• Log InLog In
  • Register
Liquid`
Team Liquid Liquipedia
EDT 00:53
CEST 06:53
KST 13:53
  • Home
  • Forum
  • Calendar
  • Streams
  • Liquipedia
  • Features
  • Store
  • EPT
  • TL+
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Smash
  • Heroes
  • Counter-Strike
  • Overwatch
  • Liquibet
  • Fantasy StarCraft
  • TLPD
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Blogs
Forum Sidebar
Events/Features
News
Featured News
RSL Season 1 - Final Week6[ASL19] Finals Recap: Standing Tall15HomeStory Cup 27 - Info & Preview18Classic wins Code S Season 2 (2025)16Code S RO4 & Finals Preview: herO, Rogue, Classic, GuMiho0
Community News
Esports World Cup 2025 - Brackets Revealed16Weekly Cups (July 7-13): Classic continues to roll8Team TLMC #5 - Submission extension3Firefly given lifetime ban by ESIC following match-fixing investigation17$25,000 Streamerzone StarCraft Pro Series announced7
StarCraft 2
General
Esports World Cup 2025 - Brackets Revealed RSL Revival patreon money discussion thread Who will win EWC 2025? The GOAT ranking of GOAT rankings Server Blocker
Tourneys
FEL Cracov 2025 (July 27) - $8000 live event Sparkling Tuna Cup - Weekly Open Tournament Sea Duckling Open (Global, Bronze-Diamond) RSL: Revival, a new crowdfunded tournament series $5,100+ SEL Season 2 Championship (SC: Evo)
Strategy
How did i lose this ZvP, whats the proper response
Custom Maps
External Content
Mutation # 482 Wheel of Misfortune Mutation # 481 Fear and Lava Mutation # 480 Moths to the Flame Mutation # 479 Worn Out Welcome
Brood War
General
Flash Announces (and Retracts) Hiatus From ASL BGH Auto Balance -> http://bghmmr.eu/ BW General Discussion Soulkey Muta Micro Map? [ASL19] Finals Recap: Standing Tall
Tourneys
[Megathread] Daily Proleagues CSL Xiamen International Invitational 2025 ACS Season 2 Qualifier Cosmonarchy Pro Showmatches
Strategy
Simple Questions, Simple Answers I am doing this better than progamers do.
Other Games
General Games
Stormgate/Frost Giant Megathread Path of Exile Nintendo Switch Thread CCLP - Command & Conquer League Project The PlayStation 5
Dota 2
Official 'what is Dota anymore' discussion
League of Legends
Heroes of the Storm
Simple Questions, Simple Answers Heroes of the Storm 2.0
Hearthstone
Heroes of StarCraft mini-set
TL Mafia
TL Mafia Community Thread Vanilla Mini Mafia
Community
General
US Politics Mega-thread Things Aren’t Peaceful in Palestine Russo-Ukrainian War Thread Stop Killing Games - European Citizens Initiative Summer Games Done Quick 2025!
Fan Clubs
SKT1 Classic Fan Club! Maru Fan Club
Media & Entertainment
Korean Music Discussion Movie Discussion! [Manga] One Piece Anime Discussion Thread [\m/] Heavy Metal Thread
Sports
2024 - 2025 Football Thread Formula 1 Discussion TeamLiquid Health and Fitness Initiative For 2023 NBA General Discussion NHL Playoffs 2024
World Cup 2022
Tech Support
Computer Build, Upgrade & Buying Resource Thread
TL Community
The Automated Ban List
Blogs
Ping To Win? Pings And Their…
TrAiDoS
momentary artworks from des…
tankgirl
from making sc maps to makin…
Husyelt
StarCraft improvement
iopq
Customize Sidebar...

Website Feedback

Closed Threads



Active: 622 users

Post-Retirement

Blogs > mYiKane
Post a Reply
mYiKane
Profile Blog Joined March 2011
Canada1772 Posts
March 14 2018 03:43 GMT
#1
Hi guys,

Some of you might remember me; I was a zerg pro in Heart of the Swarm back in the day from around 2013 to sometime in 2015.

I just recently read a great blog post by Rain here: http://www.teamliquid.net/blogs/531962-6-years-after-retirement. I really recommend reading it as it gives a great insight into some of the issues a progamer faces after retirement. After reading his blog, I figured that I would give a different perspective into the life of a retired progamer that is in no way meant to discredit his experiences or challenges.

It was my dream to be a progamer back when I started playing SC2 in 2010 and discovered the professional scene through TeamLiquid. I achieved this goal in 2013 when I won the very first ShoutCraft tournament and joined a professional team. I decided to take two years off my schooling and pursue my dream full-time.

Long story short, I was overall unhappy with my results in those 2 years. However, I made new friends from all over the world, saved up some money, and got to travel to tons of new places. After two years, I decided that the best option for my future (financially and mentally) would be to return to school and finish my degree.

Don't get me wrong; I loved progaming. I loved the competitiveness and the failures and the small successes that I experienced. But it's so much easier now. I don't have to worry travelling for 24 hours to stay in a shitty little hotel for the weekend and bomb out of my next tournament. I don't have to worry about the financial limitations that progaming offers and, if I don't make it big, how I'm going to find a job with no education and no real work experience.

I might sound like I'm judging those who are busting their asses to make it in this scene, but I'm not. In fact, I admire each and every one of them because I know how grueling it can be. All I'm trying to say is... life is way easier for me now. I'm not stressed anymore. I've gotten my bachelor degree and am looking to pursue my masters degree, I'm working full-time, and I've recently moved in with my girlfriend. Things are great.

I'm going to repeat this because it's important. I am not trying to discredit Rain or anything because I know how difficult those choices can be. The point of this post is just to show that everyone has different experiences after progaming.

By the way, I started playing SC2 again casually and LotV is so much fun!


*****
Jealous
Profile Blog Joined December 2011
10141 Posts
March 14 2018 07:33 GMT
#2
Given your experience, what is the difference between people like you who eventually gave up the dream, and those that stick with it? What is the difference between the best of the best and those that never make it?

On this forum we hear tons of things about discipline, motivation, etc. but I think your blog demonstrates that there must be some other underlying differences involved - ones that made it so that the downsides of progaming, as you listed them, urged you to quit while for others who are surely cognizant of these things, it did not.
"The right to vote is only the oar of the slaveship, I wanna be free." -- бум бум сучка!
Waxangel
Profile Blog Joined September 2002
United States33360 Posts
March 14 2018 21:49 GMT
#3
Great to hear that life after esports has worked out well!

I have to wonder how you look back at your progamer days, though. Are you totally at peace with how your SC2 career went, in terms of competitive results? Any lingering regrets like 'man, I could have done a bit better...'?

AdministratorHey HP can you redo everything youve ever done because i have a small complaint?
Gorgonoth
Profile Joined August 2017
United States468 Posts
March 14 2018 23:36 GMT
#4
Do you think the reason so many people trying to make it work as a pro gamer don't last long or aren't very healthy is because we dont have a society where its a very common/ profitable thing? It dosent seem like its a profession that people can "dabble" in and make decent money, to really make enough money to support yourself healthily(let alone a family) you have to be committed to it, with constant streaming, practice for often really small rewards. Just a thought I had after seeing alot of stories of people who don't make it or aren't really happy being a pro gamer
JWD[9]
Profile Blog Joined November 2015
364 Posts
March 14 2018 23:53 GMT
#5
I am suprised to read that two years
real work experience
trump two years of traveling and pursuing one of the most competitive fields there is. I don't think this should hold your career back if you manage to communicate it well.
mYiKane
Profile Blog Joined March 2011
Canada1772 Posts
Last Edited: 2018-03-15 04:21:33
March 15 2018 04:12 GMT
#6
On March 14 2018 16:33 Jealous wrote:
Given your experience, what is the difference between people like you who eventually gave up the dream, and those that stick with it? What is the difference between the best of the best and those that never make it?

On this forum we hear tons of things about discipline, motivation, etc. but I think your blog demonstrates that there must be some other underlying differences involved - ones that made it so that the downsides of progaming, as you listed them, urged you to quit while for others who are surely cognizant of these things, it did not.


That's a tough question. Right now it's such a hard thing to make a long-term career out of professional gaming. Even if you are dominant for a couple years, it's not enough money to bank on for the rest of your life. I think creating a career out of progaming can be done, but I just didn't see it happening for me.

In addition, I was almost done my education in an area that yields quite a few career possibilities. I knew that all I needed was one or two more years before I could start working full-time. A lot of these kids drop out of university earlier or even drop out of high school. I imagine for them it's a much tougher choice to go back to school.


On March 15 2018 06:49 Waxangel wrote:
Great to hear that life after esports has worked out well!

I have to wonder how you look back at your progamer days, though. Are you totally at peace with how your SC2 career went, in terms of competitive results? Any lingering regrets like 'man, I could have done a bit better...'?



Absolutely. I wish I could have done better, but I don't think I could have done better. I honestly gave it all I could and practiced my ass off. I know that I did all I could, but I still wish I would have done better, and I wish it would have been possible to give it a couple more years as I was actually starting to get some good results right before I retired.


On March 15 2018 08:36 Gorgonoth wrote:
Do you think the reason so many people trying to make it work as a pro gamer don't last long or aren't very healthy is because we dont have a society where its a very common/ profitable thing? It dosent seem like its a profession that people can "dabble" in and make decent money, to really make enough money to support yourself healthily(let alone a family) you have to be committed to it, with constant streaming, practice for often really small rewards. Just a thought I had after seeing alot of stories of people who don't make it or aren't really happy being a pro gamer


I'll give you an example. Nowhere on my resume does it say that I was a professional gamer for two years. Very few employers are going to look at that and see it as valuable work experience. It's interesting and fun, but unless you know a bit about it (which tons of people don't), it's more of a novelty more than anything. It's not profitable for the majority of people and doesn't offer many career opportunities.

On March 15 2018 08:53 JWD[9] wrote:
I am suprised to read that two years
Show nested quote +
real work experience
trump two years of traveling and pursuing one of the most competitive fields there is. I don't think this should hold your career back if you manage to communicate it well.


It would take a gifted person to communicate that well in a 20 minute job interview. I'm not saying it's impossible, but it requires some knowledge of Starcraft and competitive gaming that could easily be seen as a digression in a professional interview.
iMrising
Profile Blog Joined March 2012
United States1099 Posts
March 15 2018 22:34 GMT
#7
nice to see that you're doing well and can still annihilate everyone on ladder ... especially me :'(
$O$ | soO
TelecoM
Profile Blog Joined January 2010
United States10671 Posts
March 16 2018 21:44 GMT
#8
Nice to see you still Kane, I remember you during the time you were a top Zerg, glad to see you are doing well! Keep up the good work, we played a few times back in the day, ZvZ was always fun =P
AKA: TelecoM[WHITE] Protoss fighting
Freeedom
Profile Blog Joined March 2010
United States199 Posts
March 21 2018 21:24 GMT
#9
I disagree, given equal candidates and that's the difference, I'd hire that person knowing what it takes to be a pro gamer. Also, not that I'm any good but I used to put "masters Zerg" in my resume, the hell with the eye rolls haha.

GL man, it was fun to play with you and against you in the Red Bull Pro Am event in DC.
PSISTORM Gaming owner - twitter.com/karljayg - facebook.com/KJfreeedom
Please log in or register to reply.
Live Events Refresh
Next event in 5h 7m
[ Submit Event ]
Live Streams
Refresh
StarCraft 2
Nina 332
StarCraft: Brood War
Sea 13226
PianO 84
ajuk12(nOOB) 18
LuMiX 1
Britney 0
Dota 2
monkeys_forever907
League of Legends
JimRising 770
Counter-Strike
Stewie2K1420
Other Games
summit1g13141
shahzam1260
WinterStarcraft388
C9.Mang0269
ViBE221
Trikslyr32
ROOTCatZ29
Organizations
Other Games
gamesdonequick4153
StarCraft 2
Blizzard YouTube
StarCraft: Brood War
BSLTrovo
sctven
[ Show 14 non-featured ]
StarCraft 2
• Berry_CruncH218
• AfreecaTV YouTube
• intothetv
• Kozan
• IndyKCrew
• LaughNgamezSOOP
• Migwel
• sooper7s
StarCraft: Brood War
• Azhi_Dahaki15
• BSLYoutube
• STPLYoutube
• ZZZeroYoutube
League of Legends
• Lourlo1299
• Stunt551
Upcoming Events
CranKy Ducklings
5h 7m
Epic.LAN
7h 7m
CSO Contender
12h 7m
Sparkling Tuna Cup
1d 5h
Online Event
1d 11h
Esports World Cup
3 days
ByuN vs Astrea
Lambo vs HeRoMaRinE
Clem vs TBD
Solar vs Zoun
SHIN vs Reynor
Maru vs TriGGeR
herO vs Lancer
Cure vs ShoWTimE
Esports World Cup
4 days
Esports World Cup
5 days
Esports World Cup
6 days
Liquipedia Results

Completed

CSL Xiamen Invitational: ShowMatche
RSL Revival: Season 1
Murky Cup #2

Ongoing

BSL 2v2 Season 3
Copa Latinoamericana 4
Jiahua Invitational
BSL20 Non-Korean Championship
CSL Xiamen Invitational
2025 ACS Season 2
Championship of Russia 2025
Underdog Cup #2
FISSURE Playground #1
BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025
ESL Impact League Season 7
IEM Dallas 2025
PGL Astana 2025
Asian Champions League '25

Upcoming

CSLPRO Last Chance 2025
CSLPRO Chat StarLAN 3
BSL Season 21
RSL Revival: Season 2
SEL Season 2 Championship
uThermal 2v2 Main Event
FEL Cracov 2025
Esports World Cup 2025
ESL Pro League S22
StarSeries Fall 2025
FISSURE Playground #2
BLAST Open Fall 2025
BLAST Open Fall Qual
Esports World Cup 2025
BLAST Bounty Fall 2025
BLAST Bounty Fall Qual
IEM Cologne 2025
TLPD

1. ByuN
2. TY
3. Dark
4. Solar
5. Stats
6. Nerchio
7. sOs
8. soO
9. INnoVation
10. Elazer
1. Rain
2. Flash
3. EffOrt
4. Last
5. Bisu
6. Soulkey
7. Mini
8. Sharp
Sidebar Settings...

Advertising | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use | Contact Us

Original banner artwork: Jim Warren
The contents of this webpage are copyright © 2025 TLnet. All Rights Reserved.