EPTI am not quite sure what this is going to be as a blog, as I've never written one before. I'll start with a bit of an introduction into my experience with RTS and eSports, and see what I manage to spit out in the weeks to come. I'll do my best do keep things interestingish as I do appreciate you all stopping by.
I first started seriously looking into Starcraft immediately following the release of Wings of Liberty. My earliest exposure to it, hot seating on battle.net on my friends green iMac and recall seeing Brood War matches being broadcast on G4. We were in utter shock that females would attend such an event, joking that they were voicing concerns for Flash's Goliaths during that particular game. I didn't really give it much thought until the sequel was on the shelf and I was turning the box over in my hand walking back to my car.
Flash forward two months I was facing an interesting time in my life, money was running dry as a student, and I didn't want to go to my parents for assistance. I felt they had stretched far enough for me.I needed a way to stay entertained without shelling out money for new games or subscription fees but would keep me mentally occupied. Starcraft filled that void nicely, complimented with a night shift job staring at a computer screen and late night Starcraft sessions ending at 5am.
My interest in Starcraft deepened; I spent my time at work watching VODs, found Day[9] and TL as outlets for ideas, learning and a sounding board for things I couldn't express elsewhere. I remember my excitement at watching MaDFroG, and seeing CatZ pull four drones on Xel Naga Caverns to harass Terrans and be generally obnoxious (How is that for a throwback?). My simple diversion became something of an obsession by then. My immediate circle of friends fell off the game, and I continued. Through graduation, through 6 more months at that tedious job, my only constant being Starcraft 2 and a girl who was/is kind enough to indulge my gaming habit ("Call me after your game is done," is a text I see a couple times a week now).
If you are anything like me, and I would assume a fair number of you are, you have finished with university and progressed into the professional or at least semi professional world. A year and some change after graduation I find myself in a rather stale, branded corporate job which poses no particular mental challenge. I make more than I did previously, but am still not in what I would call a comfortable state financially. Starcraft is still my primary means of amusing myself, and I am branching out professionally within the community and doing some Team work in the hopes that one day I'll draw some income from both a "regular" job, and eSports.
So I spend most days partially pursuing Starcraft related materials and the other half doing my job though they some times aren't mutually exclusive (I have to stay there for a year, should I be looking for a promotion within the company anyway). In short Starcraft, the people I have met through it, and those who have stuck with me despite it keep me going.
That is about the long and the short of my eSports story, I am still working, still improving and by no means an expert.
What I do have are some ideas, a fairly sharp intellect, and a love of the game. I am working on balancing life, Starcraft and my career while trying to find my way in the world as an "adult." So if you'll stick around with me we'll see what comes out of this as we move on and play some games along the way.
Cheers,
Feel free to follow me on Twitter.
@callmetomservo
Work some, Live well, game well, and be generally nerdy.
