EPTThat phrase is very easy to say. Even "competitively" isn't that hard. But the implications can be staggering. A complete deviation from a normal life. Working 80+ hours a week for less money than can be made in 40 with the same skill set. Odd hours, lots of time away from home, and little to no respect from the world at large. On top of that, the work you are doing is hard. Not something that anyone can just pick up and do. Knowing all of this, one has to wonder why anyone would choose this life. Who would that person be, and how are they going to make it happen?
Why
For the love of gaming. The answer is actually that simple. There is no other reason to be a in fledgling industry that is still proving its worth. It's not about getting rich, and it's not about being famous. And it certainly isn't about security for the future. There are far better ways to accomplish these goals. But if gaming is what you love, that can easily be reason enough to pursue that abnormal life.
Who
I suppose this is where we need to talk about me. I'm a 22 year old who is taking time to try to prove himself to the competitive gaming world, and show why he should be given a chance. I was raised primarily on two things, video games and competition. From the moment I picked up a genesis controller to go head-to-head at Sonic 2 I was addicted to winning. This carried over into Age of Empires, Rise of Nations, and several fps games. Unfortunately, that talent never grew into anything as I would swiftly run out of local opponents willing to play, and without anyone around to enjoy a game with, there isn't much enjoyment to be had. That brings us to more modern times, including the release of Starcraft 2. I bought the game at release, finished the singleplayer and dabbled in multiplayer. But I hit the same roadblock as before, no one around to share the game with. So I set the game aside and quickly forgot it, never knowing about the people online who shared my interest.
All of that changed during Dreamhack Summer 2011, which I was watching because of League of Legends. I watched my first live Starcraft match during that event, Moon six pooling Huk. Feeling the energy from Day9 and the audience, I was immediately hooked. I started watching every daily and match that I could, wanting to know more. I finally felt comfortable enough to start playing on a ladder a lot (as terran) in late september. By thanksgiving I was in master league. So of course I decided that I needed to experiment with the other races, to see which one I liked best. This was also around the time that I started seriously considering getting into SC2 and esports as a job, rather than a hobby. I spent the next several months dithering about, never able to put in the time and effort for fear of failure, and unable to choose a race. That lasted until May 2012. I was finally able to sit down and put in a few hours a day to practice. I had chosen zerg, but was still questioning that decision heavily, as I just wasn't having much fun, even in victory. But I stuck with it until June.
Attending MLG Anaheim was what finally solidified everything in my mind. I wanted to compete, and I wanted to play terran. Throughout the event I had been trying to focus on protoss and zerg, but terran play kept drawing my eyes away. So I went home, looked up some of the latest terran builds (thank you again Day9), and seriously began the climb from then platinum on my terran account. On July 1st I finally reacquired my place in master league. I told myself that if I was going to get serious about it ever, then time had finally come.
How
This is actually a question that no one seems to have an exact answer to yet. Many pros when questioned answer that they fell into it, and discourage others from taking a risk to break into the scene. This is understandable and likely commendable, after all, they understand better than anyone exactly how hard their lives are and how much work and skill is required to do what they do. But, being the stubborn idiot that I am, this is advice I'm choosing to ignore.
I'm ignoring this advice because I have the support of my parents and fiancé, so rather than risk my entire life on this gamble, I'm simply putting plans on hold for a time if things don't work out. I tell you this because if I succeed I don't want to be the reason in the future that someone drops out of school or quits their job on a whim. I also tell you this because I want everyone reading to understand that I am serious. I understand as well as I can what I am getting into, and I am here to stay for as long as I am able.
So having determined how I will get the time I need (the support of others), the last step is determining how to use it. I could take the advice of the community at large and just play all day everyday, but everything else I have ever been good at has shown me that is the wrong decision. When playing soccer you don't just play matches nonstop. You work on technique, strategy and teamwork separately, then put them together. It is the same way with music. As a drummer, you spend time each day on rudiments (basics) and focus on specific areas that need work, rather than just playing any song placed in front of you over and over again until you get it right. So my plan is to apply these techniques for improvement to SC2, as I need to concentrate years of experience into months.
Terran Rising
That finally brings us to the purpose of this blog going forward. I want to invite everyone to see what I'm doing to improve now, and what my plans are for the future, because if there is anything I've figured out over the last 22 years, it's how to learn. The second purpose of the blog is to keep me going. It's going to be hard, but knowing that anyone is watching will help to push through the tough parts, and help to keep me honest about where I'm at.
Starting tomorrow (July 8, 2012) I will begin covering exactly what I am doing to improve.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I've left some replays and links so that you can get to know me better as a player and keep track of my progress over the next few months.
twitter.com/zultar327 @Zultar327
twitch.tv/zultar327 Stream: This should be up shortly after blog posting.
Zultar vs TFCblasta on Ohana LE
Tsunami vs Zultar on Ohana LE
GoldKinG vs Zultar on Cloud Kingdom LE
Zultar vs sKsOrigiN on Daybreak LE
AndAgain vs Zultar on Entombed Valley
INCHymn vs Zultar on Ohana LE
Zultar vs PoseidoN on Antiga Shipyard
Zultar vs wayside on Antiga Shipyard
