insight into your life. Im glad that the shows are sponsored now, hopefully that helps you out in the long run.
<3
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WHEAT = WINNING. mad respect!
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You seems like a really caring guy, and don't worry about being perceived as a bad role model, you spend the vast majority of your time creating content that makes thousands of people happy, and you have fun while doing it, all the while holding down a separate job.
If that isn't a positive role model, I don't know what is.
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Really hope that wheat can sustain himself and his family from doing just esports one day, if anyone deserves it its definantly him.
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Hopefully Kingston pays to have their iNcontrol advert on your shows Wheat :>
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FuDDx
United States5008 Posts
Nice to see others going through similar things as I am(different medium) Great insight and inspiring thanks Mr Wheat!!
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Really interesting read... honestly didn't know you had a job as well as your eSports stuff.
Best of luck Wheat, you're awesome
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Big props man and Epic blog. I hope most of anything else that when he grows up he'll begin to understand how famous his dad is and what you mean to so many people.
Will favorite this one on my comp for a while.
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wow, I always assumed you were doing the casting/gaming full-time, as it's always very high-quality, solid content. I hope someday soon e-sports grows enough that you can secure stable work and income doing what you really enjoy full time.
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thanks for your good work Wheat :}
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On May 28 2011 01:44 Bortlett wrote:How much do your coworkers know about your casting? Is it tough to get time off work to travel to various events such as MLG? Thanks a ton for the blog djWheat, you're an irreplacable member of the esports community and an inspiration to all . EDIT: Also, I really hope you save this for miniWheat when he's older, I think it will be something he will love to read.
I'm glad you asked that question. My co-workers know that I'm this "guy who goes to gaming events", but I'm not sure that any of them quite understand just how deep my involvement goes. And that's fine with me. I'm happy to separate the two from one another (even though it would be awesome to work with a StarCraft nerd to two [we have zero... they all play CoD and crap like that]).
But more importantly, I wanted to talk about that time off. I have 3 weeks of vacation (because I've worked at this company for so long). When I take time off to do an event, I have to tap into my own vacation in order to do it. It really sucks. Because I would love to say YES to every opportunity that comes around. A great example is the Dreamhack series. I love those guys over there and would have loved to be involved with them this year, but with such a limited amount of vacation I have to consider things like, "how many days would I be traveling", "if I go do this event, can I go do these other events?". It's another aspect of delicate balance I have to deal with. It's also the reason why I have to favor the NA events over the EU events. Because an EU event can mean 5 days away from work which is a large chunk of vacation. I want to cry every time Day[9] and I talk about doing an event that I cannot goto because of this limited vacation. Probably one of the worst things about the job.
Another problem with this is that my "bank" job can't always be so flexible. If a big project is underway or a major disaster happens, I may be called to duty. So every time I sign on to do an event, I'm praying that shit works while I'm gone :D I'm lucky enough to not have dealt with this (minus a few conflicts with work meetings/trips that prevented me from doing some coverage).
I will save this for miniWHEAT Thanks for the idea.
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Amazing Blog post. I feel your pain. I work 60-72 hours a week and
want to spend time trying to get involved in Esports and playing SC2
I really Applaud you for doing what you love your an inspiration to us all. Thank you so much
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Your passion is inspiring
I also hope you are saving some of the teaching miniWHEAT series vods for his 18th birthday.
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we appreciate what you do wheat!
I wish I had the drive to spend the time you do contributing to esports
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I'm amazed that you still have your voice Wheat. After years upon years of really pioneering your position, working on radio and broadcast work, shoutcasting, and now that your'e on the phone with coworkers and clients during the day and go directly into casting at night, I'm truly amazed.
Your family is as lucky to have you and you are to having them. You do such an amazing service to whichever community you are a part of and you often times dont' get the credit you deserve.
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Very inspiring djWheat, I hope everything works out for you because having OMG take off isn't just more time for eSports, but more time for your family as well. Made me sad that you couldn't spend as much time as you could with them T_T
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You are awesome wheat! I wish the best for you and your family =)
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Give this man an award or something.
Holding down a full time job and dedicating that much time into a passion with a family...
I have no child and no shows to host but I do want to dedicate my free time to creating a possible future career in eSports, you give me hope!
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You are awesome. Please keep being awesome.
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Good write-up, bud. Hopefully people will understand what's involved with this kind of lifestyle now. Next one should be about effort put in and return when we started out, hahaha.
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I feel really lucky to have you as a part of the community Wheat. You put so much of yourself into what you do and I am thankful for this. The day you are able to do starcraft full time will be a good day for the scene.
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Calgary25977 Posts
This is why people call me a dick. Because whenever someone writes "I want to be a professional Starcraft player" or "I want to commentate full time" I'm always the first one in there telling him hobbies should stay hobbies. Starcraft rarely pays, and when it does, it often pays poorly. If one of the top guys can't support himself through commentary, what does that say about the rest of us?
That said, I hope one day someone with a golden voice and incredible marketing and business development skills comes in and shows us how to scoop up a ton of money through sponsored commentary. Until that day I'll remain a hobbyist because I'm certainly not that man.
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Wow, I had no idea, and couldn' even imagine, that you have a fulltime job alongside all the esports related stuff you do. Sounds like you work incredibly hard, and while I'm not really a fan of your shows (just by personal preference) I really hope it will pay off and you can safely live off your SC2 endeavours as soon as possible.
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Wow, I had no idea that you worked a full time job on top of his SC2 responsibilities. Props to your wife. Must be awesome to have someone that supportive there :D
And keep up the awesome work! The community greatly appreciates it!
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Amazing. I love how personal this is.
Also, mad respect for working a shitty job so that your family is in a stable state. That is just about the most important, best thing that I can think of.
Also, you'll get a break at some point. Maybe not now, or for a few months, or a year, but something will happen eventually. The whole TL community is behind you, which may not mean much, but it means something.
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This was really cool! Great for everyone to truly understand how things are done.
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Wow I had no idea. Goddamn, someone hire this man!
I don't think you need to worry about being considered a "bad parent". Its clear that you've made a lot of sacrifices and really love your family. You sir are a role model.
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Very interesting read djWHEAT, thank you for putting this out there. I half-expected something like this, but didn't realize how little time you actually got to spend with your family. I hope that you can one day sustain yourself purely on the blood of ESPORTS, but I realize you're not there yet -- maybe when OneMoreGame really takes off.
Once again, thank you so much for posting this, hopefully this will help aspiring casters and, sadly, haters aswell realize how much it takes to do something substantial in ESPORTS. Hopefully people realize that casters can't just play 15 hours a day to try and improve themselves when they see your schedule...
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Love the effort wheat. If the snippets we get from Miniwheat are any indication he is going to be the most baller person of all time, so it looks like you are doing well with the fathering too! Keep it up! Weapon of Choice with you and chill is right up there with state of the game for my listen pleasure
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Just wanna say hats off to you DJ. Sounds like time is a crunch, so I think it is amazing to see your consistent dedication to eSports.
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I hope you and Chill discuss this on the next episode of Weapon of Choice. I think it'd bring a lot of much needed discussion around the issue and make people think a lot more critically when they are crying ESPORTS to the heavens.
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You're a lucky man, Wheat, no doubt.
I really enjoy your work, and can totally understand having to work a job, you're not really happy with. I do a little podcasting myself, and would probably love doing that more, but it's kinda hard fitting all the pieces together, even if you're single, as I am - I can't imagine having a family.
Cheers to you man, love your work, and I hope that you end up doing this full time.
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It's sad that we don't get to see you at Dreamhack, would love to hear you and 2gd cast the quake tournament No fluff!
I hope you can return 100% to esports, keep up the good work!
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Very nice read DJ, nice to know that some of the top casters have to sustain a full time job. Brings the reality to light that at the current state of esports you cannot solely rely on it for a living. Perhaps if you didn't have a family to help support it would be a different story. Either way the amount of content you bring to the table helps me eat up the time I am not at work. I hope everything goes well for you now and in the future.
Cheers  .
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My all time favorite caster from waaaay back. Keep up the good stuff!
RESPECT!
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That was really an inspiring story; it actually almost made me cry. It's hard to imagine the dedication you have, so explaining it is really eye-opening. I just hope that you are happy and can always be at least a little bit active in casting and your shows, because you're awesome!
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On May 28 2011 02:32 Kralic wrote:
Perhaps if you didn't have a family to help support it would be a different story
Perhaps...
But that of course is a joy in itself. I wouldn't give those two up for the world or even the best job in gaming. If anything, it's those two who motivate me to keep on keeping on.
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Great read as always Marcus! It is my goal and mission to make this a full-time career for you again my friend. I will not fail you or that wonderful family of yours.
Scoots
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On May 28 2011 02:34 Darathor wrote:
That was really an inspiring story; it actually almost made me cry. It's hard to imagine the dedication you have, so explaining it is really eye-opening. I just hope that you are happy and can always be at least a little bit active in casting and your shows, because you're awesome!
I hope I didn't give the impression I'm NOT happy... because I am. I'm happy that I can support my family, I'm happy to have an active role in eSports, I'm happy with every minute I do get to spend with the family...
If there was one thing I'm not completely happy with is that I'm not doing what I love full-time. But I'm also very realistic because I have been there before, and it offers it's own set of challenges. Regardless, I'm not going anywhere even if that means juggling a schedule like this for many years to come.
I hope it also shows I never got into eSports for the money. I got into eSports because I fucking love it. I've been grinding away for the last 11 years using my passion as fuel.
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Holy crap. Spend more time with your family. You only get to see your son grow up once. Am I the only one who thinks this schedule is wholly unbalanced?
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On May 28 2011 02:40 denzelz wrote:
Holy crap. Spend more time with your family. You only get to see your son grow up once. Am I the only one who thinks this schedule is wholly unbalanced?
Did you even read the whole post? Go re-read the section where he specifically answers your question.
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I consider myself pretty lucky to be doing eSports full time, however I'm young and stupid and have no ties to anything so I don't necessarily need to think about anyone but myself atm.
Best of luck WHEAT
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hey wheat, I appreciate you posting this and giving me a little bit of personal advice because I love casting SC2... well... i love talking... i love SC2... so... they just kinda fit  but I have to ask one more thing. How do you know when you can officially get into eSports full time and if so when would you quit your day job? Yes I'm sure you get TONS of offers every week for certain tournaments and such but, if they gave you a steady paycheck from something like NASL or yadda yadda to do what you love to do but requires you to decide... just... how? It seems like a whole inner dialogue mind wrestle... "and in this corner wearing the ripped pants and the blood stained tie... LOGIC!!! His challenger, just waking up out of bed wearing Jinx gear all the time, all time record holder for longest breath in middle of cast... DREAMS!!!" I'm blowing it out of proportion but you get my question i hope and a slight chuckle i hope ^_~ But how can you follow your true inspiration and passion when you have a chain of reality and commitment to your family(not a bad thing, just... saying it how i see it) constantly hold you back from obtaining what you have been striving for all this time.......
Regardless if you read or answer, much love bro and as always keep fighting the good fight ♥ ♥ ♥
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Much respect. Your shows often help me through my day and always make me laugh and smile while at work. Thanks for everything you do. Big thanks to miniWHEAT and your wife for supporting you and allowing you to provide amazing content that entertains quite a lot of people.
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On May 28 2011 02:46 deepfield1 wrote:Show nested quote +On May 28 2011 02:40 denzelz wrote:
Holy crap. Spend more time with your family. You only get to see your son grow up once. Am I the only one who thinks this schedule is wholly unbalanced? Did you even read the whole post? Go re-read the section where he specifically answers your question.
Yes, he says it is a hobby and something that he enjoys doing. But he is spending 5 hours a day on Starcraft and spend 2 hours with his family. I understand his rationale but I am questioning it nevertheless.
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djwheat, you are the glue that holds e-sports together. What you do for the competitive gaming communities is unquantifiable.
Muchos Lovos.
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On May 28 2011 02:40 denzelz wrote:
Holy crap. Spend more time with your family. You only get to see your son grow up once. Am I the only one who thinks this schedule is wholly unbalanced?
I'm sure you won't even read the follow up to this... but I did answer the question in your post. Even I call myself out for being imbalanced.
It's funny that you bring that up about miniWHEAT because I had a similar relationship with my father. He traveled a lot. He worked a full-time position and when he wasn't he was a major player in US and International Gymnastics. He judged the Olympics from 76 until recently, he's in the Gymnastics Hall of Fame as a judge, he re-wrote the entire scoring system for the Parallel bars that is used internationally today.
He was as busy as I am now. I have an amazing relationship with my father. And I obviously learned one of the most important life lessons from him... having a good work ethic. I don't sit here and blame my father for not being around as much as he could have been... I sit here and thank my lucky stars that he was passing along a valuable set of life tools.
The moments I do spend with my family are cherished. The time may be limited, but every minute is priceless.
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On May 28 2011 02:46 deepfield1 wrote:Show nested quote +On May 28 2011 02:40 denzelz wrote:
Holy crap. Spend more time with your family. You only get to see your son grow up once. Am I the only one who thinks this schedule is wholly unbalanced? Did you even read the whole post? Go re-read the section where he specifically answers your question.
I don't think is request to spend more time with his family is unreasonable. If they support him that's great, and we are in no position to judge. However, at the risk of being hypocritical, the time the man gets to spend with his family is at a stark minimum.
Like Chill said, if djWheat - a man who has been in the industry for years with tons of experience - is struggling to find time for ESPORTS, is it worth it for anyone? djWheat is truly a special case, but it may be a pretty terrible decision for most people without the right support system, which is why denzelz is questioning his lifestyle - anyone else probably would have had to give up ESPORTS a long time ago.
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Thank you for writing this. Thank you for being awesome.
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Great blog Wheat. I often think that the average fan has little idea how much time is invested by some people in eSports. Been a fan for a LONG time and continue to be.
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djWHEAT, you're very lucky to have such a supportive wife. Keep making sure the lady knows how special she is!
On May 28 2011 02:17 Chill wrote:
This is why people call me a dick. Because whenever someone writes "I want to be a professional Starcraft player" or "I want to commentate full time" I'm always the first one in there telling him hobbies should stay hobbies. Starcraft rarely pays, and when it does, it often pays poorly. If one of the top guys can't support himself through commentary, what does that say about the rest of us?
That said, I hope one day someone with a golden voice and incredible marketing and business development skills comes in and shows us how to scoop up a ton of money through sponsored commentary. Until that day I'll remain a hobbyist because I'm certainly not that man.
Count me as out of the loop, but -- does what you're saying mesh with Day[9]'s situation? I can't say I'm privy to the amount of money involved with, say, the $5/mo "bonus subscription" to the Daily, but napkin math will show it's a sizable amount with even 1000 subscribers (and I would tend to expect there are much more than that...).
Admittedly, that can't be a sustainable model for the entire commentating/casting industry (Are viewers going to pay $5/mo per show they watch? Probably not.), but surely it's headed in the right direction.
(Not that I'm discounting that there are clearly major financial challenges associated with a career in eSports commentary.)
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On May 28 2011 02:47 ChocoboRider.388 wrote:
How do you know when you can officially get into eSports full time and if so when would you quit your day job?
There are several factors my wife and I consider (and yes she's a major part of making these types of decisions because they effect the entire family):
- Is there stability? Right now nearly every eSports job lacks this. It's the cold hard truth. No one can predict what things will be like in 5 years... so you have to consider the future even when making decisions about the present.
- Benefits - And this goes for anyone. Having benefits is huge. Knowing that if something happened to my wife and child, I wouldn't have to worry about medical insurance or something to that effect. If you can get benefits... DO IT. Some people don't think about this kind of thing yet, but for anyone who's 21 and older... you should seriously start thinking about it!
- Not stepping backwards - It's easy to take a job that might be less money and no benefits, but when you get accustomed to a certain lifestyle, it's hard to change that. So for my families sake I want to make sure that I won't interrupt their lifestyles because I want to pursue my dream. That's one sacrifice I won't make.
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Wheat! Very awesome read. I very much hope you get to support your family full time through esports very very soon. You deserve all the support you get, and I wish the best for you and your family!
Good luck!
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You, sir, are a hero. Keep fighting the good fight, we all appreciate what you do for us.
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nice writeup wheat. lots of respect for you
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First of all, this was an awesome reading. Very well detailed and with many useful information about your life and dedication to eSports but i'm not going to comment on DjWheat's role on eSports in general but only on the Starcraft 2 community.
There are several people that are "key" in the success of Starcraft 2 worldwide. Marcus "DjWheat" Graham is obviously one of them.
I don't know DjWheat's professional career because i only "found" him and his shows earlier last year, when i got selected for the Starcraft 2 Beta in February and started googling about the game.
Several times i asked myself "how is this guy not divorced?"... And the answer came during one show (Epileptic Gaming) that aired during Blizzcon 2010 where his wife was actually watching the Blizzcon streaming of Huk playing and cheering at him... With a wife that loves Starcraft 2 and games that are not Farmville or Sims ( L O L ), all becomes easier to understand.... This fact changes everything...
I'm following djWheat on Twitter and 90% of his tweets are about gaming. The rest is family, work and some random stuff he finds and shares.
@DjWheat
I'm about your age, my working schedule is similar to yours and i find it hard to believe that you have the "strength and will" to still be able to do your shows after a working day, sacrificing playing some games or spending time with your family. If i start playing or do anything "computer-related" when i arrive at home after work, 'someone' gets pissed at me... :S
Anyways, I really appreciate what you are doing for the community and i thank you for that. I would also like to thank your wife, jenjen, for supporting you and allowing you to provide us with useful information and content on your solid, top-quality shows.
Regards,
Spinal
PS: bring Epileptic Gaming back, funniest show ever... please with cherry on top?
PS2: Miniwheat's training over? I'm asking this because I saw the first two and i believe that no more were aired ( dunno if there are more or if miniwheat got bored of the game ).
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Amazing read. Your dedication to the community is astounding, Wheat
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Wheat, you're insane, but I respect your work ethic.
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On May 28 2011 02:54 djWHEAT wrote:Show nested quote +On May 28 2011 02:40 denzelz wrote:
Holy crap. Spend more time with your family. You only get to see your son grow up once. Am I the only one who thinks this schedule is wholly unbalanced? I'm sure you won't even read the follow up to this... but I did answer the question in your post. Even I call myself out for being imbalanced. It's funny that you bring that up about miniWHEAT because I had a similar relationship with my father. He traveled a lot. He worked a full-time position and when he wasn't he was a major player in US and International Gymnastics. He judged the Olympics from 76 until recently, he's in the Gymnastics Hall of Fame as a judge, he re-wrote the entire scoring system for the Parallel bars that is used internationally today. He was as busy as I am now. I have an amazing relationship with my father. And I obviously learned one of the most important life lessons from him... having a good work ethic. I don't sit here and blame my father for not being around as much as he could have been... I sit here and thank my lucky stars that he was passing along a valuable set of life tools. The moments I do spend with my family are cherished. The time may be limited, but every minute is priceless.
I don't know why you made that assumption; I'm not just some guy who makes a negative one-line comment just to troll. However you choose to spend time with your family is your decision. I'm glad you were able to maintain a healthy relationship with your own father. I just think that, based on this post, the TL community wouldn't mind if you stepped back and did less SC2 and spent more time with your family.
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youre a fucking boss for always being so busy around the community
sucks you only get a short time with your son though 
how old is wheat btw?
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Don't give up djWheat. I love you. You're an inspiration for a lot of us.
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This is truly a travesty. A guy such as DjWheat should be able to work full time in esports. I've never seen a person with the same enthusiasm, engagement and love for the game. The shows he's done have allways been of the utmost quality and now with onemoregame.tv that has elevated even further.
I am often very sceptical of new shows in the sc2 scene. Not because they are bad but rather because I have a very high standard for what I do enjoy watching. The shows on onemoregame are ultra professional, well organised, very topical and allways entertaining. They are actually forcing the level of content to be of a higher quality and setting precedent for this.
DjWheat as a person is passionate, humble about the things he doesn't know, adamant about those things he does know. I am often astounded by the level of "correctness" in his stratetgical knowledge and his ability to not ever say something that is wrong. Considering the limited ammount he plays and his skill in sc2 it's very impressive casting.
I really hope you do get to do this full time in the near future DjWheat and lets all hope that MiniWheat grows up to be a space marine!
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brought bit of a tear to my eye :')
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This post really resonates with me.
I'm a web designer and I do enjoy my job, but with times being so tough i'm working in a very corporate environment currently, with little to no creativity involved in my job. Its like eating dry bread for every meal every day. Sustains you, yet not fulfilling in the least. My family takes up my evenings and really leaves little room for much else. The worst thing is when I do get to play some SC2 I feel guilty for not spending that small bit of time with my family.
I have an hour commute every day, and listen to SC2 podcasts as well as some Kevin Smith stuff all day long. This is what keeps my mind working while doing my repetitive job. Upon getting home of course I'm dying to play some starcraft which usually waits to fill about an hour each night. I generally spend my evenings doing house work and freelance to design to pay for gas to get to my 9-5'er, then go to bed around 11 so i can get out of bed at 5am to leave for work which is a time zone an hour ahead of where I live. This makes the nights so short. I feel your pain Wheat, and I really do wish you the best and I have to thank you for providing me with the tools to get through the days at work.
So a big thank you to JenJen and MiniWHEAT
Sincerely,
Dan
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Big ups djWHEAT!
As a fellow husband and father, I know exactly how you feel. To be so successful at anything, it takes so much time and work. It always eats at you when you have to budget your time with your family. I'm happy that you have them, and I hope things work out at OneMoreGame. For both you and your family.
I can imagine it's hard to find support outside of your family. Juggling something like this, and being part of a family, pretty much means that your friendships remain on life-support. That's why I'd say the friendships that you've made within eSports are invaluable. They share your passion, and so I bet it makes it 1000 times easier for you.
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Amazing insight... thank you for all the work you do!
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United States17042 Posts
After a while, It feels like all of the people who are doing great things for esports work this hard ^^ keep it up, everyone is watching
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Calgary25977 Posts
On May 28 2011 02:57 Dayrlan wrote:djWHEAT, you're very lucky to have such a supportive wife. Keep making sure the lady knows how special she is! Show nested quote +On May 28 2011 02:17 Chill wrote:
This is why people call me a dick. Because whenever someone writes "I want to be a professional Starcraft player" or "I want to commentate full time" I'm always the first one in there telling him hobbies should stay hobbies. Starcraft rarely pays, and when it does, it often pays poorly. If one of the top guys can't support himself through commentary, what does that say about the rest of us?
That said, I hope one day someone with a golden voice and incredible marketing and business development skills comes in and shows us how to scoop up a ton of money through sponsored commentary. Until that day I'll remain a hobbyist because I'm certainly not that man. Count me as out of the loop, but -- does what you're saying mesh with Day[9]'s situation? I can't say I'm privy to the amount of money involved with, say, the $5/mo "bonus subscription" to the Daily, but napkin math will show it's a sizable amount with even 1000 subscribers (and I would tend to expect there are much more than that...). Admittedly, that can't be a sustainable model for the entire commentating/casting industry (Are viewers going to pay $5/mo per show they watch? Probably not.), but surely it's headed in the right direction. (Not that I'm discounting that there are clearly major financial challenges associated with a career in eSports commentary.)
Yea you're right, you proved my entire statement about the general state of commentary wrong by referencing the most popular caster in the scene making the majority of his income through a donation model. That makes sense.
I don't even know what to say. You asked a rhetorical question and then qualified it with "I'm wrong because of this and this and this..."
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Canada9720 Posts
great blog. thanks for sharing, wheat, and keep on rockin!
edit: lol chill
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Mad props for the dedication. I'm positive the day will come when you can do what you love full time. Keep pluggin' man. And give the wife and kid a very special thank you from us. Without them our world would be darker.
You're an inspiration.
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holy shit
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I didn't think it was possible to like/respect you more than I did wheat. You really are a great dude
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Interesting insight, thank you.
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Well Wheat, i can understand what you are talking about. I simply love all that involves gaming but i think i will never be able to work full-time for gaming because at my country we doesn't have a lot of gaming championships or e-sports at all... It would be so awesome to become a pro player, caster, or anything else at gaming I suppose guys like you is what keeps me thinking about being a Pro Gamer/Caster. If someday i make it, you will be mentioned for sure sirDjWheat. ;D
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On May 28 2011 03:14 Chill wrote:Show nested quote +On May 28 2011 02:57 Dayrlan wrote:djWHEAT, you're very lucky to have such a supportive wife. Keep making sure the lady knows how special she is! On May 28 2011 02:17 Chill wrote:
This is why people call me a dick. Because whenever someone writes "I want to be a professional Starcraft player" or "I want to commentate full time" I'm always the first one in there telling him hobbies should stay hobbies. Starcraft rarely pays, and when it does, it often pays poorly. If one of the top guys can't support himself through commentary, what does that say about the rest of us?
That said, I hope one day someone with a golden voice and incredible marketing and business development skills comes in and shows us how to scoop up a ton of money through sponsored commentary. Until that day I'll remain a hobbyist because I'm certainly not that man. Count me as out of the loop, but -- does what you're saying mesh with Day[9]'s situation? I can't say I'm privy to the amount of money involved with, say, the $5/mo "bonus subscription" to the Daily, but napkin math will show it's a sizable amount with even 1000 subscribers (and I would tend to expect there are much more than that...). Admittedly, that can't be a sustainable model for the entire commentating/casting industry (Are viewers going to pay $5/mo per show they watch? Probably not.), but surely it's headed in the right direction. (Not that I'm discounting that there are clearly major financial challenges associated with a career in eSports commentary.) Yea you're right, you proved my entire statement about the general state of commentary by referencing the most popular caster in the scene making the majority of his income through a donation model. That makes sense.
Ouch man, no need to be a dick to the guy. He made it clear that he didn't think it was viable for the entire industry, only that it is an indictation of things moving in the right direction. Nobody is suggesting the donation model as a way of life.
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Finland5967 Posts
Wow, so you aren't a actual dj ?!
This is like the time I learned what Rekrul is backwards...
Sounds like a tough life though, I could never do that much.
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Russian Federation134 Posts
<3 Wheat.
Keep being awesome!
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Keep on rockin' man! love your shows i watch all of them, even when youre talking about brink on Lo3 :D I hope thats what you want in terms of support, if you ever need anything else just announce it, ill be first in line to help out ^^
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the life of an entertainer is hard! djwheat for life!
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Just wanted to say good luck from the CS:S community, your commentary is still among the best to grace the game and that was years ago. I hope you won't be stuck in a job you don't like for much longer
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after i read your post I couldn't help but think "my company is currently looking for a Linux/IT/Cloud admin guy and I bet Wheat would be a cool guy to work with". But that's not the point is it? Granted we're in the cool city of Austin, TX, I rarely have to wear a tie, and I'm sure you'd like the job. However, trading one day job for a slightly better day job at this point wouldn't be a step in the right direction and would likely slow you down (as awesome as it would be to work with you).
Balancing family/life/work/hobby balance is a tough job for everyone. And the amount of imbalance changes in different stages of life. I have to travel a lot for my job and a few years ago this would have been unacceptable to me. In a few months it will become more difficult. But for now, it is what it is.
Every choice we make limits us in other choices. I hope that you will continue to choose what is best while still dreaming and hoping for the future.
I enjoy your shows and casting and hope that you can do more and more in the months and years to come.
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everyone needs to:
1) read the blog and appreciate all the work wheat puts into his shows
and
2) watch his shows
especially the insane haters who doubt his commitments to the community
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You are no doubt one of the best casters out there. I always look forward to watching you work in esports. Reading this gives everyone a huge insight and what you need to do to do what you love. Cheers to your wife for being so supportive and your son for being so damn cute! And cheers to you my friend, keep doing what you do best.
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Wheat you're a beast! keep up the awesome work man :D
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Dear djWHEAT,
You are awesome.
With love,
Imrik
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djWHEAT you are a true inspiration to those who want to pursue gaming, broadcasting, any hobby really. The amount of quality content you have put out has shown your passion and dedication for esports. I am truly grateful that we have people like you within the community helping esports grow. Nothing but love and respect goes out to you and your family.
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Wow, i didn't really think about how much work goes into casting but i have to give you props because i can barely handle a 9-5 job let alone a family and after work "job" ... i definitely have a new respect for you and how much work you put into he shows you produce.
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In reply to Hot_Bid's tweet:
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It's awesome that your family is willing to sacrifice so much for you to pursue your passion.
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you are my fucking hero WHEAT
Ill want to buy some Wheat Merchandise
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Wheat, you should use this as a cover letter for any eSports job you ever apply for in the future.
This shows your purpose, dedication, and passion.
I wouldn't be surprised if this didn't get you a great job somewhere in eSports. It really shows your passion.
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We love you for all you do Wheat :-)
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You forgot to thank the 'GG' button! That thing is your trademark!
Just playing, this blog post was very eye opening. My appreciation of your work is though the roof now :D Your my new hero!
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family wheat fightin!!! I hope it works out for you dude, since I have a pretty good idea what you are talking about.
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I am very happy for you that you have such a supportive family. I myself am starting to realise the importance of the support from people around you.
I recently broke up with my girlfriend. This was mainly due to the lack of support for my two great passions: singing and gaming. I almost felt ashamed whenever I wanted to play some StarCraft or League of Legends or whatever.
Now that it's over I feel incredibly relieved. I will never again enter in a relationship with someone that does not fully support my passions. I am very happy that you have found your match
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I applaud you for your candidness, Wheat. Thanks for the blog and being so open with everyone! We all love what you do for the community!
Edit: Gleve (just above my post) is totally right: your face should totally be on the GG button website. I bought it after you mentioned it in a cast and me and several of my friends love the thing (it's SO addicting).
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I've followed every bit of content you've put out for a long time now.
I almost feel guilty. I know watching your shows supports you; I just wish I could help further.
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Been following you since the TsN days. Thank you for all your great work!
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I hereby want to take this opportunity to thank your wife for making it possible for me to enjoy your casting and having you in e-sport. Please do tell her how much we all appriciate her supporting you, even tho I am a complete stranger.
djWHEAT, JenJen and miniWHEAT HWAITING!
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I was going to ask about this on ITG or Lo3, but you've already read my mind. The dedication you put into esports (basically taking on 2 full time jobs) is very inspiring. I can't wait for the day the esports explodes and becomes main stream.
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As a worker/aspiring SC2 lover as well, I'd like to thank you for being so transparent with your viewers and audience. I know the internet seems like mostly trolls, but I have a feeling that you know your audience has a heart.
One day you'll be able to quit and go full time man. One day.
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I love this story djWheat, it reminds me (to a different extent) to the way I approach my passions. I hate when people say "i'm a full-time worker, I don't have time for X" or "I'm a full-time student, I don't have time for X". Guess what, if it's actually a big deal for you, you'll MAKE TIME for your passions.
While at Caltech, an incredibly difficult school, as an undergrad I got really into chess. This is the time a lot of chess players quit, but this is when I started playing, and I loved it and still love playing, studying, and competing in chess. The obvious problem is that doing these things takes a lot of time. So sleep suffered a little, my grades maybe weren't as high as they could be, and I'd miss some events because I was gone at a chess tournament.
Some people see these "sacrifices" as big, but if you're doing something you truly enjoy, doing it the other way around is what is actually the big sacrifice. Giving up on being as exciting about how you spend your time is a sacrifice that I don't like to make. I managed to go from a weak 1000 chess rating to over 2100 in 4 years while being at one of the toughest universities in the US and it's not because I was smarter than my peers (I wasn't), but because I made time for things I enjoyed doing.
This is why it pisses me off when people say "I only have 1-2 hours per day to practice starcraft, but I really want to be a pro-gamer". That's fucking bullshit. If you can only find 1-2 hours per day to do something to achieve what you want to do, you don't really want to do that thing, you like the idea of doing it. If you really wanted to do it, you'd be willing to put in the work and make sacrifices where you can.
I'm not saying quit your job, but even if you're like me and you work 60+ hour weeks, even with sleep, that's still a lot of time left over. Oh, you really want to be a pro-gamer but you can't give up American Idol for 4 hours a week? Or some other TV show? Well, then maybe you don't really want to be a pro-gamer, you just like the idea of being a pro-gamer and you really want to be some dude on the couch watching American Idol. That's totally fine, but 95% of the time, if you really want to do something that you can train for from your own home, the only thing getting in the way is you.
djWheat, you're a fucking inspiration. I hope to get a chance to meet you at MLG Columbus and/or MLG Anaheim. Keep up the awesome work.
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Never knew your Story, its very nice of you to share this info , i definitely think becoming a caster at any game is very hard, know this, without guys like you, eSports wouldn't be anywhere, its moved by community for community. I work myself as IT assistant in a hotel, been working here for almost a year now, and man, i'm 23 got no family like you, and feel like its hard to keep up with all this events and be able to play at the same time. I hope things will get more stabble for all those who got passion to keep eSport as they second job, aka hobby.
Kind words are pretty hard to collect when your heart belongs to eSport, almost no one around you even know what is it, but know that there're plenty nerds on teamliquid alone to support you whenever you'll need it!
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djWHEAT, you're the man. So much respect to you for pursuing your passions and sticking in there. The work you put into the community is something to be truly grateful for. I hope one day you'll be able to fully support yourself from e-sports alone!
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It sounds like you have some skills in your line of work. Have you thought about using those skills to do freelancing/consulting instead of being an employee?
Love it when you cast and would love to hear you more often!
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Fun read, Wheatsicles. U da best
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Wheat man, I like you more and more each time I see your casts or read your thoughts.
Hope you do well in the future and will get a full time job covering e-sports!
-Loki
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On May 28 2011 02:17 Chill wrote:
This is why people call me a dick. Because whenever someone writes "I want to be a professional Starcraft player" or "I want to commentate full time" I'm always the first one in there telling him hobbies should stay hobbies. Starcraft rarely pays, and when it does, it often pays poorly. If one of the top guys can't support himself through commentary, what does that say about the rest of us?
That said, I hope one day someone with a golden voice and incredible marketing and business development skills comes in and shows us how to scoop up a ton of money through sponsored commentary. Until that day I'll remain a hobbyist because I'm certainly not that man.
God you are so awesome Chill.
Oh, and you too Wheat!
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Didn't see bathroom breaks on there, or is that just for the weekend? Seriously, sounds tough, especially for someone as lazy as me. I appreciate the shows and casting tho, keep it up (unless you don't have time).
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Hi Wheat. Just wanted to say thanks for all your hard work. The community loves you and values your involvement. I hope that someday soon you will find a way to dedicate yourself to gaming and support your family by doing what you love. Thanks for posting this.
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I just wish i could find a girl as understanding as your wife. ^_^ You are a true inspiration.
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Love your shows and personality Wheat. I hope you are able to get a full-time e-sports job in the near future, not only would it be great for you, it would be awesome for the community.
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Amazing read!!! YOU ARE AMAZINGG!
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I read this and honestly shed a couple tears.
To see someone juggle the questions of what is important to them, to see the balance of life and what makes them feel like the next days grind is worth going through all the while questioning if certain decisions will pay off? Not only is it relatable but its was just damn honest.
You're an amazing guy wheat, what you do you do well and while you might not be artosis as far as analytical commentary goes you play your pitcher role better than anyone and know enough to pitch it just right. You're fantastic and this has made me appreciate what you do 10 fold.
Thank you wheat. You're part of the reason I enjoy this community so much.
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On May 28 2011 02:17 Chill wrote:
That said, I hope one day someone with a golden voice and incredible marketing and business development skills comes in and shows us how to scoop up a ton of money through sponsored commentary. Until that day I'll remain a hobbyist because I'm certainly not that man.
The prophecy has been spoken and Zeratul himself is searching for this man.... "Only this man cannot be found so easily as the prophecy itself."
lol, what are you talking about Chill... the man with the golden voice will lead us to the promised land of eSports and will allow us to talk about games and play them for money and contribute to society!!!.... LOL... WHAT!?!?
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What is most personal is most general - I can relate to the juggling DjWheat, and I really respect that you're both grinding out a slightly numbing job and still powering thru the day doing your shows.
3 days a week with not as much daddy-time does not sound so bad, atleast not for the kid. I'd worry about keeping the wife happy! That's my personal experience anyway.
Good luck too ya, if anyone deserves to make it while working in the gaming industry it is you.
And dont forget to support JenJen in pursuing whatever her passions are.
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great insight, 5/5
EDIT: o.O 2000th post, glad it goes to you DJ Wheat
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Such a cool, honest blog. I know we all appreciate what you do for the community Wheat, and this kind of passion is what makes you one of my favorite voices in SC2.
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Good read from the great caster i was always wondering how You get time to get everything going considering You have work and family Now i see You live in some kind of constant rush, as i understand it (at least during working part if week). Glad You find time to provide content to our great hobby.
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I feel like i owe you something, giving us all this content for free.
Seriously, i just play starcraft/browse TL for about 7-10 hours a day (5 month vacation, wohoo ), wouldnt be possible without people like you, and it makes me feel kinda bad that i'm not contributing at all
Hopefully you can live off of gaming soon enough
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Thanks for your effort, I really like the Inside the game show ;D
good luck to you and hope you can find a way to make esports, your passion, into a full-time job! (and I hope all that wish to make their passion into a full-time job, such as esports, would be able to ^_^)~
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i really enjoyed reading this. This industru is getting bigger and bigger, hopefully you'll be one of the first to get a real well-paid full-time job doing this. Cheers!
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Wonderful Read, Really gives you an indepth look at the life of someone who is dedicated to eSports!
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<3 Big love for wheat, I've heard you and your son on the streams and you sound like a really great dad. It's a shame you can't dedicate to gaming full time, but think of it this way.
The times spent away from what you love, make you love it more when it comes around.
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Truly awesome. You are such a good person. Don't worry about spending too little time with your family, i think your wife and your son are strong enough to tell you if they wan't to 
I really love the shows that you are doing and i hope someday you can live from it!
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Great work djWHEAT, I really have a lot of respect for you. Don't ever listen to those caster-haters
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♥
Respect, bro, love the shows and appreciate the time you put in to everything.
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I gotta say, your dedication is admirable. Few people would be willing to invest so much of their free time into making e-sports great.
I'll make sure to continue tuning in whenever I can.
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5/5 We appreciate everytime you can cast a game and especially when you cast with Day9. You're definitely the best game caster that I know of. You can cast almost any and every game and do it magnificently.
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keep up the good work Wheat! ur so awesome!:D
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I have some real respect to you as a person, not just your ESports persona here at TL, but you as a person. Really great to see someone share how much they care about their family and the sacrifices they are willing to make.
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keep up the good work and dedication
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Thanks djWHEAT for this nice thread eventhough I knew most of it you still got the great talent to write and keep the story going =D I hope that more and more of us hardcore E-sporters can get into full time jobs and do what we love sooner than later. But as we both know it ain't happening over a night and it can within a few months be gone again.
Keep it up!
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You are a real trooper! I love all your shows and casts!
You do a wonderful job and I hope you get the pay you deserve.
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Pretty much everything I expected out of someone who works full time, has a family, but still wants to hold on to his passion. I honestly, wouldn't of done what you did. I would of given it up for my family. I don't have a child, but if I did I would want to spent every free minute with him/her.
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Well Marcus, I had no idea. Your shows are fantastic, and I admire and tahnk you for everything you've added to the community.
wp
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More importantly, do some more Quake!
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Awesome read. I, as just a single member of this community, salute you and admire you for your dedication.
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Wow Marcus, it's amazing how much work you put into this.
The sheer dedication you put into all of htis makse me an even bigger fan.
I havn't really been watching any of your shows recently, but I'll make sure to check them out. Thank you for providing us with all this entertainment!
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Calling Child Protective Services, clearly miniwheat is at risk of overexposure to gosuness and having the coolest dad ever.
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I guess I never realised how much time and effort you put into all of this, even moreso considering you don't really have to. This sort of puts you more into perspective and the sacrifices you make to make starcraft, esports and gaming just that much better. I really can't imagine what the community would be without you forcing pros like Incontrol, Painuser and Idra to suffer the questions of lesser gamers, and also the great tournaments that you cast as well. I guess I normally don't post in many threads but I really feel that you need to know how much the entire community appreciates your efforts and the sacrifices that come along with them. Give our thanks to your wife, by either telling her or showing her this thread because it is not always easy to see for yourself how much people really value your efforts and I think you and your wife deserve to know this. There's probably a few more things I should say that I can't remember but hopefully this will suffice.
You're a real life hero, rock on!
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Admire the effort!
Keep it up and give our best to your family.
Dreamhack should pay for a family vacation for you guys - Jen and Mini could stay at a hotel and see the sights in Stockholm during the weekend while you're casting, then you could join them and spend a week camping or at a beach resort / country retreat. You deserve a vacation together and i'm sure the DH guys could make it happen, Sweden is lovely that time of year.
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Your a total inspiration DJ Wheat! Thanks for shedding some light into your personal life!
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My respect sire. You do what your heart has passion for, you also have an awesome family in form of your wife and your little son. Not many of us can say that they live up their lives in a way they are happy with what they do, truly having that feeling of fulfillment, while having those closest to us being the understanding part of our life. If you truly have heart set up for something, that is when you are set up to success and flourish.
Good luck to you and your family.
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Thanks so much for all you do here wheat!
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You are amazing man.
I love your shows and what you do.
Extreme respect.
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It's amazing you can do all of that. I hope u can go into esports full time in the future
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Thank you so much for writing this blog. It is one of the reasons you are one of the people in the community I respect the most. You always go above and beyond what you really need to do for the community. Anyone who would ever criticize you is a moron in my book.
In short ... You are the MAN.
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djWheat hwaiting!!!!! Lookin' forward to more of your casts! You always seem to bring IT, and whatever IT is, it's damn exciting!
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Nerd chills reading just how awesome you are being for the community.
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Thanks for the insights DJ Wheat! When you really lay it out like that, that's not a lot of time to fit everything in. That's definitely something that the most successful nerds (you, Day[9], etc) have in common: devotion and discipline. Many people want to get the e-fame but don't have the commitment to really devote every spare moment (and some of the non-spare moments) to their craft. I personally can't imagine being so crammed every day of every week. It's awesome that you find a way to not get burned out, even doing something you love, after this many years.
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u are a god mr wheat
and miniwheat is like jesus
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been a lurker on tl for a time now but i must say no better first post then one used to commend you for doing such an awesome job for so long. i truly hope that once e-sports becomes mainstream i one day get to pay a visit to you in your mansion
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I bet your wife and son are proud of you(well your son will be, if not yet!) and i'm happy that you can balance all the work, family and your hobby! About your job, try to hang in there! 
Keep up with the _best_ content there is right now for Esport&Sc2 lovers, i mean it! Thanks for the blog, it was interesting read and one of the best blogs i've read so far in TL.
Good luck!
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Good read. I hope that you can find a full-time position in esports, and wish the best for you and your family.
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As someone who has had to make changes in my priorities this blog really hits home with me. Doing work in esports can be a HUGE commitment that can often be taken for granted. Glad to see this get spotlighted so more people can really understand the things some of the people in this community do just to bring a few hours of entertainment to everyone on a daily basis
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It's difficult to even balance a job and WATCH all the SC2 that is currently available. To dedicate yourself through a job, a family, and then SC2 casting on top of that is quite impressive. Thank you for your insight and your hard work towards improving the SC2 community.
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Love your voice and your work, DJWheat. Keep being the baller guy you are and you'll make it to the top of life. :D
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A very good read and an inspirational story, I didn't know life was that hard for you. But don't worry, you'll be full-time soon!
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Wheat, you're the man. I hope you keep on slogging through it all, you're a real inspiration to those of us who are trying to balance a job/school and SC2
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Wheat you are very inspirational and I am glad you took the time to write this. I think it teaches all of us to follow our dreams but to always have a backup plan. Great read, and great message, thank you Wheat!
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It's amazing how you are doing such an amazing job with juggling your job with your hobbies. Teen's have trouble balancing their lives, and your managing to do it when so much is more is at stake for your life. Hopefully things will get much better for you and your family with eSports increasing at the rate it is now. Best of luck for you, your family, and your dreams :D
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Mad respect for you Wheat. This was a great read.
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On May 28 2011 01:26 djWHEAT wrote:
- Don't get burnt out. Trust me... it's VERY easy. And the more you juggle the bigger the possibility is that you will get completely burnt out. You never want to feel burnt doing the things you love... so be careful (I have to tell myself this constantly)
As a older guy struggling to balance a high-pressure job with my own goals and aspirations, I completely sympathize with this. I'm pretty much so burnt out for my job I don't have the mental energy for anything else.
Kudos for having the bandwidth and energy to do so much. It's truly inspiring for a guy like me. And I hope you get the opportunity to cash in all the hard work you're doing.
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What a badass. Keep it up!
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thedeadhaji
39489 Posts
This was a great read Wheat, one of the few times I've actually bothered to click to vote 5/5
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Keep fighting the good fight Wheat! <3
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<3 you wheat, I can seriously here your love for scene in every cast you do! I hope you will be able to do esports fulltime again soon...
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I've talked to you on reddit a few times but I feel it bears repeating:
Your son absolutely LOVES you. The small amount of interaction we've gotten to witness is perfect evidence of how happy he is to be anywhere near you.
You're a wonderful father, and we all thank you for everything you do.
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Braavos36374 Posts
This is a great read. Wheat has seen and gone through so much in ESPORTS already and just knows how to make good judgments about this stuff. As someone who has also chosen to veer off the intended path, I've always Wheat really "gets it" when it comes to life decisions like this. It's a lot easier to do this sort of thing when you don't have obligations and responsibilities. It's great that his family is supportive and he's able to do this. He really deserves this and I hope it works out for the best. Good luck!
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Very good read. I am facing finals and will soon get a "9 to 5" job, im doing my best to enjoy my final moments in life xD
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Excellent read sir! I've been amazed on more than 1 occasion that you actually have a full-time job as well, although it saddens me a bit that even a caster of your caliber can't get something steady going money wise from all that awesome stuff you do.
I for one will be looking forward to the day you quit your job! :D
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Your wife sounds awesome wheat^^
Good read. I hope someone eventually pays you to do casts etc fulltime. Keep up the good work with omg.tv
On a side note... I'd like to see one of these from incontrol. That's gotta be almost as sick.
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Hi Marcus,
You are truly an inspiration to me, being able to juggle family life, an "8 to 5" job, and your amazing contributions to the community is absolutely mindblowing!
A brief(not so brief) overview of where I come from: I am a 25 year old male living in South Africa and I have been involved in our "competitive" scene for almost 12 years now. I finished school and proceeded to university, where I could not find the motivation to put my time into finishing a degree. I embarked on a journey into playing poker and blackjack for a living, making enough money to live comfortably and have money to put away at the end of every month to pursue my dream of being involved in eSports full-time.
Over the last year I have been actively pursuing my dream but I have had to make some hard decisions along the way. I originally started out pushing to be involved with tournament administration for a local organization doing DotA tournaments. Last year, I decided to go at things myself and with the Starcraft 2 beta I launched my own site, providing a portal for our local Starcraft 2 players to compete, offering up monthly tournaments with prize pools out of my own pocket. Over time I have been able to secure small sponsorships to ensure sustainability of the tournaments and I have not had to put a cent towards the prizepool since August last year.
With this, I have had to cut down on my actual gaming time, putting the bigger picture as my biggest priority. I have also had to make some hard decisions with regards to expansion and sustainability of the site, opening up the tournament to more and more international participation in an attempt to get some sort of international traffic, as the South African scene is tiny. This also includes basic coverage of the GSL and doing interviews with international gaming icons and celebrities.
With all that said, I am in the fortunate position where I do not have a family to support and I have the financial backing to fall on in the future if things in the landscape change drastically. But I do feel the pressure as my long-time girlfriend and I have recently moved in together and not everything is about myself anymore. It does take some juggling to actively maintain the relationship and like you, I am fortunate enough to have someone who has been around long enough to understand who I am and that I am pushing to achieve my dream.
You are truly an inspiration and I wish you all the best with your endeavours and I hope that one day soon, you will be able to dedicate your full time to your family and your passion once more
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Great read, I hope you will archieve your dream one day.
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![[image loading]](http://content.ytmnd.com/content/a/9/1/a91d4b53f90f15a9c99aba09325cbe6d.gif)
+ Show Spoiler +Hopefully this passes as a post with a reasonable amount of content.
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Nice read but I think you're gonna be sorry for spending so little time with your son while he's growing up, because as he becomes older no matter what he decides to do with his life he'll be the one that won't be able to spare you time, because he'll be busy hanging out with his own new friends. So my advice is try to spend some more time with him while you still have.
5/5 anyway, great insight into your life.
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Great read... keep doing what your doing,... i myself find it hard sometimes to explain my passion for gaming to others, but even as i grow up that passion continues to grow. So keep doing what makes you happy
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Wished I had half your stamina, dedication, talent and family love to work as hard and not feel burned out in a week or two, but ok, different person, different story. Glad you are out there as an example to us all! And even if you had to stop tomorrow (whatever the reason), well, it's the trip that matters, not the destination and every hour spent seeing you cast has so far been damn great. You're the man, I hope we get much more of you in the future!
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Really impressed by your dedication. You are in the mix of the best casters for sure!
I do love my sweden sometimes, 3 weeks vacation because you worked there so long? I start working my after-college-job in about two weeks. Tree weeks into that I have 5 weeks payed vacation.
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Wow wheat, great blog.
I was a fan of you before, but I have to admit that I didn't always like your Stuff.
I remember the first episode of Live on Three that I tuned into, which was the day that you interviewed Nony after his TSL victory, and right at the start of the SC2 beta. I remember thinking; "man, who the hell is this guy, and why is SC2 bringing in people like him into the community." It had nothing to do with your content, since I only tuned into the Nony interview, It was just the questions you asked, the way you conducted yourself, etc.
I continued listening to more and more of your work, and grew to like your persona more and more. Now, you're definitely one of my favorite casters because there is just something about you that the others simply don't have. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it is definitely there.
I definitely liked you before this post, but this blog gave me a deeper level of respect for you because I see how much you sacrifice in order to contribute to the community.
Anyway, thanks a lot, and keep keeping it real
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Just as epic as Daily #100, thank you djwheat and also your wife and your son
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Good stuff Wheat. Glad you decided to make this blog. Makes you a lot more personable that's for sure. All the best!
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What a wonderful read. Thank you for posting this. Like many have said, it is uplifting (and a learning experience) to get an insight to the decisions and dedication to your passions (family and gaming).
I highly recommend anyone (regardless of your involvement in the SC2 community) to read this. It shows what sacrifice, time-management, and day-to-day dedication is required to follow your passion. I think everyone will inevitably have to make these decisions at some point in their life and definitely speaking for myself, it can be incredibly difficult especially when at certain crossroads like DJ pointed out before moving back to his current IT manager position. Reading this certainly helps me understand and importantly appreciate the sacrifices people around me have made for their own passions. Thank you again DJ and best wishes in you and your family's future endeavors.
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Great post
I do feel for you yanks and your holiay allowances
you should emmigraet to europe ... we are better at sc2 over here anyway
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Really insightful and beautifully written. Thank you Wheat, all really good advice.
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so much respect for djwheat, gl and the esports community will always support you
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Wheat you are a legend. The community cannot thank you enough for all the work you put into esports!
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I'm curious if there's a little write up of Wheats gaming past not as in detail as Daily 100 but a brief look at what he's done / where he's come from and so on.
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great post! wheat, keep up the good work and i hope that you at least work out a bit on thursday and friday
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great read. NASL should pick up Wheat. He's easily one of the best casters out there!
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Although I'm not a part of the SC community for a long time, I immediately recognized you as one of the top 10 casters there are in esports as such. The fact you're not making much or anything out of it seems rather disturbing. Simply because all of the other casters I include in this list do. I hope you sometimes make some money out of it, and if the esports grow enough, maybe even enough to quit your job and do it full time. You certainly have what it takes to become one of these guys. Good luck.
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I have nothing but respect for you, WHEAT! What you are doing for the community is super awesome and I hope you can find a way to do gaming full time :D
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Thank you DJWheat for the hours of entertainment you bring me. I am currently in school for IT stuff and see you as kind of a role model in how you balance family, gaming, and real work. I'm not trying to be a caster, but eventually I would love to help do behind the scenes set up stuff or whatever for some events. Kind of stinks that a guys with everything like yourself also has the added stress of finding time for the everything that you have!
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I admit not having heard of you before SC2 beta but I just wanted to drop a line to say your one of my most respected eSports people. Your a great caster, an entertaining and likeable person, and your KoT show always cracks me up when I need a laugh. Thanks for all that you do for the community Mr Wheat!
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Thanks for all you do, djWHEAT. I don't think that I could do what you do without severe burnout, and I hope that for the sake of you and your family that the industry will stabilize to the point that you can dedicate yourself full-time again.
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Truly valuable food for thought. Thank you for writing this.
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I have tremendous respect for what you do and I've been a fan since around 2001-2002. Keep on keepin' on.
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Wow, a nice glance into your life, followed by some very solid and welcome advice. Much respect for everything you do and juggle!
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WHEAT! where is your toke time?
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5 Stars for you DJWheat, i'm a webdevelopper looking into getting involved in eSports a LOT, hopefully i will be working full time in video game one day. Your blog is a full inspiration to me, keep going, i'm following your shows closely and i sure will do, from now on i'll be tunning in even if i'm not watching, bringing you one extra viewer everytime :D
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I didn't think DJwheat could produce all this content and have a full time job. Massive respect for everything he does for the community, keep it up.
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DJ Wheat you are one of the greatest people of all time. Everything you do for your family and for esports is greatly and ultimately appreciated. You are fucking awesome man, love you dude.
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Djwheat hwaiting!!
Thx for all you do for the community.
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i wonder how day9's fully dedicating to esports will result
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def a good perspective. sadly esports will never make u good money unless u are good or well respected. i think the scene is slowly gearing that direction where more and more ppl can make a living off of but it is way far behind than say Korea in terms of full time jobs (non gamers). and what you said is true, having some1 to support u by (Jen) is really the most important and is so good for a gamer to finda girl that understands gaming isnt just playing games, but for passion and competition. Lucky man DJ
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Great stuff dude i totaly support the stuff u do and i try and watch it as much as i can!!
Keep up the good work.
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Thanks DJ Wheat. I think you are a terrific caster. Absolutely a professional.
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hey djWheat, just want to show my appreciation for the hardwork and effort you put into the community. For myself, I'm a college student studying medicine and while studies are tough, I still make it a point to engage myself in the eSports scene everyday, and you are definitely one of the shining lights out there for us to emulate, a role model for us trying to juggle our normal lives and our nerdy life =) big HEART to you <3
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Love having you as apart of the community and your one of the reasons I watch many events/shows so cheers to you and your family, thanks for just being such a great guy man its very much appreciated.
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I respect and sympathize with your commitment juggling, it's one of the hardest features of life that we are all expected to undertake and it can be incredibly stressful. I really feel that anyone who chases their dreams in spite of all the expectations we are faced with deserves nothing but support, and I'm sure a great deal of TeamLiquid will be happy to oblige!
Always remember that 'a silent melody is never sweet', so though we may feel passionately about something, doing something about it is the most important thing one can do.
Good luck Wheat, and to everyone out their chasing a dream.. No matter what it is!
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Nice blog keep casting mate!
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Osaka27139 Posts
Thanks for the good read.
TeamLiquid was my passion for eight years. Like with what you do, it took vast amounts of hours away from relationships in my life. For a long time I justified it in similar language that you use. Passion. Commitment. Dozens of times I considered making a leap to full time, with the support of TL owners behind me. Like you, I chose the safe route.
Since then I have come to realize that time is the most important asset any of us have. I am not sure how old your son is, but the longer I am a father the more I realize just how short this window of opportunity I have with them is. My daughter is only four, so I am still the main event in her life. But already she is going to kindergarten, and her world is expanding beyond our little house. That will only increase as she gets older. Every day I have now is irreplaceable.
Instilling a strong work ethic in your son is admirable. More than that, it is the duty and hallmark of a good parent. But ask yourself, is what you are doing the best way to go about it? Will his observing you from afar be as effective as if you did something together? Is it as enjoyable? Or is this a way for you to justify your time talking to a screen while he is with his mother?
On May 28 2011 02:54 djWHEAT wrote:
The moments I do spend with my family are cherished. The time may be limited, but every minute is priceless.
What do you think is more likely when you get older. That you will say "I wish I had more time with my kids" or "I wish I had more time casting". The number of minutes is completely up to you.
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Really good read! By seeing how passionate you are about gaming and eSports I got the chills AND got motivated to be more serious about my gaming. I realized how much I like it, and I especially liked the part about trying not to get burnt out.It is so true and I'll really keep that in mind!
Thanks again for a really great read and for all the work you do for eSports and sc2.
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Great blog DJwheat. You're a great caster and a great part of the SC2 community.
Can't wait to see Miniwheat grow up so he can start telling you to stop blowing up banelings on thors
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watching weapon of choise
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nice blog i'll admit when i first encountered you i wasn't a fan but having seen more of the things you do and the effort, professionalism and fun that goes into it, your a great part of the community. keep up the good work
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Much love to you Wheat as well as to your family. Thanks for giving us a peek into your life.
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DJwheat probably spends more quality time with his family than the a lot of working parents do. Quality > quantity, afterall.
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Mr. djwheat, you are an inspiration to all of us, and I just thought I'd chime in my voice to all those others that think you're the bestest guy evah.
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DJwheat, you are so very awesome. I think your decisions are admirable in terms of playing it safe and supporting your family. In terms of your time with your family, I echo Manifesto's sentiments -- as long as you're comfortable with your quality time with them and don't feel that you'll look back on this with regret, power to you.
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Gotta love DJWheat big hearts man all round. <3
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I don't necessarily agree with Manifesto, I think 1 hour a day with your kid is pretty good. I say this as someone who was recently a kid. But Maybe Mani's point is more about what you'll want than what's good for the kid. But I think it's clear from your post what you want, LOL. Don't live with regrets.
I only post this opinion because after reading Mani's post it feels like he dropped a giant guilt bomb on you, even if his intentions were good.
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Awesome post man. Really insightful.
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Man, reading this I really wish I had more money or ability to promote this wonderful sport to the heights it deserves to reach. I do what I can to spread the gospel, but all too often people just look at me in disbelief and say "What? Watching someone else play a game... Are you stupid or something?" Reading articles like this just makes that pain worse.
I sincerely love and respect you for what you do for eSports, Wheat. I think your kid will understand once he gets older, the alternative is way worse(the shell scenario you speak of). There's no doubt in my mind that eSports money will soon have the need for real, hard working and proffesional casters full time - and when that day comes you will be on the top of many lists!
I hope that everyone who reads this realizes we can all help Wheat reach his goal! Promote eSports and give the Wheat a chance to live his dream. It's a win/win for all of us
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djWheat, that was an amazing blog. However remember that even though you have an amazing wife that supports you through whatever you do, don't forget to spend as much time as possible with the little one. You might say "oh it's ok he'll understand in the future" or "ill spend more time in the future with him", just know that if you don't establish a good relationship early on by spending a LOT of time, it's really really hard to do that later. Good work my man!
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Keep up the great work djWHEAT
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On May 28 2011 01:41 SolonTLG wrote:Show nested quote +djWheat: I don't like my job much. It's not challenging, it's very repetitive... but the biggest benefit from the job is stability and knowing that this job provides everything I need for the family [emphasis added]. Great perspective, much respect sir. All the life noobs (i.e. "younglings") on TL need to do some laddering to your GM status!
^-- exactly want I wanted to say too
If one day I end up having such an awesome wife like you do (and perhaps a son or a daughter^^) while doing what I really like to do (at least if I have the time) than I know that "I've done it". You don't have to envy others, they should envy you
Keep up your awesome, awesome work and thanks for everything you've already done and created
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Reading this made me gain a whole new level of respect for you. If I was in a similar situation to yours I'd probably have to sacrifice some time from either my work, my family or my hobby just so I didn't collapse from exhaustion. Hopefully Starcraft continues to grow to a point that allows you to turn broadcasting into your full time job.
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Your hard work will pay off someday. Keep up your fighting spirit so that your able to fulfill your dreams while being the responsible husband/father that you are.
WHEAT FIGHTING!!!!!
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and that is exactly why you (djwheat) get so much respect from the community.
thanks man!<3
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intrigue
Washington, D.C9933 Posts
5/5 godly post
i could never manage that schedule, wow
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♥ you Wheat for flowing your dreams and making the SC community infinitely better in the process!
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gotta say i am very impressed with the amount of work you put in and the sacrifices you make for eSports <3
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Thanks for everything you do.
Also as someone still in College, thanks for sharing more insight into the ""Real world."" It's pretty difficult from where I am right now to quite understand how older individuals manage to balance all these crazy commitments and what that means for their life. Thanks for sharing more of yourself with us.
edit: Heh. In context with this post, you were quite gentle when you gave that rant about "doing it for ESPORTS"
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As always, it is an absolute pleasure to have you as a part of esports wheat. You are likely one of the most passionate individuals I've ever heard and it really shines through in the casts. For example in the EG series, Idra shows almost no emotion while you are bursting out as soon as there is some major action, which I love and which makes it such a good cast. Idras knowledge of the game is a joy to listen to as well, however.
I am very well aware of you from the Quake scene and if there is one flaw you have, it is that in some cases you cannot hide your emotions and stay neutral in regards to the players. It was always apparent that you rooted for the American players, such as Rapha or Zero4, the same is true in Starcraft but to a lesser extent.
Judging from your blog entry it seems like Quake doesn't have a place in your life anymore though. Is it a finished chapter for you? If so, I really can't blame you as it is pretty much a finished chapter for me, after having been involved in the Quake community to some extent for twelve or so years.
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Pics of miniwheat are being demanded!
You'll get to spend time with him and games as he grows up.
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One of the best things you can do for your kids is show them you have a passion and get enjoyment out of life. The passion you have for gaming will set a great example for miniwheat, whether he follows in your gaming footsteps or chooses a different path. From one gaming father to another...Wheat...I love you man. KEEP UP THE AWESOME WORK!
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Wheat, you're an effin' hero.
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Insane read man, just keep the voice flowing
You are doing great piece of work!
Thanks, all the Best!
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I'm sure one day miniWheat will be very proud of his father <3
Thanks to be on air DjWheat !
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I haven't always been supportive of you Marcus and your endeavors because I don't always agree with your points of view, but I will say that upon reading this, you deserve everyone's respect, and mucho love goes out to your family who is so supportive.
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Best blog on the site, DJWheat you are my favorite caster, and now knowing what you've gotta go through everyday, i respect you even more.
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Thanks for this inspiring blog Djwheat. This gives me the hope in gaming and doing what I really love. I hope we all don't burn out and continue to contribute for esports to prosper. Good luck!
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You are awsome djwheat!
I have enjoyed your casting for years, in quake, cpma and even warsow!
Keep up the good work!
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On May 29 2011 01:56 Vortigan wrote:
great read. NASL should pick up Wheat. He's easily one of the best casters out there!
ummm..... i think he is busy enuf @_@
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I just want to say thanks, I have a lot of respect for everything you do both in e-sports and balancing it in your life.
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I am always amazed at the level of passion this game bring to everyone.
Wheat you are simply living your life the way you want it and trying to pursue your dreams.. go for it!
This is truly an inspiring everyday story...
Respect dude!
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Are you sure you only chat or play games with your wifey ?
Hiding something from us aren't you little wheaty !
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So inspiring, djWHEAT... thank you. ^^
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I hope you can make it full-time, you'd deserve it most certainly!
As for myself, I'd actually like to have an unchallenging, predictable job, since that would allow me to have time, and vitality for all the passions I have.
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Thanks for sharing Marcus. I am a fan of your casting (I think you have a great "radio voice") and I had been wondering what your background was. Keep up the good work.
As I'm about to enter my third year of law school, I am happy to know that some out there are able to achieve a nice work/hobby balance!
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Great post Wheat. I think you really shed some light on eSports and while it may be disheartening for some that an individual still can't make a living entirely off the SC2 eSports scene (aside from being an actual progamer), I think it's something a lot of people need to know. I sometimes have a feeling that more and more younger adults are beginning to think it's actually a viable means to life.
Can't agree more with finding someone who supports you though. If they don't agree with your personal interests, you'll be fighting with them every step of the way to do what you love, which really makes it a big problem as time goes on.
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You should stop casting and spend more time with your family.
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Being one of the guys aspiring to be a bigger part of the E-sports scene that may have inspired this blog, I have to say, awesome read, and great perspective. I asked you about getting into casting specifically because you do have a family, which makes your input a bit closer to home for me.
Even with a slightly different sort of setup, being a stay-at-home dad on disability, I agree entirely, when you have a passion, especially a crazy, time and tech involved one, having a significant other who can really get behind you is a must if you're going to have a significant other at all.
I guess I'm lucky in a way, after reading that, I get to spend my whole day with my son, who frequently watches tournament VODs sitting in my lap.
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Nice blog, I have newfound respect for your dedication and commitment to what you enjoy most; keep it up!
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major props dude, you are an inspiration to us all.
much love for all you do, keep fighting for your dreams, makin it happen like a baws! <3
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djWHEAT is awesome.
I know it's not as much time as you'd like, the time you spend with miniwheat, but it's pretty clear that he has a good home and two loving parents, so he'll grow up fine.
I think often now people equate good family with "lots of time spent together", when it's more about whether there is a good loving connection between everyone in the family.
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Inspiring ? How is this in anyway aspiring. He clearly admits he's barely giving his family the attention and time he needs. What kind of development will any kid receive when he barely sees his dad? I don't know how old your son is but the ages of birth to three are the most important developmentally for a child both mentally and emotionally. I'm sorry you have to work a full time job and do hope you get to one day live your dream of doing e sports solely but this is no excuse to neglect what should be the most important part of your life man. Your family and especially your son , those years aren't coming back , those missed moments you will look back on in ten , fifteen years and you will regret it , but then it will just be too late. I'm sorry but your priorities as a father a husband and a man are just screwed up. Again good luck to you in your future , but think about what's really important.
I know a lot of people will give me flack on this , but hey about half if not more on here are college kids who don't have a family or a mortgage or even real bills , so that is expected.
Take it from a filmmaker who made the mistake of putting his career before family , my wife enventually left me for not putting her and the child first. I did win her back but that was after being humbled to my core and realizing its just a career , just a film , or in star craft just a game. Your wife is supportative , and that's great , but so was mine. Don't miss out on the greatest and largest task a man can do and that is to raise a son who will make the world a better place one day.
Keep doing e sports , but just think about how important those two people are to you , nothing in life is as important. sorry for any typos and good luck with your future life.
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much love and support wheat
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Thanks for posting this, Wheat. It's always helpful to know how celebrities such as yourself feel. Know that you have a huge legion of fans that YOU HAVE EARNED. We will be here when you need support as well.
Another thought for you: Give us a chance to add some financial support to your life. Some of us are actually stuck in the rat race and coming home to one of your shows is something to look forward to during the ride home. 60 minute commutes are made easier when listening to podcasts in the car.
Many people like this are more than willing, in fact, ready, willing and able to provide $5-15 a month for things (subscriptions, merchandise, special events, etc). You have to give us that opportunity. You have proven your worth, now let us prove ours.
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Thankyou for writing this, Wheat. As someone involved in commentating on wrestling shows and also trying to break into the world of esports broadcast while also working a fulltime job, it's nice to see people acknowledging just how hard and draining this is. Luckily, like you, I have a supportive relationship that allows me to pursue this.
You're an inspiration to people like me, and I hope things work out well for you.
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Yo Wheat,
Very interesting post, I think it's always helpful/positive for people in the progaming world to show the IRL side of things a little bit (did Day9 ever do that daily about his day-to-day life?)... it puts things in perspective.
Anyway, this really resonated with me (I have a wife and young son) and we're both working jobs to support something else we're both really passionate about (farming) and which we hope to transition to full-time. Having someone with you for the ride 100% is so important. I sometimes wonder how that is for people in the progaming world. You hear about team houses in Korea and EU/US gamers living and training together -- definitely an interesting and fun experience, I imagine, but the pressure/focus on the game has to be incredible.
Sometimes I wonder if older players like White-Ra are so cool and composed partially because they have so much else going on in their lives (wife, job) that's outside of the game?
Anyway, thanks again for the very insightful post.
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Fuck your so baller.
God your life makes my friends looking fucking terrible by comparsion. One of them WANTS to end up working under a person like you (Not as a caster, but in IT). People need more drive. Its disgusting. I hope your son grows up to become the president or atleast the greatest progamer of all time.
EDIT: Has miniwheat been to a live a event? If not you should so totally take him to the Blizcon GSL finals. That would be so fucking baller.
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Interested insight, thank you for taking the time to write that down. I am an IT consultant myself and even though I am at the very beginning of my career, I struggle to find the correct balance between gaming, work and more conventionnal "social" activities. You are lucky to have a strong family to rely on .
Keep up the awesome work you do for the gaming community,
Best Regards.
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djWHEAT.
Your story choked me up. I have been an avid watcher of your shows, EG masters cup, Kings of Tin and the like. And it is just amazing what you are doing for this community.
Without you we wouldn't be where we are.
Hopefully one day you can work in eSports full time with a steady paycheck so you can give even more (If that is at all possible) because for our community to survive, we need you.
Thankyou for changing mine, and many others lives.
We <3 you wheat
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Damn Wheat, I can't think of a lot of things to say... I'm not that good at expressing emotions through words, so I'll just leave it to that:
An immensely huge thanks to you and to everybody (mostly jen and mini) supporting you for being who you are and showing a unique dedication to this embryonic cause called e-sports. Mark my words, in a few years from now when e-sports will be globally acknowledged as a legit full-time job and entertainment, you'll be recognised as the pioneer and the dreamer that changed it all... You're a huge totem in the e-sports world wheat, take great pride in that! Take care mate, this was a great read; nice to know a few things about the man behind the shows! :D
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On May 28 2011 01:49 Adebisi wrote:Keep up the great work Wheat, if anyone deserves to be able to support themselves fully off eSports, its you . I think you'll be there soon!
Looks like you were right
I'm really happy to hear that djwheat now can do e-Sports full time.
You deserve this! Keep on doing what you do the best; be an awesome caster, as well as an incredibly nice, funny and handsome guy.
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That is crazy to hear and surprising, I hope you can manage to balance family time, work and gaming into your life. Thanks for sharing this.
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Not surprised by the schedule. I'm doing full time work and trying to finish my thesis at the same time and its 18 hour days 7 days a week. The fact that you juggle a family on top of that is crazy impressive.
I hope your family knows how much you mean to the community and for that we owe them a huge debt of gratitude. If only you were a 10 storey staypuff marshmellow man so there'd be enough of you to go around...
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interesting read...im glad you work in the real world, its a good balance/perspective to have.
As a 27yr old male myself im not too impressed about your schedule though, yes you can make excuses for your behavior because your wifes awesome yadda yadda, but gaming > your son?
I would go as far as to say that's a serious issue.
IMO there is a line between being old and having RL commitments (ie you, whitera) and being young, free and being able to do sc 24/7 in a house full of stinky geeks.... and I think regardless of who you are and what the community is about RL should ALWAYS take priority.
The community is fickle after all and all it takes is for a DOTA2, or a diablo3 or a C&C5 and your community is instantly reduced.
I never liked this idea that some people have of "sc is the be all and end all" because one day it will disappear and what will those people do then?
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Dunno if this is a good question or not, but recently u announced going to twitch.tv together with 2GD. My question would be.....is twitch.tv like a payed job? Is it stable enough to ... let's say "migrate" from the bank to twitch.tv as a stable job, that could make u 100% e-sport available?
Related to your blog, u just made me respect u and what you do and HOW u do it atleast 10 times more!!
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Much love for the wheat <3.
It's ridiculous, and i feel like a lot of people don't realize how much goes on behind the scenes in a normal day for someone who's at the forefront in ESPORTS (though i realize wheat just changed jobs!!!)
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I hope you can suport your family and be duing e-sports full time one day. Thanks for being so awsome and good luck!
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Damn, I have so much respect for you now! Keep being awesome DJWheat!
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EPT
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