This post is somewhat lengthy, but it means a lot to me and I am at a crossroad in my life where I need assistance. If you have the time, please read it all. There is no TLDR. Thank you.
EDIT: A lot of helpful information in the comments below by myself and others as well. Also I probably won't do the college hiatus idea, that was just thinking out loud. Thanks for all the feedback most of the stuff written in the first post is basically irrelevant at this point.
it's so hard to stay dedicated to SC when all of your friends play LoL ....
I want a chance. Simple as that, an opportunity. Nothing handed to me, and I want to prove myself.
Right now I'm at a point in my life where things aren't going so well. I'm 20 years old (well 20 Jan 20th) in the wrong college, the wrong situations, and I regret each day that goes by that I am that much farther from my goal.
I want to have a chance at going professional in gaming. I'm Diamond in SC2 right now with all races but specifically Terran. I do not cheese, I play well fought macro games that tend to be somewhat lengthy. I love the game. I don't want to be a pro because it is "flashy" or "looks nice." I want to become one because this is my PASSION. It is what I LOVE.
I live for competition. Before playing Starcraft, I was a top end Pitcher in baseball in my town. I always loved the thrill of striving to become better.
However right now, seeing that I am only Diamond, I can't throw things aside like I want to desperately and find a place to stay that will serve as a solid practice environment. Being part of a respected team is what I want more than anything. I want the team enviornmentI felt in baseball, while performing on an individual level.
I want to take a break from college, perhaps only a year to give myself the respect of having at least a TRY at my goal. Otherwise I feel like I'm going to spend the rest of my life regretting not doing so.
This isn't a plea to the community asking for help. I just want advice.
What is the best way to become recognized in the scene and become a part of a team?
I know I can pull it off. I've gone from the very bottom to Diamond so far in SC2 and that's playing maybe half the time the game has been out. I want to be the best I can be, and in order to do that I need a tangible situation where I can show that all the effort I'm putting in is not useless.
Thanks for the advice, and please be constructive.
Dragonfly
P.S. Remember this? "Hyungjoon Becomes A Progamer"
I'm not fortunate enough to be famous like him, and I don't want a slot handed to me, but I want a chance.
On November 19 2012 11:37 Jeremyy wrote: First off, become a much better player. I'd do that before worrying about other stuff.
I've been playing a lot more lately I took a break because things in school were becoming real rough, and there was the hurricane and everything near me.
Are there any respected lower level teams that may have an establishment that exists for players that are not in their main roster? I'm not even looking for a salary just something/somewhere to maintain the lifestyle required to train.
The Steps IMO Set up a Stream and stream everything you play even if you never get viewers Quantic has a video of how to get a successful stream I don't know where it is Mark from Quantic made it I believe 1. You Ladder like nuts 35-50 or more games a day everyday 7 days a week. 2. Once you get to GM level or High Master you Participate in as Many online Tournaments as you can 3. Be chatty with the players in the Tournaments make friends 4. GET YOU'RE ASS TO MARS I MEAN LANS - get to local lans go to MLGs It does wonders for you look at players like Shew, Illusion, Scarlett that is how they got popular.
On November 19 2012 11:53 SigmaoctanusIV wrote: The Steps IMO Set up a Stream and stream everything you play even if you never get viewers Quantic has a video of how to get a successful stream I don't know where it is Mark from Quantic made it I believe 1. You Ladder like nuts 35-50 or more games a day everyday 7 days a week. 2. Once you get to GM level or High Master you Participate in as Many online Tournaments as you can 3. Be chatty with the players in the Tournaments make friends 4. GET YOU'RE ASS TO MARS I MEAN LANS - get to local lans go to MLGs It does wonders for you look at players like Shew, Illusion, Scarlett that is how they got popular.
Okay thank you. There aren't really any lans near me besides providence when MLG comes around though...
DO NOT GIVE UP COLLEGE. Seriously, it just isn't an option, as eSports isn't as big as everyone may think. If you give up school, and your attempt at becoming a progamer fails, you're going to be screwed.
Join a team that has a 'community' such as xO (and oGaming ofc). You can get tips from the higher players to learn, also, you find good practise partners from that. 99% chance, you will get better at StarCraft. Trust me, being a progamer isn't as glamourous as you make it out to be. Take a look at this article written by Torte. It will help a lot.
If it's just for the sake of being a part of eSports, there are other jobs that aren't playing. Such as editors, producers, sound guys, et cetera.
On November 19 2012 12:00 Ero-Sennin wrote: You want to be a professional, hmmm? You may want to define what that means to you.
Make yourself marketable. What makes you different than everyone else?
Ahh I see you are a member of the Col Academy.
As for what makes myself marketable I'll split it up between 2 categories, personality and gameplay:
Personality:
I am extremely outgoing and quickly conform to groups. I am not loud or noisy or rambunctious. I respect my family and friends and others around me. I have a younger brother that is 2 and a half years younger than me that I do absolutely everything with. We picked up SC2 together and have been playing the game on and off since. We discuss strategies, mechanics, and pretty much everything we enjoy in and out of SC2. (It reminds me of Tasteless and Day9 a bit..)
A few years after he was born I swore to be the best older brother I could ever be. I have kept that promise, have kept my morals high, and have made the right decisions, which makes me an excellent role model for him and also helps us be great friends.
I have the mindset that will allow me to go far. I have an "always moving forward" mindset where even if I suffer a loss, I push it aside and worry about the future and not gloom over the past. This mindset allowed me to become extremely successful in baseball.
Gameplay:
Now you must be wondering "How can a Diamond player stick out?" Well allow me to answer that for you. I play macro games for the most part. When people here the term "macro games" they picture standard gameplay. However, I like to mix things up a bit. I tend to use unit compositions that may not be part of the current meta, and do quite well with them. I also of course, stick to standard play and my mechanics allow me to compete with even some top tier masters players.
I have participated in some of the online tournaments such as the Playhem NA dailies, where I won a King of the Hill back when, which was nice because it allowed me to compete in a tournament environment.
That sums up a lot of it, I don't want to write too much for you to have to read
By the way, Complexity is awesome and I hope you do well in the Academy.
Dragonfly
EDIT: As far as being a professional, to me that means being on a well respected team and preferably having a chance to live in a team house or some sort of team environment that leads to success. I don't need the riches, just a shot.
Also I am reading your blogs right now, they help a lot.
On November 19 2012 12:08 Master of DalK wrote: DO NOT GIVE UP COLLEGE. Seriously, it just isn't an option, as eSports isn't as big as everyone may think. If you give up school, and your attempt at becoming a progamer fails, you're going to be screwed.
Join a team that has a 'community' such as xO (and oGaming ofc). You can get tips from the higher players to learn, also, you find good practise partners from that. 99% chance, you will get better at StarCraft. Trust me, being a progamer isn't as glamourous as you make it out to be. Take a look at this article written by Torte. It will help a lot.
If it's just for the sake of being a part of eSports, there are other jobs that aren't playing. Such as editors, producers, sound guys, et cetera.
I would never sacrifice college. However I would like to do maybe a one year hiatus to give this a shot or just try to become better while still dealing with the struggles of school. I may move out next year in an apartment with my friends so maybe that will help.
Also I want to be a player specifically, other things are nice but I am very competitive.
On November 19 2012 12:08 Master of DalK wrote: DO NOT GIVE UP COLLEGE. Seriously, it just isn't an option, as eSports isn't as big as everyone may think. If you give up school, and your attempt at becoming a progamer fails, you're going to be screwed.
Join a team that has a 'community' such as xO (and oGaming ofc). You can get tips from the higher players to learn, also, you find good practise partners from that. 99% chance, you will get better at StarCraft. Trust me, being a progamer isn't as glamourous as you make it out to be. Take a look at this article written by Torte. It will help a lot.
If it's just for the sake of being a part of eSports, there are other jobs that aren't playing. Such as editors, producers, sound guys, et cetera.
I would never sacrifice college. However I would like to do maybe a one year hiatus to give this a shot or just try to become better while still dealing with the struggles of school. I may move out next year in an apartment with my friends so maybe that will help.
Also I want to be a player specifically, other things are nice but I am very competitive.
Getting a seperate place with friends... If they won't bother you during practise sessions, go for it! But don't take a year off school. It just puts you out of place, especially if you're going into a more requiring program (such as engineering). As Ero-Sennin said, try to market yourselves well, the earlier post you had, basically just copy paste that onto applications to a teams 'community'.
On November 19 2012 12:08 Master of DalK wrote: DO NOT GIVE UP COLLEGE. Seriously, it just isn't an option, as eSports isn't as big as everyone may think. If you give up school, and your attempt at becoming a progamer fails, you're going to be screwed.
Join a team that has a 'community' such as xO (and oGaming ofc). You can get tips from the higher players to learn, also, you find good practise partners from that. 99% chance, you will get better at StarCraft. Trust me, being a progamer isn't as glamourous as you make it out to be. Take a look at this article written by Torte. It will help a lot.
If it's just for the sake of being a part of eSports, there are other jobs that aren't playing. Such as editors, producers, sound guys, et cetera.
I would never sacrifice college. However I would like to do maybe a one year hiatus to give this a shot or just try to become better while still dealing with the struggles of school. I may move out next year in an apartment with my friends so maybe that will help.
Also I want to be a player specifically, other things are nice but I am very competitive.
Getting a seperate place with friends... If they won't bother you during practise sessions, go for it! But don't take a year off school. It just puts you out of place, especially if you're going into a more requiring program (such as engineering). As Ero-Sennin said, try to market yourselves well, the earlier post you had, basically just copy paste that onto applications to a teams 'community'.
Okay thanks.
My friends don't really play SC2 but they respect it enough to give me my own practice time when need be.
On November 19 2012 11:53 SigmaoctanusIV wrote: The Steps IMO Set up a Stream and stream everything you play even if you never get viewers Quantic has a video of how to get a successful stream I don't know where it is Mark from Quantic made it I believe 1. You Ladder like nuts 35-50 or more games a day everyday 7 days a week. 2. Once you get to GM level or High Master you Participate in as Many online Tournaments as you can 3. Be chatty with the players in the Tournaments make friends 4. GET YOU'RE ASS TO MARS I MEAN LANS - get to local lans go to MLGs It does wonders for you look at players like Shew, Illusion, Scarlett that is how they got popular.
Okay thank you. There aren't really any lans near me besides providence when MLG comes around though...
You have to look around Call all the Internet cafes and stuff in the area you would be surprised about how many tournaments you are missing
On November 19 2012 11:53 SigmaoctanusIV wrote: The Steps IMO Set up a Stream and stream everything you play even if you never get viewers Quantic has a video of how to get a successful stream I don't know where it is Mark from Quantic made it I believe 1. You Ladder like nuts 35-50 or more games a day everyday 7 days a week. 2. Once you get to GM level or High Master you Participate in as Many online Tournaments as you can 3. Be chatty with the players in the Tournaments make friends 4. GET YOU'RE ASS TO MARS I MEAN LANS - get to local lans go to MLGs It does wonders for you look at players like Shew, Illusion, Scarlett that is how they got popular.
Okay thank you. There aren't really any lans near me besides providence when MLG comes around though...
You have to look around Call all the Internet cafes and stuff in the area you would be surprised about how many tournaments you are missing
On November 19 2012 12:21 DragonflySC2 wrote: I tweeted this out to some pro players that are still playing and some retired so maybe I can get some of their feedback as well.
On November 19 2012 12:21 DragonflySC2 wrote: I tweeted this out to some pro players that are still playing and some retired so maybe I can get some of their feedback as well.
Well I wouldn't drop out of college. Honestly if you can't get masters while being in college you probably aren't going to ever become a pro.
I for example am in college full time, have a job and I can still play sc2 5 hours a day minimum if I wanted to and am in masters. Before dropping out of college or taking a break or anything you should be masters preferably mid-high before you can think of taking a year off.
Imo I don't think you should take a year off even then as it's really, really hard to get your name out there let alone actually becoming good and joining a good team.
On November 19 2012 12:26 blade55555 wrote: Well I wouldn't drop out of college. Honestly if you can't get masters while being in college you probably aren't going to ever become a pro.
I for example am in college full time, have a job and I can still play sc2 5 hours a day minimum if I wanted to and am in masters. Before dropping out of college or taking a break or anything you should be masters preferably mid-high before you can think of taking a year off.
Imo I don't think you should take a year off even then as it's really, really hard to get your name out there let alone actually becoming good and joining a good team.
Yea I don't think I could ditch college even if I wanted to. My parents really push me to graduate and get my Software Engineering degree.
Just a question, how many games have you played total? Most people who end up at the top make Masters relatively fast and struggle-free from the start even though they take it as a hobby.
Which is why, the advice ''be good before you even start thinking about going pro'' is valid. You are Diamond, and you've been playing this game for at least a year if I understood correctly. That isn't reassuring the least.
It's something I've noticed about many players. Some people simply just ''have it'' and some people don't. You can see people in Gold league with over a thousand games and their still stuck there, while some few other players can learn the game at a Master level in less a than few hundred games (including me) and some are even more insane like that German kid in BW. (Forgot his name, sorry.) Yet some of those gold players dream of going pro someday. Betting against it.
In SC2 it is very EASY to become known. How? Go and win. Win more than others. Sign up for those weekly tournies and win. This isn't LoL or Dota where it's about 5 players and individual skill is less important. Here it is everything. The more you win, the tougher opponents you beat, the more recognition you will earn which in return means you will get a following. If you beat high caliber opponents, teams will contact you. Simple as that.
Your still Diamond. If you can't make it to Masters without a team or a coach even after playing for a long time, you just don't have it. This game isn't that hard. I guarantee that a massive majority of the people in GM or high Masters are simply people playing from their bedrooms after school or work. If you can't even get to Masters without a ''proper environment' then I would bet against you making it pro.
Personality, how marketable you are etc, are not important at all at the moment. You draw attention to yourself because of your skill, the rest follows automatically. People like Scarlett got popular not because they went to lans, but because they beat people.
Not trying to be mean but a dose of reality is always good when thinking about stuff like this.
On November 19 2012 12:39 NonFactor wrote: Just a question, how many games have you played total? Most people who end up at the top make Masters relatively fast and struggle-free from the start even though they take it as a hobby.
Which is why, the advice ''be good before you even start thinking about going pro'' is valid. You are Diamond, and you've been playing this game for at least a year if I understood correctly. That isn't reassuring the least.
It's something I've noticed about many players. Some people simply just ''have it'' and some people don't. You can see people in Gold league with over a thousand games and their still stuck there, while some few other players can learn the game at a Master level in less a than few hundred games (including me) and some are even more insane like that German kid in BW. (Forgot his name, sorry.) Yet some of those gold players dream of going pro someday. Betting against it.
In SC2 it is very EASY to become known. How? Go and win. Win more than others. Sign up for those weekly tournies and win. This isn't LoL or Dota where it's about 5 players and individual skill is less important. Here it is everything. The more you win, the tougher opponents you beat, the more recognition you will earn which in return means you will get a following. If you beat high caliber opponents, teams will contact you. Simple as that.
Your still Diamond. If you can't make it to Masters without a team or a coach even after playing for a long time, you just don't have it. This game isn't that hard. I guarantee that a massive majority of the people in GM or high Masters are simply people playing from their bedrooms after school or work. If you can't even get to Masters without a ''proper environment' then I would bet against you making it pro.
Personality, how marketable you are etc, are not important at all at the moment. You draw attention to yourself because of your skill, the rest follows automatically. People like Scarlett got popular not because they went to lans, but because they beat people.
Not trying to be mean but a dose of reality is always good when thinking about stuff like this.
I just posted this now to get feedback from people, I know I can't be picked up onto a team as a Diamond league player. I have multiple accounts I started off as Protoss, went to Zerg, and settled with Terran. I have played around probably 600 - 700 games total and have gone from Bronze to Diamond in about half the time spand the game has been out.
On the contrary, I believe while natural skill is important, people who show vast improvement also have a place in the pro scene if they can reach the top.
Thanks for the advice
EDIT: I'm shooting for Masters for before HotS comes out.
EDIT2: Also my brother started in silver and climbed to Master's so I think I can do it
EPT
