Even after a few days, the news of Scarlett's retirement has been a hard pill to swallow. I'm sure time will help eventually, but I've read that writing is a good way to deal with things too. So I'm just gonna put fingers to keyboard and express all my thoughts on Scarlett, from initial impressions, to my reasons for being a fan, to why I'm most upset that she's leaving so suddenly. (Note: some of this I already said in the fanclub)
A little background info first; I got into Starcraft 2 without any experience or knowledge of Brood War, back in 2010 after seeing a HuskyStarcraft video. I had fun with it for a while, even stayed up late to watch GSL a few times and had the privileged to watch Fruitdealer win way back when. I kept up with Starcraft for a little while longer but eventually lost interest in watching and playing it. I just had other things going on in my life and let's face it, WoL got pretty stale. I was a bit of a Huk and Jinro fan back in the day, but I would never say I was super behind one player or another, I just liked interesting games and was pretty into the EG vs TL rivalry. Around the time soon after Huk betrayed Liquid and joined those bastards at EG, I simply stopped watching all together aside from the very occasional one game here and there. Starcraft bored me to both play and watch.
Skip ahead a few years and I'm looking for something to do one day bored out my mind and probably high at the time. I stumbled onto /r/starcraft for the first time in over a year and I see that Red Bull is having a tournament that day. "Oh neat, Red Bull does Starcraft now, maybe I'll watch that for a while and see what's going on with that game!". I was generally pleased with what I saw, the games were more interesting than I remember, and HotS had some cool new units. There were a few names I recognized, like MC and Bomber, and a few new ones like sOs and Snute. I had heard of Scarlett before, but the full extend of my knowledge of her was that she was a girl who was kind actually not terrible. I didn't know about the WCS Championship, or the many many good players she had already beaten at that point. I thought of her like a Maddelisk type, decent but not even close to the level of legit Korean pros even though Day9 kept hyping her. Day9 does that, I didn't put much thought into it. The first game I saw her play was against Parting, and it was a convincing 2-0 loss that in my mind confirmed what I thought about her. She was a charity invite I thought, only there for the girl appeal and was gonna get 4-0'd out. She played Golden after that in the loser's match and 2-0'd him, and I was suddenly very intrigued. I looked up her liquipedia page and saw an unflattering picture and some unbelievable results I had no knowledge of.
Before I had time to finish reading though, the next series started against Bomber. I'm sure everyone remembers that series, and specifically the final game of it which is often regarded as one of the best of all time. It was after that last game I became a instant huge Scarlett fan, and a Starcraft 2 fan again in general.
Ever since then, I've cheered my heart out for her, and the more I've found out about her the more I like her. I found her snarky online attitude yet quiet demeanor offline very relatable and endearing, I talk a lot online but anyone who knows me in real life knows I barely say a word. I found out the transgender thing was legit and not just something people joked about because they couldn't believe a girl was good at starcraft, so now I had someone who was also LGBT like myself to be a fan of. We're the same age, from the same country and played the same race in similar styles. I found her just all and all to be a very relatable person, and I ended up getting very emotionally invested in her wins and losses. My mood was often highly influenced by how Scarlett did in a tournament recently, which was sometimes amazing and sometimes very bad. She didn't have very good consistency, so being a fan was a roller coaster most of the time. Her run at MLG was so amazing and depressing when it was ended in a bad throw, and her Red Bull win was unreal. Even after some particularly crushing or disappointing losses and a few instances of trying to stop cheering for her or act like I cared less, I was always a huge fan deep down.
There's a few reasons why I find her apparent retirement so hard to take. One of the main reasons being that I've only been watching her for a year. I know she's been around much longer but to me, who only has known about her since last November, this feels like your favorite player is quitting after only a year. On top of that, in interviews that were done less than two months ago she expressed so much confidence in her ability and desire to do well in 2015, and even her optimism for LotV. It's tragic and jarring to see a player go from happily saying "I hope to do better and qualify for Blizzcon in 2015" to "I have no interest in Sc2" and retiring in less than 2 months time. Losing passion over time is one thing, it happens to even the top players, but to go from so optimistic to completely giving up in such a timeframe is bizarre in my opinion. One could almost say it reflects poorly on the current state of the game, but that's a whole different topic that I won't get into.
Now, here's the other reason I don't like this and also the part where I might sound like an asshole, especially since I don't know Scarlett's full reasoning and I'm just going by what she's said publicly, which is all of one tweet and one medium length TL post...
Scarlett, you have a dream job that is difficult but very rewarding, a ton of loyal fans, are making decent money through tournament winnings and probably salary, and have the opportunity to fly and even live all around the world to play a frickin video game for a living. I cannot understand how someone, especially a person as young as you, can have all that and walk away from it. I just don't understand at all. Until just very recently, you've always seemed so happy doing what you do. Sure, you may not have a special interest in Starcraft right now, and perhaps a vacation is needed. Everyone needs one once in a while, but it very much can come back and I am of the opinion that it will for you.
This may be an issue of seeing this more of a hobby that she happens to make money from than a job. I think this is a general mentality issue amongst lots of foreigners that doesn't exist as much in Korea. Foreigners lose passion and completely give up, Koreans (for the most part) treat it as a job and do their best regardless. If Starcraft has become a grind or a bore to you, deal with it. When I go into work everyday, it's a grind and a bore and stressful at times, and no one cheers me on or flies me to foreign countries to do it. With the changes to WCS, and the fact that I don't think she's reached her full potential yet, it seems like a bad move. I don't know what Scarlett's plans are for her future, but I am willing to bet that nothing she does could be as interesting, rewarding and amazing as what she does now. I personally see no reason, aside from maybe health issues, to not keep going and not do this as long as possible. A progaming career won't last forever, and eventually you'll have to move on when you physically start getting too old and begin to slow down. But her wrists aren't as bad as Mvp's, and she isn't nearly as old as Nestea, so I don't get why this would be her choice. I wouldn't be surprised if she eventually wanted to come back after a break or whenever LotV comes out. The Scarlett who gives up like this is not the same Scarlett I thought I understood.
If this is her permanent choice however, and she really isn't going to try anymore, I have to say thanks for everything. She's been a person who I've found both highly inspirational and relateable. She's a kind person and a hilarious troll. She's cute, awesome and interesting. She led me to discover a new passion in my life at a time where I had none. She's done a lot for me without even trying. I hope, for my personal sake, her's, and the Starcraft community in general, we haven't seen the last of her. I'm embarrassed to admit this, but when she first posted that damn tweet, I actually came very close to crying, and again when she posted her explanation in the fan club. I wish her all the best of luck in whatever she does in the future. Maybe if she ends up doing well in WCS this season, however unlikely that is considering her lack of practice, it'll rekindle something in her and she'll continue. A man can only hope, can't he?
How'd you know her wrists aren't as bad as MVPs...
'Rewarding' is a very subjective term. You may think that going around the world playing video games is a dream job, but others may see it as an absolute waste of time. I can see how playing a video game hours upon hours a day, a game you do not enjoy, purely for money, can be extremely unrewarding.
hmm interesting read. I wont talk about the injury because I don't know enough about it to actually speak about it. One thing i want to say is I donno if its so much foreigners losing passion, but people not understand why they are retiring.How hard it is for them to actually make money, and how stale the community/game is compared to other games. I'll be honest with you Guitars, it really all comes down to blizzard, and it just doesn't look like they care, at all. Scarlett is young and has aspirations, as a big fan of hers, I would hate to see her waste her time on something as stale as this game. She is too special to hide in a small corner in such a big world, ESPECIALLY if she is over it.
Second some words that might help you might not. storytime :3 I have a hero, ever since I was 10 (which is a long long time ago :3) His name was Zinedine Zidane, my Zizou. I played soccer for my entire life and changed the way I ran to run like him, modeled everything around his playstyle. I don't think I've ever loved a person much less anything else even close to how much I loved that game. He was my favorite player during all 8 years of my crucial years of development (10-18) as a player.
It was really really hard to get matches on TV in America at this point in time, even harder to get the two leagues he played in at this time(La Liga in Spain and the Serie A in Italy). You had to pay almost 20 dollars for a match back then with old standard cable pay per view technology. Sometimes you would miss the first 20 minutes of the game, sometimes it would cut off with 10 minutes left because of an injury that messed up the time blocks. I would rake leaves and mow lawns every day so I could watch him playon the weekends when I was younger.
This is the ending I got I have been trying to watch videos like this for 8 years (since the game) and I can't finish any of them. Rarely can I enjoy compilation videos because, I just start to cry knowing I will never see him play ever again (accept the occasional charity match I got absolutely batshit for). Now I just sit and wait, all his children are now teenagers and are currently creepin into the professional scene at young ages. They are all very good, but I wonder.... will there be another...
On January 09 2015 06:09 lisward wrote: How'd you know her wrists aren't as bad as MVPs...
'Rewarding' is a very subjective term. You may think that going around the world playing video games is a dream job, but others may see it as an absolute waste of time. I can see how playing a video game hours upon hours a day, a game you do not enjoy, purely for money, can be extremely unrewarding.
I don't know the details of either, so it's mostly speculative. But Mvp was basically forced into a less effective but less apm demanding playstyle and had results decline almost certainly directly due to his injury. Scarlett had to take some breaks, but she's seem to manage it better and hasn't been slowed down nearly as much.
And as for your 2nd point... you could possibly view it as a waste of time, but if that's the case then what isn't? Most people work in whatever they're doing purely for money, and a good percentage of people don't enjoy there jobs. Not only that, but being at the top of something by itself has to be rewarding to a degree, having fans scream your name is probably pretty rewarding, and seeing the 50 posts a day in your fanclub too. Even if it isn't perfect, nothing is and what she's got has to be better than almost any other option.
On January 09 2015 06:16 TheLastTemplar wrote: hmm interesting read. I wont talk about the injury because I don't know enough about it to actually speak about it. One thing i want to say is I donno if its so much foreigners losing passion, but people not understand why they are retiring.How hard it is for them to actually make money, and how stale the community/game is compared to other games. I'll be honest with you Guitars, it really all comes down to blizzard, and it just doesn't look like they care, at all. Scarlett is young and has aspirations, as a big fan of hers, I would hate to see her waste her time on something as stale as this game. She is too special to hide in a small corner in such a big world, ESPECIALLY if she is over it.
Second some words that might help you might not. storytime :3 I have a hero, ever since I was 10 (which is a long long time ago :3) His name was Zinedine Zidane, my Zizou. I played soccer for my entire life and changed the way I ran to run like him, modeled everything around his playstyle. I don't think I've ever loved a person much less anything else even close to how much I loved that game. He was my favorite player during all 8 years of my crucial years of development (10-18) as a player.
It was really really hard to get matches on TV in America at this point in time, even harder to get the two leagues he played in at this time(La Liga in Spain and the Serie A in Italy). You had to pay almost 20 dollars for a match back then with old standard cable pay per view technology. Sometimes you would miss the first 20 minutes of the game, sometimes it would cut off with 10 minutes left because of an injury that messed up the time blocks. I would rake leaves and mow lawns every day so I could watch him playon the weekends when I was younger.
This is the ending I got https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQwxZkUwgjg I have been trying to watch videos like this for 8 years (since the game) and I can't finish any of them. Rarely can I enjoy compilation videos because, I just start to cry knowing I will never see him play ever again (accept the occasional charity match I got absolutely batshit for). Now I just sit and wait, all his children are now teenagers and are currently creepin into the professional scene at young ages. They are all very good, but I wonder.... will there be another...
I'm sure you are right and Scarlett has plans and aspirations in other aspects of her life... but when I say she's young I mean that in a way that there is plenty of time for her to do whatever she wants! She has her whole life to do that! And I'm not convinced she's completely done, I see her coming back in some fashion eventually.
I'm sure you are right and Scarlett has plans and aspirations in other aspects of her life... but when I say she's young I mean that in a way that there is plenty of time for her to do whatever she wants! She has her whole life to do that! And I'm not convinced she's completely done, I see her coming back in some fashion eventually.
Just to add my own thoughts -- I think Scarlett would be the first person to agree with you that the life of a progamer can be amazing. Those of us who have followed her from the beginning have witnessed her grow from an awkward, camera-shy person who would shut down during interviews, to the amazing, confident woman she is today. One of my greatest rewards in following Starcraft has been to see her grow up during these few years (I'm a bit older than her, so I say that as a bit of a big brother). She's also made friends and fans around the world, none of which would have been possible without Starcraft
However, in her defense, I think it should also be mentioned that the physical demands of being a pro-gamer never suited Scarlett. Her wrist injury prevents extensive ladder grinding, and she's never been someone who can handle endless travel. She's said as far back as 2012 that this was the case. In addition, her best periods of play have been when she's been in Korea for extended periods of time, which is not always possible since her family is in Canada. As such, I can understand why she's decided that she's had enough for the time being.
I do have to reiterate what SetGuitar said in expressing my deepest gratitude and admiration for the moments she's given us these few years, and I hope to continue seeing her in the years to come.
Scarlett is an icon for SC2. She has truly set a goal for female and LGTQ gamers who love esports and strive to become the best. I distinctly remember F5'ing the brackets for IPL4 when she was going through the open bracket waiting for her to beat Oz (which sadly never happened). From there I knew a career was born, but never expected the whirlwind she brought to the scene.
As a fan of hers, I hope she reconsiders retirement and maybe takes a hiatus until Legacy like other pros are doing, hopefully having the beta and full release within the next year.
As a person, I can see her sentiment on wanting to move on with her life. She is young, has traveled the world, and become famous not just within SC2 and esports, but outside too. She's been in numerous widespread news outlets, and is respected across the board. Wrist issues also still hinder her growth as a player, and further strain and damage to them may cause long-term issues stretching well into her life after pro-gaming.
Much respect and love to Scarlett. Hope she is proud of where she is and how far she has come, because God damn I am fucking proud to have been there to see it.
Look. I know you like seeing Scarlett play. I do too. I think she's awesome. But if she wants to move on, then she wants to move on. I'm not saying this to upset you, but there always will come a time when something good comes to an end, and when you accept this, you no longer have fear of it. This isn't even necessarily a 'bad' thing. IdrA is working on a college degree and Stephano is working towards becoming a doctor. Those are really good things.
On January 09 2015 10:39 ninazerg wrote: Look. I know you like seeing Scarlett play. I do too. I think she's awesome. But if she wants to move on, then she wants to move on. I'm not saying this to upset you, but there always will come a time when something good comes to an end, and when you accept this, you no longer have fear of it. This isn't even necessarily a 'bad' thing. IdrA is working on a college degree and Stephano is working towards becoming a doctor. Those are really good things.
as long as she keeps us updated on her hair styles i'll be fine with this
On January 09 2015 10:39 ninazerg wrote: Look. I know you like seeing Scarlett play. I do too. I think she's awesome. But if she wants to move on, then she wants to move on. I'm not saying this to upset you, but there always will come a time when something good comes to an end, and when you accept this, you no longer have fear of it. This isn't even necessarily a 'bad' thing. IdrA is working on a college degree and Stephano is working towards becoming a doctor. Those are really good things.
as long as she keeps us updated on her hair styles i'll be fine with this
I can live with that. But seriously nice blog guitars, I agree it will be a sad day when Scarlett leaves SC2
I've been following Scarlett for a little bit longer (Since her amazing 2013 Wcs Season 2 America run, stupid 6 pool), but not quite this intensely, probably because I can't relate as well, but it will most definitely be an incredibly sad day when one of 2 possibilities happen: 1: Either death or serious injury (lets hope not this one) 2: She decides to retire from pro-gaming permanently.
On January 09 2015 10:39 ninazerg wrote: Look. I know you like seeing Scarlett play. I do too. I think she's awesome. But if she wants to move on, then she wants to move on. I'm not saying this to upset you, but there always will come a time when something good comes to an end, and when you accept this, you no longer have fear of it. This isn't even necessarily a 'bad' thing. IdrA is working on a college degree and Stephano is working towards becoming a doctor. Those are really good things.
yep
it's easy for us as fans to say that "this has to be better than any other option she has," but that's not really giving scarlett credit as a whole person with her own interests and dreams. if the game is making her unhappy then i don't think it's her best option, that's not the best option for anyone. not everyone can live their dream and have a job that makes them HAPPY, but if your job makes you UNHAPPY then i think it's fair to say you need a change
i do hope she changes her mind and gets more positive about the game from my own selfish perspective, but hey, she's gotta do what she's gotta do. and she of all people would have a valid reason to want to say fuck esports with all the shit she has to tolerate :/ she has a ton of support but let's not forget all the nasty trash that pops up in every twitch chat ever
On January 09 2015 10:39 ninazerg wrote: Look. I know you like seeing Scarlett play. I do too. I think she's awesome. But if she wants to move on, then she wants to move on. I'm not saying this to upset you, but there always will come a time when something good comes to an end, and when you accept this, you no longer have fear of it. This isn't even necessarily a 'bad' thing. IdrA is working on a college degree and Stephano is working towards becoming a doctor. Those are really good things.
I'm not saying that she can't do what makes her happy lol, I'd want nothing more for her. I just hope that what she chooses makes her as happy as possible, and that she doesn't leave now and then regret it later. But maybe I am just desperetly trying to convince her to come back for my own selfish reasons... this isn't what a good fan should do
It's gonna upset me no matter what, the more I think about it the more I realize I can hardly think of a single person who I idolize more...
On January 09 2015 10:39 ninazerg wrote: Look. I know you like seeing Scarlett play. I do too. I think she's awesome. But if she wants to move on, then she wants to move on. I'm not saying this to upset you, but there always will come a time when something good comes to an end, and when you accept this, you no longer have fear of it. This isn't even necessarily a 'bad' thing. IdrA is working on a college degree and Stephano is working towards becoming a doctor. Those are really good things.
Just wanted to note Stephano actually decided NOT to become a doctor a long time ago (like 2012), he went after engineering I think instead of medical school.
ive met and talked with scarlett backstage at redbull hq before and she seemed like a normal quiet girl... not some sort of idol or goddess to beseach and worship. if she doesnt feel motivated to keep going if she isnt physically up to it she should move onto the next stage of her life.
On January 09 2015 16:18 Gamegene wrote: ive met and talked with scarlett backstage at redbull hq before and she seemed like a normal quiet girl... not some sort of idol or goddess to beseach and worship. if she doesnt feel motivated to keep going if she isnt physically up to it she should move onto the next stage of her life.
its kind of scary how invested you are in her lol
Lol sorry. I'm making too big a deal about this. Of course I'm building her up too much... I'm just had at dealing with loss I suppose that's all. Looking back at the article, it's damn near creepy isn't it?
On January 09 2015 16:18 Gamegene wrote: ive met and talked with scarlett backstage at redbull hq before and she seemed like a normal quiet girl... not some sort of idol or goddess to beseach and worship. if she doesnt feel motivated to keep going if she isnt physically up to it she should move onto the next stage of her life.
its kind of scary how invested you are in her lol
Lol sorry. I'm making too big a deal about this. Of course I'm building her up too much... I'm just had at dealing with loss I suppose that's all. Looking back at the article, it's damn near creepy isn't it?
Have you met her so far? Like, said hello at an event, got an autograph? Then it would be rather understandable she is the kind of person that's very charismatic without trying or caring about it. Overwhelmingly sweet irl, I would say
On January 09 2015 16:18 Gamegene wrote: ive met and talked with scarlett backstage at redbull hq before and she seemed like a normal quiet girl... not some sort of idol or goddess to beseach and worship. if she doesnt feel motivated to keep going if she isnt physically up to it she should move onto the next stage of her life.
its kind of scary how invested you are in her lol
Lol sorry. I'm making too big a deal about this. Of course I'm building her up too much... I'm just had at dealing with loss I suppose that's all. Looking back at the article, it's damn near creepy isn't it?
Have you met her so far? Like, said hello at an event, got an autograph? Then it would be rather understandable she is the kind of person that's very charismatic without trying or caring about it. Overwhelmingly sweet irl, I would say
Nope, never had the opportunity to go to an event at all. I missed Blizzcon 2014 by days though, and yes it was a depressing as it sounds.
hmm not sure what to make of your post lol. I think it's cool that you're really invested in her to the point where you would write a big post on it but at the same time, if you're a true fan, you would be happy with whatever decision she makes in the end regardless whether you agree with it or not.
For me, I will always remember Scarlett as the Zerg who lost to a 6 pool against Jaedong lol. I didn't watch her games against Bomber or much after or before tbh so I'm not really a fan of hers. Regardless, best of luck to her in what she does! I think she's making the right choice in the end. E-sports is a short lived career and unless she's ok with delaying herself from the path she takes afterwards (whether college, university, workplace etc...), it's best to quit now and get to the start of the road much faster
On January 09 2015 05:11 SetGuitarsToKill wrote: Scarlett, you have a dream job that is difficult but very rewarding, a ton of loyal fans, are making decent money through tournament winnings and probably salary, and have the opportunity to fly and even live all around the world to play a frickin video game for a living. I cannot understand how someone, especially a person as young as you, can have all that and walk away from it. I just don't understand at all. Until just very recently, you've always seemed so happy doing what you do. Sure, you may not have a special interest in Starcraft right now, and perhaps a vacation is needed. Everyone needs one once in a while, but it very much can come back and I am of the opinion that it will for you.
That seems like a pretty short-sighted reason to criticize her decision. Pro-gaming might be a nice idea for some, but I am not sure if you can call it a career. Now I don't know exactly how much she's making, but at the end of the day as far as I'm aware, she's put off college for this. Pro-gaming doesn't last forever, and she's got her future to think about. Unless she's making serious money now, she could be really hurting herself in the future.
And given her past, it's going to surround her as long as she's in the public eye. I can totally imagine her wanting to move on from that.
On January 10 2015 11:35 BigFan wrote: hmm not sure what to make of your post lol. I think it's cool that you're really invested in her to the point where you would write a big post on it but at the same time, if you're a true fan, you would be happy with whatever decision she makes in the end regardless whether you agree with it or not.
For me, I will always remember Scarlett as the Zerg who lost to a 6 pool against Jaedong lol. I didn't watch her games against Bomber or much after or before tbh so I'm not really a fan of hers. Regardless, best of luck to her in what she does! I think she's making the right choice in the end. E-sports is a short lived career and unless she's ok with delaying herself from the path she takes afterwards (whether college, university, workplace etc...), it's best to quit now and get to the start of the road much faster
I would slighly disagree. If she's happy I'm happy for her, but at the same time I can be disappointed with it, and I don't think that makes me any less of a fan.
On January 09 2015 05:11 SetGuitarsToKill wrote: Scarlett, you have a dream job that is difficult but very rewarding, a ton of loyal fans, are making decent money through tournament winnings and probably salary, and have the opportunity to fly and even live all around the world to play a frickin video game for a living. I cannot understand how someone, especially a person as young as you, can have all that and walk away from it. I just don't understand at all. Until just very recently, you've always seemed so happy doing what you do. Sure, you may not have a special interest in Starcraft right now, and perhaps a vacation is needed. Everyone needs one once in a while, but it very much can come back and I am of the opinion that it will for you.
That seems like a pretty short-sighted reason to criticize her decision. Pro-gaming might be a nice idea for some, but I am not sure if you can call it a career. Now I don't know exactly how much she's making, but at the end of the day as far as I'm aware, she's put off college for this. Pro-gaming doesn't last forever, and she's got her future to think about. Unless she's making serious money now, she could be really hurting herself in the future.
And given her past, it's going to surround her as long as she's in the public eye. I can totally imagine her wanting to move on from that.
Meh, in my personal experience as well as with people I know, putting of college isn't as big of a deal as some people think. I've known people who didn't graduate until they were in there 30's, and they still landed awesome jobs they were very happy with, so it's a bit subjective I think. It's a matter of opinions I guess.
EPT
she is the kind of person that's very charismatic without trying or caring about it. Overwhelmingly sweet irl, I would say
