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Emptying my salt shaker

Blogs > Rifkin
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Rifkin
Profile Blog Joined October 2012
Canada24 Posts
Last Edited: 2015-11-22 06:35:01
November 22 2015 06:32 GMT
#1
Hello Reader,
I've never written one of these before, so pardon the awkwardness as it does feel a bit weird. Lately I've become really salty and frustrated about many things, from the politics of esports, to personal failures/shortcomings, or even just "that one random thing that really set me off that day". I could probably write a hundred blogs about the many experiences I've had since entering this crazy world of "esports", and for better or for worse I'd redo everything all over again. The bad things like Z33kTV, the veralynn drama, losing the "Day 9: Think you can Cast?" contest, and the good things like making BaseTradeTV, meeting Zombiegrub, flying around the country, they all make up who I am now, and I embrace all of them. However, there's been a lot of shit along the way too. Some of you know about what I'm about to talk about, but many of you have only heard joking references to it on stream, my "When I finally quit SC2" folder. On my journey through Starcraft, I've had some bad experiences-

Scratch that, I've experienced some really terrible things*

-and I always made sure to document them, so as not to forget when something or someone did a bad thing, and to not let it effect to me in the future. At some point though, especially when we were smaller and growing, bad things started happening to me as well. Interactions with not-to-be-named organizations, and often times with players. I'm going to post a screenshot, and only one, and I'll explain why a little bit later. This is from when Zombiegrub and I got to stream on the official WCS Channel back in 2013 for the first time. I thought it was a pretty awesome bench mark in our "casting career" and would gain me some respect, however I very quickly learned that wasn't going to be the case: [image loading]

This is probably the most tame thing I could find and censor without revealing who was saying it, but trust when I say there's been far worse. The worst part about not being from a team/major organization, an ex-pro, or a popular personality, coming into all this was how badly I was often treated. I'd not get invited to games, I'd often times be ignored for simple requests, and in some cases I wasn't even allowed to cast matches at all. It was a real struggle getting to the point where I could even get players or admins to respond to me, so when I got shit, I'd make sure to document it. My "When I finally quit SC2" folder contained hundreds of files, mostly photos and screenshots, but some audio recordings and such of just terrible things. Remember in that first season of WCS when over half of the players from Europe couldn't sign up due to ESL/Admins messing up the brackets? It was horrible watching them all circle jerk each other for their good job, then continue to make fun of players for "not having enough APM to sign up in time". This was documented.
Teams extorting sponsors for additional money? This was documented.
Players harassing me on a personal level or for my casting? This was documented.
Organizations being shady as fuck? This was documented.

All of this stuff, for years, I've just been building up in this one tiny folder that I was planning to just publicize the day I left starcraft, my way of calling down the thunder with a nuclear launch and getting a final laugh. I didn't really consider dedicating so much of my life to SC2 at any point, and over time just didn't think about it much, but now that I have I realize I can't afford to release any of this stuff. It'd hurt my friends, cause drama, and definitely blacklist me from any future involvement due to whistleblower status. Frustrating is the realm of politics.

Many of you would probably ask that I share most of what I have, and if you get me drunk at an event and are gullible enough to believe the words that slurr out of my mouth, you might one day learn some of these dirty secrets (some of you already have). But I can't do that. The reason I am only posting this one screenshot is because tonight I deleted this folder full of everyone's ugly history and it's all that's left.The more I obsess and think about the past, and how disgusted I was with most, the more salty I become every single day.

I often times just get written off as some angry nerd, a reddit troll, a goofball, an idiot, a friend zoned loser etc, but the reason I don't let any of that get to me is because I don't do what I do for the admiration. I do this because I want to, I enjoy it, I get to live out my dream of travelling away from my little farm town and I get to make many friends while doing it. I feel all this bullshit that has been piling up on my desktop for years has just been weighing me down and making me an angrier, very salty, person more than it needs to.

I'm hoping I can move forward with a more positive attitude, and I really want to enter 2016 not being angry and upset with everyone else. I've lost a lot of my motivation in recent months, despite the dedication you see the to constant broadcasting, and I don't want anything else holding me back. We have such cool goals for next year and I want to hit them all. Anyways, thanks for reading my cool story, bro. It probably had nothing to do with you, but hopefully it was at least interesting.

Oh, and about the person in the screenshot, I gain nothing from exposing who they are, and I don't feel the need to ruin anyone's opinion of their favourite player, so don't bother guessing because I won't be confirming who it is and you're probably wrong.
+


****
Commentator
Rifkin
Profile Blog Joined October 2012
Canada24 Posts
November 22 2015 06:34 GMT
#2
Writing your thoughts out is weird.
Commentator
Rifkin
Profile Blog Joined October 2012
Canada24 Posts
Last Edited: 2015-11-22 06:39:58
November 22 2015 06:39 GMT
#3
Lichter is shit. Shout out
Commentator
lichter
Profile Blog Joined September 2010
1001 YEARS KESPAJAIL22272 Posts
November 22 2015 06:40 GMT
#4
wowowow I'm glad you deleted that folder

ps i luv u
AdministratorYOU MUST HEED MY INSTRUCTIONS TAKE OFF YOUR THIIIINGS
Keytar
Profile Joined May 2011
Canada156 Posts
November 22 2015 06:42 GMT
#5
It's really a nice symbol that you want to have a good positive time and start fresh.

You seem like the sort of person who would delete their WoW character in order to quit instead of just not logging in, because if it's no longer there you can't even consider it as an option. You've put some drama behind you and you can just continue happily. I think you'll appreciate this decision more and more as time goes on.
I try to be rage-free as I game. As you can imagine, this is difficult.
partydude89
Profile Blog Joined August 2012
1850 Posts
November 22 2015 06:49 GMT
#6
Not sure how i feel about this. On one hand, i'm happy to have drama-free sc2, as i don't think it's helpful to the scene. But i do like knowing that the players i root for, foreigners especially, are decent people as well as players. I feel like i can get behind them more, and really appreciate those who go out of their way to be kind human beings. Id hate to think that a team/player that i like is really disrespectful to others in the scene, especially casters, while i'm none the wiser and cheering my heart out for them.

So i guess i'm glad, but just wished that this wasn't even an issue to begin with. :/
#1 Official Hack Fan|#2 Bomber behind Wintex.|Curious|Life|Flash|TY|Cure|Maru|sOs|Jin Air Green Wings fighting!|SBENU Fighting!|
SetGuitarsToKill
Profile Blog Joined December 2013
Canada28396 Posts
November 22 2015 06:49 GMT
#7
Jesus, I need that folder. I promise I wont share
Community News"As long as you have a warp prism you can't be bad at harassment" - Maru | @SetGuitars2Kill
KadaverBB
Profile Blog Joined June 2009
Germany25657 Posts
November 22 2015 07:39 GMT
#8
On November 22 2015 15:49 SetGuitarsToKill wrote:
Jesus, I need that folder. I promise I wont share


Yeah no one is going to believe that
AdministratorLaws change depending on who's making them, but justice is justice
boxerfred
Profile Blog Joined December 2012
Germany8360 Posts
November 22 2015 07:51 GMT
#9
I'd so sell that folder to esports magazines. #Rifkingate incoming.
Calt
Profile Joined September 2011
Finland1140 Posts
November 22 2015 09:38 GMT
#10
I'm really glad you deleted it instead of releasing , sounds like an awful idea to collect all the bad things instead of just at least trying to let them slide. You said you wanted to save them to not let them effect you in the future but sounds to me like it would do the opposite!

How about you start a folder now about the positive things instead? ^^
Maru | MMA | Ryung | MKP | NaDa | BoxeR | FOREVER SLAYERS
Nerchio
Profile Joined October 2009
Poland2633 Posts
November 22 2015 10:19 GMT
#11
I will not talk about anything except the screenshot which I think is not that unreasonable from the player, forcing players to wait when they are both ready is the worst thing you can do and every pro player will tell you so.
Progamer"I am the best" - Nerchio , 2017.
BreakfastBurrito
Profile Joined November 2011
United States893 Posts
November 22 2015 11:11 GMT
#12
Restore it and move it to a physical drive, stash that drive in a portable safe, put that safe in a deposit box at the bank but dont delete it
twitch.tv/jaytherey | Yapper891 if you are reading this, PM me. its Twisty.
Zealously
Profile Blog Joined October 2011
East Gorteau22261 Posts
Last Edited: 2015-11-22 12:03:16
November 22 2015 12:01 GMT
#13
Was my pizza in the folder tho

Jokes aside; you do a lot of good work, I really hope you never doubt that. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise- or maybe let them, and just ignore what they say.
AdministratorBreak the chains
Superbanana
Profile Joined May 2014
2369 Posts
Last Edited: 2015-11-22 12:19:23
November 22 2015 12:18 GMT
#14
Yeah, don't listen to the vocal minority.
You should know (i guess you do) that most of the community likes you and really appreciate your work.
I would love to see that folder released throw all the dirty stuff in the fan, but do whatever is best for you.
In PvZ the zerg can make the situation spire out of control but protoss can adept to the situation.
CakeSauc3
Profile Joined February 2011
United States1437 Posts
November 22 2015 12:26 GMT
#15
Rifkin I love your channel, your comedy, and what you add to the scene. Please keep doing what you do it makes Sc2 better.
Olli
Profile Blog Joined February 2012
Austria24422 Posts
November 22 2015 13:32 GMT
#16
On November 22 2015 21:01 Zealously wrote:
Was my pizza in the folder tho

Jokes aside; you do a lot of good work, I really hope you never doubt that. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise- or maybe let them, and just ignore what they say.


That pizza we had deserves a spot in every "terrible ESPORTS things" folder

Anyway, good on you Rifkin. Tough decision to make I'm sure, but a reasonable one. Many hearts <3
Administrator"Declaring anything a disaster because aLive popped up out of nowhere is just downright silly."
Ctone23
Profile Blog Joined December 2012
United States1839 Posts
Last Edited: 2015-11-23 18:08:02
November 22 2015 14:59 GMT
#17
Not all organizers are "shady"
TL+ Member
BEARDiaguz
Profile Blog Joined June 2009
Australia2362 Posts
November 22 2015 15:48 GMT
#18
[Prop]Naniwa fits into that blanked out space, HOLY SHIT RIFKIN.
ProgamerAustralian alcohol user follow @iaguzSC2
y0su
Profile Blog Joined September 2011
Finland7871 Posts
November 22 2015 16:14 GMT
#19
Glad you deleted the folder! Letting go of negativity is amazingly positive.
partouf
Profile Blog Joined May 2011
Netherlands405 Posts
November 22 2015 16:15 GMT
#20
On November 22 2015 19:19 Nerchio wrote:
I will not talk about anything except the screenshot which I think is not that unreasonable from the player, forcing players to wait when they are both ready is the worst thing you can do and every pro player will tell you so.


Unreasonable no, rude yes.

Despite the imaginings of pro players being able to just play the game, without broadcasting there would be no audience, and without audience there would be no reason to sponsor players nor tournaments. It's a give and take ecosystem.

In live situations there are plenty of delays as well, they are just as annoying for both audience and players. Online, even if the players are ready, the situation remains the same; games need to be broadcasted, otherwise what's the point of having esports.

That and the accusation of casters delaying games on purpose or not knowing that it affects the players mentality is ridiculous imo. Given that these things happen constantly, and still, in both live and online situation, I would reckon it would be in the players best interest to find a coping mechanism for themselves besides getting angry.
[update twitchuser set banned=1 where lastmessage like '%nohomo%';] - twitter.com/@partouf
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