EPT
Interviewer: Nam Yun Seong (@cheerdoo)
Link: http://esports.dailygame.co.kr/news/read.php?id=46808
Translator: Milkis (@OrangeMilkis)
Twitter Q&A: MBCGame Hero's Sea tells a story without pretense
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Milkis/20110706_7574b6429fbe7a1c2a0.jpg)
Hello. I'm reporter Nam Yun Seong (@cheerdoo) at Daily E-Sports.
I've received questions about MBC Game Hero's Sea since this past Monday from Twitter from Twitterians. There were quite a variety of questions -- surprisingly, even foreign fans have sent in questions about Sea. And commentators Lee Seung Won and Shark also took their time to send me questions. So this corner has been upgraded as now it satisfies the curiosities from the fans in Korea, foreign fans, and the industry insiders. I want to thank everyone for their participation and attention. I want to thank Sea who told us about his difficult circumstances without reservations.
Question by @snupe96
What is your goal as a professional gamer, and what are your future plans after you leave the e-Sports industry?
Answer:
My goal is to win in the individual league just once. I haven't decided on a final goal yet, but I often just think in my head "I'll be pathetic if I don't win in the individual league before I retire". When that thought comes to mind I first get really scared -- because I think I'll be a player that will be forgotten quickly.
I haven't even thought of leaving the e-Sports industry yet, but I'm sure one day I will be leaving the industry. Ideally, I would like to go overseas to learn a language. I think it'll be nice if I go to a foreign country and come back after learning about a culture and picking up another language. I want to set a goal after going overseas to study for a year or two.
Question by @rauk5
Are you at all worried that Lee Jung Hoon's success will cause a mass exodus from the MBC b-team to StarCraft 2?
Answer:
Back when we were negotiating salaries after ending the 2010 season, the future of the B-Teamers was very unclear. It wasn't very clear if they would have opportunities to play in official Brood War matches while it was also a time period where the coaching staff was switching. MC and MarineKing and other players all started playing Starcraft 2 which was just came out back then. Both players were good. I think they transitioned because they saw their future through StarCraft 2. I told them that I didn't think it would be bad if any player, A team or B team, left their team to play Starcraft 2 if they found their future in that direction.
Question by @Square_Zero
In 2006, you were the founding member of MBC Game Hero and you guys won Proleague that year. What do you think of 2006? Is Sea in 2006 the same person as Sea now?
Answer
I've actually talked about the 2006 victory a while ago with my teammates. It would have been possible for us to win back to back if we were sponsored by a big corporation. I don't think it was possible to hold onto the players we had due to the circumstances of the company. July, Bisu, Light, etc... there were so many good players and if we were really the same team I think it would have been absolutely possible to win back to back. After we won in 2006 we vacationed to Phuket as a reward, and that memory still lingers in my mind. I thought we would be able to remain active as players together but in the end we all separated very thoroughly.
If I had to compare Sea in 2006 and Sea now, I think Sea back then was a player who wasn't afraid of anything. I enjoyed playing matches and I enjoyed showing everyone my play. But as I got older and gained more sense of responsibility, I started to fear losing. Back in 2006 my nickname was Enfant Terrible since I went into the match without any anxiety, but now I'm not Enfant nor am I Terrible. It's kind of disappointing but I think I matured as I got older.
Question from @kiante871
What was your favorite game this season?
Answer:
I remember my game against Action in Proleague. I was very behind from the beginning after my strategy failed, and I decided that I would GG several times in the game, but after pressing enter and gg, I deleted it again and continued the game. I kept seeing the faces of my teammates. I looked at every possible option to create a possibility of a comeback. There isn't any games from other leagues that were memorable to me. I guess I should reflect on that (laugh)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Milkis/20110706_d4ff0d5c66456732f2c.jpg)
Question from @lastkarrde
How has Light's departure from MBC affected you? Practice, performance, friendship.
Answer
Even if it wasn't Light, I thought someone on my team would, someday, leave the team. But the person ended up being Light and I didn't think the person would switch teams in the middle of the season.
Before Light left, the atmosphere in our team was really good. We always talked about how if we just kept up this pace, it would be possible for us to end the season at second place. Even though our entry was obvious, we had confidence that if the six of us were together we would be able to keep up with any other team.
But after Light left, I think the our minds just fell apart. To be honest Light was the center of our team work. He was a player that harmonized well with the teammates and so I think everyone was heartbroken when he left. Not in terms of performance but he was the player that held MBC Game together.
Question from @soCoolweN (Commentator Lee Seung Won)
I'm curious how the example of Zero, who overcame his weakness in the last MSL and went to the finals, affected you in any sort of way. I also wonder what you think of the opinion that you are having a tough time in the individual league because you aren't mentally strong.
Answer
I felt many things after seeing Zero advancing to the finals. Although many outsiders could look at a progamer and point out that "You're not mentally strong" but the player could feel otherwise. Although outside opinions are important, I think the mental strength is dictated by the player himself.
When looking at my case, I think that losing to Taek Bang Lee Ssang in both individual leagues round of 8 is more of a case of me not being skilled enough rather than being weak mentally. If I had skill that rivaled Taek Bang Lee Ssang, I would have overcame them and won. I think that I'm still quite lacking in skill.
But what's for certain is that I was extremely nervous the first time I made it to the round of 8. Because it was my first experience up there, I was shaking quite badly.
I think outsider opinion regarding my mental strength is rather weak. I admit it to a certain degree but it's not at a level where I need to worry about it. Nowadays I recommitted mentally and have been practicing. I think it'll be good to expect something out of this Starleague and MSL. If the first button is sewn on well, I think I will be able to go high up there, past the seeds.
Question from @etoilerush
Is there a significant difference, or has the team's atmosphere changed before and after Light moved to Woongjin?
Answer
I think the biggest thing is that my teammate's mentality broke down. It's a really exhausting for MBC Game that Light is being left out of a six person entry. My teammates weren't able to hold themselves together [1]. I was like that too. I twas a situation where I couldn't see the future. It was really hard to deal with it because the rookies that would be debuting needed to fill the hole that Light left. After time passed, we started adjusting and it became an opportunity for the newer players to gain experience and grow, but in the end we weren't able to make it to the post season.
Question from @Eunhwaaa
During the group ceremony, you said remarks regarding your mother. Did your father get upset because of that? Also, what did your parents say after you cut your hair in the PDPop MSL Group Selection Ceremony? Should we be expecting a ceremony during the Starleague Group Lottery Ceremony this week?
Answer
I'll be honest. Back in 5th grade, the business my Dad owned went bankrupt, and he separated with my mom. I haven't seen my dad since then. My mom and my sister keeps the family going. The younger of my older sisters got married, and because my big sister is working, my mom is often lonely. So I call her everyday. I have to take care of my mom.
During the group selection ceremony, I cut my front hair and I said "Mom, this is how I live"[2]. That was an ad-lib. After the group ceremony I called my mom and she said that it was nice because I won a prize.
I think the Starleague has a different atmosphere than the MSL. I think of the MSL as my stage, but I'm a bit more cautious at the Starleague. There's something stopping me from taking the reigns. And because up to now, I did ceremonies and talked a lot during the MSL group ceremonies to win the prizes, I'm thinking about being a bit more prudent in the future.
Question from @StarBell87 (ExProgamer and Commentator Shark)
Why do you think you don't have a girlfriend? I'm also curious if you would confess to a girl if you ended up liking her.
Answer
In the 22 years I have lived, I have never had a girlfriend. I haven't been in school after middle school and I haven't had any chances to meet the opposite sex. I think my emotions related that has dried up. To put it bluntly, you can say that my romantic cells are dead. I'm really shy and I think a lot. If I was simple I would tell a girl I liked her and ask her out but because I think a lot it's difficult to put it into action. But if I really like someone I think I would ask her out after much consideration.
Question by @Square_Zero
Do you have a favorite map out of all the official maps that's been used in Starcraft history?
Answer
I like the Peaks of Baekdoo and the old version of Moon Glaive. I was so good at Peaks of Baekdoo that someone wrote an article calling it the Peaks of Sea. It was also a map I was really confident in. For Moon Glaive, I was really confident because I won all five of my matches I had there when the map was first introduced. If the map was used throughout the season I would have done well, but after it got adjusted to Neo Moon Glaive, things didn't go well for some reason. The changes were minuscule and I thought it wouldn't have a significant effect, but that change really hit me big. So I wasn't able to use any of the strategies I had thought of in the previous version.
Question by @486202
You've been a player for a long time. Has there ever been a time where it was so difficult that you wanted to give up? I'm also curious how you overcame that time.
Answer
I make a teasing joke about how I'm going to quit every once in a while, but there has been one time where I seriously thought about quitting. When I was slumping in the middle of the 08-09 season, I seriously considered quitting. I guess when you keep on losing, you start thinking of it a lot more. But as time passed and I ended my losing streak, it went away naturally.
If I had to recommend a way to overcome a slump, it's to win a game. It's an instant cure for a progamer. But there are cases were it becomes a poison. After you win once you feel great and you go "I must be a progamer for this feeling", but it doesn't last. You fall into a depressing atmosphere when you lose again.
I want to advise the players who are in a losing streak to think positively. It's not important how many games you have been losing, but I think what's important is how you hold yourself together. If you think positively, you can overcome it.
Question by @fiveoone501
What is your ultimate goal?
Answer:
I haven't really found a specific answer regarding my life's goals, but I want to be a good father. I want to raise a family with a wife that's like a fox, kids that are like rabbits, and if I can raise them in a safe environment, it would be nice.
Question by @Hm_alwaysmile
How do you want to be remembered as a progamer?
Answer
I think progamer is an easy profession to be forgotten about after you leave the field. I think if you're not an absolute legend, you will be forgotten. Because I've seen many players become forgotten, I've accepted the fact that I'll be forgotten one day upfront, but I want to be a player that will be remembered for a long time. I haven't achieved much so I'm not really focused on it [3]. I want to be remembered by the fans as the player with the really entertaining games. I want to remain as a player that the fans will remember fondly.
Question by @Yell4t
It's been quite a long time you've made your debut and now you have many more juniors now. Who is the progamer who listens to you the best and if you had to recommend an attention worthy rookie from MBC Game, who would it be?
Answer
Ruby listens to me the best. Before he went to the military he was really competitive so he was scary, but he changed a lot after he came back from the military. There's something I promised with Ruby. Because I thought if Ruby gets 30 wins and if I get about 45 wins next season our team would do quite well, so I suggested that we try this together.
Out of the rookies, I have expectations for the Sang and
Lazy. They've been being dispatched quite often lately and their skill increased exponentially. Their PvT is on a similar level as other gamers. If they just polish their other matchups more, I think they'll be good players.![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Milkis/20110706_e8ad939ffd23f4177c5.jpg)
Question by @hee0618
Who is the best player in MBC Game during practice?
Answer
Saint's performance during practice is a lot better relative to his performance in Proleague. If he stops getting nervous in the broadcast stage, I think he'll be able to post a really good record. Question by @kana4725
Light has gotten a nickname "Jaetler" after moving to Woongjin. Is there someone in MBC Game like "Jaetler"? [4]
Answer
I've had the opportunity to talk with Woongjin's Manager Lee Jae Gyun, and he really likes Light. He talks about how the team atmosphere changed a lot after "Jaetler" joined the team. As a whole everyone in our team has a similar personality. Because Light has a good personality and he was the ace who posted good records, he was the center of our teamwork. I think he's just exhibiting his personality just like before. There is no "Jaetler" to succeed Light. Everyone on the main team is trying to play the role of Hitler.We're all aiming to be"Botler" or "Hoontler", "Bumtler" [5] [laugh]
Question by @mungO_O
What is the secret to your baby face?
Answer
I'm 22 [in Korean age] this year. I'm still young. I probably have a baby face because I'm young (laugh). I had this face since Middle School. Back then it was the face of an old man but as I get older people started seeing it as a baby face. I think most progamers have a baby face. There isn't any reason for them to get hit by sunlight and because they're all very nice people, they don't age that much. They're all also pretty young.
Question by @tptpl
When will it be possible for you to win an individual league title?
Answer
It's difficult to promise with certainty, but I think I will win when my skills are able to back me up. But it is true I'm starting to feel impatient. I'm putting forth even more effort and preparing very hard so please have expectations!
Question by @kimwoobi
What is Late Mechanic to you?
Answer
Since I didn't come up with the build, I'll tell you why I started trying it. After watching SK Telecom's fantasy play against Woongjin's Zero at Moon Glaive, I started thinking that Late Mechanic was imbalanced. So I started copying it and I think I contributed to a certain extent on the completion of the build. I think it's a build that if performed perfectly, Zergs will have a hard time finding a way to win.
To add onto this, SK Telecom's coach iloveoov was the originator of this build, and this build was attempted since it synergized very well with fantasy. I personally think if there's an old guru carving new builds, it would be him [6]. When I see him in the waiting room, he has the force of a master craftsman.
Question by @agogo__2
After you beat Stork in the All Star Game, you typed ingame "Mom! I beat Stork hyung!". Was your mom happy?
Answer
Of course!
Question by @kimwoobi
Recently I've watched a "Real Story Progamer" episode that had you in it as a 16 year old. Your face is the same as back then. What is your secret to maintaining your baby face?
Answer
I've answered this earlier on already, but it's true that I have a young face for a 22 year old. I have very oily skin. When taking care of your skin, people say that having an oily face is advantageous. My skin hasn't been doing too well lately so I've been getting it taken care of. After the summer started I've been going to the skin clinic often.
Question by @CusomeJD
Both MBC Game and Woongjin is famous for having a good team atmosphere. Which team do you think has a better atmosphere? And I want to know how good you think your soccer skills are objectively.
Answer
A while back Jaehoon and Tyson visited the Woongjin dorm and they were astonished. They said that it's completely different from our team's atmosphere. They said that Woongjin feels like a cemetery during practice time. Our team is very loud when we practice. We're a bit more comfortable than the teams sponsored by big corporations. The only player who makes noises during practice during Woongjin is Light. Of course they think of him a "Jaetler". For our team, although our record is also important, our atmosphere is pretty self regulated so on things like that we're more free than the other teams.
Soccer is something that I really love. My senior, Saint, once said in an interview that there's a big bubble with regards to Sea's soccer skill. Even when I look at it he's right about the bubble. My skill isn't really that good. But there was one time where my soccer skills were really something. About two years ago, I played soccer about 7 times a week. Back then my skill was outstanding. But nowadays I haven't gotten to play soccer much so my skill has dropped. I think if I practice just a little bit I'll be able to regain my soccer skills from my golden age. And I really love soccer. My love for soccer isn't a bubble.
I watch every game related to Messi. I even watched Argentina's Copa América. I woke up at 9 to watch the game between Bolivia and Argentina, and Argentina's soccer skills were really pathetic.
That day, the offensive line had Messi at the center and Tevez and Lavezzi coordinating, and although Messi was really good the other players weren't able to back him up. Both of the players are quite greedy for goals and tend to overdo it, and although Messi fought hard it was a tie. I also visit soccer community sites and Messi's nickname right now is "Messimchung" [7]. I was really sad to see Messi getting sold for 300 sacks of rice.
If I had to give advice to Argentina's manager, when coming up with offensive lines, he should put Messi in the center and put Aguero next to him. And he should remove Tevez and Di Maria. And after that, I think even I could coordinate with Messi well.
Question by @Daumpotplayer
When I see you in the group selection ceremony, although you don't go forward yourself, you subtly touch a few things here and there and raise the atmosphere in the group ceremonies. Is that something you do on purpose? Or is this a role you had to pick up to aim for the Talking Award?
Answer
That's really sharp. If I had to be really honest that's a role that I filled rather naturally. I performed those roles to expand fun in the group ceremonies, but I don't plan out those scenarios. And because of that I think I've been punished at the latest ABC Mart MSL. I think there are a few people who looks at my remarks that I say for entertainment purposes negatively, and I want to remind them that this is all to entertain the viewers.
Notes:
[1]: Alternatively: "My teammates discussed getting a hold of ourselves". The current translation is based on the fact that there might be a typo (a missing "not") and it makes a lot more sense with a not there
[2]: "Mom, I live like this" is the literal translation. Basically, Sea cut his hair during the ceremony to aim for the prize, and he's poking fun at that saying that he's willing to "harm himself" for a prize, and he has sunk that low.
[3] In the original Korean it transitions with a "but", implying what follows should contradict it ("I haven't achieved much but I'm a bit focused on it").
[4] Take the "jae" from Light's first name (Jae Ho) and put it to "Hitler" and you get Jaetler. To be a hitler is to be a strong dictator.
[5] Sea, Jaehoon, Tyson respectively.
[6] It's a reference to an comic that was posted in DC Inside Gallery.
[7] Shimchung refers to a Korean Folk story.
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