EPTI was never very familiar with Korean culture. Having moved from Korea when I was young and with very few Korean people to associate with I quickly settled in to my new surroundings. As a consequence I began to lose my Korean identity. If it wasn't for my mother I would have considered myself as British.
Thanks to her I did not forget how to speak Korean, basic mannerisms and my love for Korean food whilst being extremely fortunate to go to Korea almost every summer.
However if it wasn't for my cousins I would have felt extremely lonely. In the beginning things were awkward with me not being able to speak Korean very well but they were patient with me and introduced me to the things they liked to do.
My cousins would tell my parents and grandparents that they would show me around Seoul. If anything my parents were glad that my cousins would spend time with me doing something constructive. In reality they would take me to PCBangs, sit me in a chair and start playing Starcraft.
The first game I played was dreadful, I had no idea what units did and what I was meant to do. What was meant to be an exciting 3v3 turned into a drawn out one-sided 3v2 considering all I did was make scvs and build supply depots with the occasional barracks and marines. Vespene gas too complicated.
"What? How do you not know Starcraft?"
And then a crash course into the basics was forced onto me whilst my teammates went to pay for the cup ramyun and drinks (for losing). For the next 3 or 4 summer holidays the team I was on knew they would have to pay for food, drinks and pctime.
It was quite obvious to my parents that my cousins were taking me to PCBangs as I would return past 6pm smelling of cigarette smoke. They would turn a blind eye, only being vocal about their concerns when I would spend numerous days 'touring Seoul' without an older guardian
Telling my cousins this they came up with a simple solution. If we couldn't go to PCBangs everyday we would also spend time at home, immersing ourselves with Starcraft on TV.
[My favorite progamer has always been Boxer for these very simple reasons. My cousins hyped him up a lot and he played the same race as I did. I wasn't an avid starleague follower though, watching infrequently and only when a Terran was playing.
As I knew more about Starcraft my reasons changed but I have always supported him. Such a shame that I missed every opportunity to talk to him and get his autograph this summer...]
With a role-model (BoxeR), and a very confused idea of what units to make/how to use them, I would spend numerous summer holidays going to PCBangs for Starcraft with my cousins.
Every year without fail we would play at least one game of 3v3 BGH. Even now I can still remember some very good games (ridiculous comebacks, holds, all of which were quite common) Now with one of my cousins getting married, another trying to focus on his career, two entering the army and one in his final year of uni I doubt we will be able to continue our 10 year~ tradition.
Korea was a portal for me, a dreamland of sorts. Somewhere I could play games with friends (cousins) for as long as I liked, enjoying great food and not having to deal with my mother's constant nagging. In England I would have to study and be constantly watched over by my mother In Korea it's safe to say I lived without responsibilities. If I came home late my grandparents and other relatives would scold my cousins, If I had no money I would be given some, I was free to do what I liked. When I was bored of Starcraft there was always Diablo...
It's been different the last 2 years, where I've been trying to learn more about Korea itself, meeting new people, but I could never exclude Starcraft. (4/8/2012 was mindshattering. First (and unfortunately last) BW livematch I watched, but the GSL/GSTL pales in comparison)
Whilst I liked Starcraft as a game I also liked it because it became a common hobby that would break social barriers. It helped me make friends in Korea as well as (temporarily) patch up relations and grudges. I remember getting into a petty argument with an older
(and much more popular hyung) and felt outcast but Starcraft would disspell the awkwardness between us.
Starcraft would be the go-to game when I was bored, when I didn't want to study, when I was in Korea, when I was socialising with other Koreans in England. I've enjoyed it for the last
10 years and I still like to play an occasional game of BGH. Me wanting to become better at Starcraft led me to Teamliquid, and I have enjoyed and learnt much from using the site for the past
4 years.
Thanks to Starcraft and to Team Liquid.
Hello!
