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How far we've come

Blogs > Julmust
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Julmust
Profile Blog Joined November 2008
Sweden4867 Posts
March 03 2018 23:07 GMT
#1
While I was at ESL One Katowice a thought struck me. A thought of far esports has come. In one of my earlier blogs I talked of how I was a "manager" for a local CS team back in the day. Back then I followed the CS scene religiously. This was before streaming so you sat in IRC channels that had bots who live posted kills, plants, defuses, and round scores. I read recaps of games and watched demos. cArn, Pott1, and Heaton were my idols. Even though I followed them I had no clue what they looked like which added to the mystery of these, now legendary players.

Growing up my family didn't have an abundance of money. We weren't poor but traveling a lot was never an option so even if I was in Sweden, the esports Mecca at the time, I never was able to go a LAN. Dreamhack was just what the name implied. A dream. Friends who lived closer, or had parents who had the money to spare for them, talked about running into the afformentioned legends and I was so incredibly jealous. In the end it turns out this was a good thing for me. Those friends have since moved away from esports. While they never lost interest the fact that they could take it for granted made it less special to them. I grew up with that hunger and I only went to my first professional esports event 4-ish years ago. Then and there I swore that I would never take this for granted.

While I still have problems sleeping the night before going to an event they, for a moment, started to lose their glamour. I was fortunate enough to get a great pass for Katowice, with backstage access, and didn't think much about it. I started walking around with this "Uh I'm so bored" expression toy look like I belonged. The turning point came just before the Fnatic vs. VP game. I sat there, kind of tired after running around for an entire day, with some other people in the industry and in came a couple of people who had represented Fnatic at the IEM expo next door. They sat down in front of me and I didn't think much of it. Until I read the name on the back of the jersey of the guy who sat down in front of me. cArn. I couldn't believe it. Granted I was a huge Heaton fanboy but cArn was probably me 2nd favorite player back then. I sat back to take in the moment, without talking to him of course... too shy for that, and I realized something. I'm in a stadium. In Poland. Watching esports. With thousands of others. I've gotten to know people in the scene and am lucky enough to call some of them my friends. Hell earlier that day I watched a game with 3/5ths of the Liquid team. Players who people now look up to like I did to cArn, Pott1, and Heaton. How fucking lucky am I?

That night as I walked home to my hotel I couldn't stop thinking of all the events I've been to lately. The people I've met. The people I've seen screaming out the names of their favorite players and teams. How, in Kiev last year, Liquid were treated as rock stars during their signing session with several hundred lining up just for a picture. I also thought of myself 15 years ago. How I'd sneak up after my parents went to bed because SK had an importang game. I'd connect to the internet through our dial-up, suffocating the sound of our modem with a pillow to not wake anyone up. Years later a friend told me you could disable the speakers on most modems. How esports have gone from being something I enjoyed alone in my room to something I celebrate in arenas around the world. Again: How fucking lucky am I?

On an unrelated sidenote. I did manage to muster up the courage to talk to cArn during the last game of the Fnatic vs. Liquid series. Very in-depth conversation. Mhmmm. I'm sure I gave him a lot to think about.... not really. He said "We got this" after the draft (in Swedish) and I replied: "Aaah no way". He looked at me, said "You don't think so" and I simply replied: "Go Liquid". Now this might sound like one of those "Wow I'm such a big liquid fan"-moments. But I honestly had no clue what to say. I blew it. But whatever. It's good practise for if I eventually run into Heaton. Or as I said to bluemoon after saying how amazing it was to "meet" cArn: "I dunno man. If I met Heaton I might cry".

Now if anyone wants to check out what I did in Katowice, here's my flickr album from the event: https://www.flickr.com/photos/153753059@N02/albums/72157693003824024
AdministratorI'm dancing in the moonlight
Yurie
Profile Blog Joined August 2010
11908 Posts
Last Edited: 2018-03-04 13:33:33
March 04 2018 13:32 GMT
#2
I think I am in the camp of taking it for granted now. I can afford going to many events but never end up going since it just is a hobby now. Not like when I scheduled my work vacations to get to DH, TI or other events I wanted to attend.

Strangely not a fan of watching at arenas. Feels more like something I have to do instead of tuning in to a game to just watch or discussing it with a few friends.

Especially DH would be so easy to attend. Just book a train, bring a sleeping bag and a change of clothes.
Nixer
Profile Joined July 2011
2774 Posts
March 04 2018 14:48 GMT
#3
I need to pay my respects to HeatoN too someday, he's actually pushed the acceptance and awareness of esports quite a bit with his public appearances. Primarily in Sweden of course so it doesn't directly affect me but regardless. Actually funnily enough my mom was impressed by him, and his eloquence, when he was explaining and describing esports in a TV show.

Cool guys.
Graphics
goody153
Profile Blog Joined April 2013
44221 Posts
March 05 2018 16:05 GMT
#4
How esports have gone from being something I enjoyed alone in my room to something I celebrate in arenas around the world. Again: How fucking lucky am I?


Probably not as ancient as you when it came to enjoying esports but the earliest i watched before was when i was in my uncle's house i would switch the tv channel to some korean channel that broadcasts esports that was like 12-15 years ago or something. I was watching broodwar/quake/wc3 pros and was quite enjoying it mostly to myself since whenever i shared it to my friends or anybody they don't seem interested.

Now i'm kinda happy that esports ended up popular and sort off big time with alot of people no longer seeing it as a strange thing. I have many to share my passion with it
this is a quote
YourGoodFriend
Profile Blog Joined June 2010
United States2197 Posts
Last Edited: 2018-03-09 14:42:29
March 08 2018 14:17 GMT
#5
On March 06 2018 01:05 goody153 wrote:
Show nested quote +
How esports have gone from being something I enjoyed alone in my room to something I celebrate in arenas around the world. Again: How fucking lucky am I?


Probably not as ancient as you when it came to enjoying esports but the earliest i watched before was when i was in my uncle's house i would switch the tv channel to some korean channel that broadcasts esports that was like 12-15 years ago or something. I was watching broodwar/quake/wc3 pros and was quite enjoying it mostly to myself since whenever i shared it to my friends or anybody they don't seem interested.

Now i'm kinda happy that esports ended up popular and sort off big time with alot of people no longer seeing it as a strange thing. I have many to share my passion with it


I am a lot newer to esports, I started with SC2 in the Beta and ate up everything there was on YouTube and then stayed up super late watching Korean matches once streaming became a thing. I still don't have many IRL friends who are into esports and I have only been to two events (both SC2, MLG Raleigh) but I almost fainted when I got to play Liquid`HerO in the open tournament (PvP and I was so nervous the first game I forgot to put guys in gas).

I remember that MLG though I told my friends screw it I wasn't going to be afraid to talk to people and I was going to try and meet every pro and talk to everyone. I got every signature of the then current SC2 team (this was right after HuK left for EG), and got to hang out with Jinro (dude is so awesome). It was one of the best times of my life.

Images
+ Show Spoiler +

I look so stupid in this picture, I was like what do I do? Do I smile? What do I do with my right arm? Just stick it awkwardly out! OK OK
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