This is a recent interview done last week from UZOO.com.
-What do you spend your time doing these days?
Now I hardly ever play Starcraft. Only when there’s a special event I play about 10 games or so. These days I’m just relaxing, playing a Warcraft 3 use map settings game called DOTA.
-Your programmer license was stopped recently.
That’s right. It’s been about a year and a half since I stopped playing. Basically you can say I’ve retired. I won’t continue to be a progamer any further.
-You’ve previously tried out your own business and recently played a role as head of the Korean department for a franchise.
I have completely stopped all work I was doing before. I wanted to rest and at the same time do something new. Right now I am preparing a website for a different field of work and it’s aimed at foreigners.
-Do you keep in touch with any of the foreign progamers who are playing today?
We’re not really that close friends. Quite recently, we met for a drink but we’re not that close. However I watch them play very often. Peter has improved a little since around the time I was retiring (laughs). However he has good ability. Brian on the other hand has improved a lot after having come to Korea- especially before when he joined POS he practiced very hard.
-How often do you meet up with your team mates?
I live with Bertrand (Elky) and frequently meet up with Choi Jung Hyun (V-Gundam), but not too often with Daniel Lee, with whom I don’t think we’ve completely come to terms with my retirement issue.
-We’re curious as to how Elky is doing?
As far as I know, he has also stopped progaming for good, and probably won’t play again. Right now he is preparing for a gaming-related profession.
-What was the most memorable game during your career?
There’s too many. Among them I remember especially the one that was the most disappointing- (During the 1.07 times) I went to attend E3 and I participated in the games between me and Boxer that was arranged by the Korean producer for the show. After I lost I felt that I played too badly. If I could go back to those times, I would either not have played at all or have practiced very hard for the games. (June 2001 Giyom lost 3:0 to Boxer in a Special Event game marking the release of the 1.08 patch) I remember also the game during the final between Kook Gi Bong (TheBoy) on the Hunters. I made too many mistakes. The situation was that if he made mutalisks I would have certainy lost, but I gambled and expanded, and as a result I won. (The game Giyom is referring to was game 4 of December 2000 Ongamenet King of Kings final, on a map called “Deep Purple”, a modified version of The Hunters.)
-Do you keep up to date with your fan site?
Sometimes. I just take a look around mostly, that’s all.
-Who did you consider to be your rival during your progaming career?
I always considered Bertrand my rival. I always cared about who out of the two of us got recognized the most in the streets, and who won the most games. When we were practicing, we even bet each other 10,000 won (laughs). We used to buy each other lunch with the money we won off each other. It helped a lot back then.
-Do you have any progamer friends?
I am close friends with Choi In Gyu (ChRh). Other than him, there isn’t anyone in particular.
-If you were to compare progaming now compared to back then?
First of all the maps have changed drastically, and the players are on a completely different level. I always think that the newcomers will be the strongest because it’s so hard to establish yourself as a progamer these days. When I first came to Korea, I just played and practiced regularly without too much pressure. However today, all the players practice very hard and are very good. I’m not going to try again because the players are just too good (laughs). The scale also has increased dramatically. When I first played in the Starleague final I only played in a small studio in Bundang (a district) and there weren’t many fans there either.
-There are still many fans who continue to love and support you. Any last words for them?
I should’ve tried so much harder. I’m very sorry and I feel I have let my fans down. I was too lazy. I am very thankful for those who still remember me. I wish you all the best of luck and good health.
He's one of the unsung heroes of the world, every summer I'd go to Korea and see him play, thinking of those times makes me so nostalgic. T.T Translating this really struck me how fast time goes.
from a fellow canadian, i was inspired by your ability to be an entrepener (sp?) in your field and u know you were a stepping stone ( one of the first ) to start what korea has today. Thanks for all u ever did Giyom, your one of the greats and always will be.
I'm also a french canadian, Guillaume showed me even people coming from as far as Quebec stand a chance in higher gaming. He's my hero, no jokes. I'm seriously thinking about progamming stuff now, I'm about 1/50 of what I'd need to be a progammer, but I'm just 16 and recently I've been practicing and improving like mad, I've never had so much fun and I keep getting better... I'm seriously wondering about if I should consider SC progamming as a future career in 4-5 years maybe.
This might really be ahead of me, but seeing as how someone coming from the same province as me was a progammer shows me that it is at least POSSIBLE if I put enough effort and will into it...
On June 07 2005 17:37 TserHossHiBreed wrote: I'm also a french canadian, Guillaume showed me even people coming from as far as Quebec stand a chance in higher gaming. He's my hero, no jokes. I'm seriously thinking about progamming stuff now, I'm about 1/50 of what I'd need to be a progammer, but I'm just 16 and recently I've been practicing and improving like mad, I've never had so much fun and I keep getting better... I'm seriously wondering about if I should consider SC progamming as a future career in 4-5 years maybe.
This might really be ahead of me, but seeing as how someone coming from the same province as me was a progammer shows me that it is at least POSSIBLE if I put enough effort and will into it...
That's very cute Zertoss. Go for it buddy.
But as Dabu said in a post on the GF forum, to say Grrrr was naturally talented at BW is a vast understatement. Too bad he was virtually gone by the time I got into BW...
Grrr talks like hes a 70 year old man remembering the GOOD OLE DAYS. He's like 24-25 years old now? Don't just sit around and play dota, go out there and do something for the community.
On June 07 2005 17:15 FireBlast! wrote: He's one of the unsung heroes of the world, every summer I'd go to Korea and see him play, thinking of those times makes me so nostalgic. T.T Translating this really struck me how fast time goes.
FireBlast you are my hero now . Always translating cool stuff
On June 07 2005 18:33 Messiah]Coon[ wrote: Grrr talks like hes a 70 year old man remembering the GOOD OLE DAYS. He's like 24-25 years old now? Don't just sit around and play dota, go out there and do something for the community.
ROFL, do something for the community, rofl, omg ^_^;;
He wouldn't have to even be good, he would still be very popular. There wouldn't be as much pressure on him because he would be an instant-hit, and I'm sure he would improve quickly.
nice work on the translation, wish he will practice heavily for wcg this time, but i guess he won't. hope he practices enough to make it to the singapore though.
He only plays DOTA on WC3.... i played 2 games of that and got so bored of it ><. i dont see how people play that for hours and make huge clans out of a UMS game. -_-;;;;
man... he's so good and he just quit. I guess once you reach a certain level you have no more will to play. (like in final fantasy when you reach level 100 you just quit playing...).
On June 08 2005 07:19 TserHossHiBreed wrote: Screens fucks the eyes, it's been proven. No wonder any1 who spends too much time in front of a screen ends up needed glasses.
It has been proven that viewing close distans objects for a very long time may result in near-sight. it has nothing to do with the screens and monitors, and when you stop viewing closedistans objects, in most cases 20-25 years your vision will be back at normal.
On June 08 2005 06:43 StarN wrote: He only plays DOTA on WC3.... i played 2 games of that and got so bored of it ><. i dont see how people play that for hours and make huge clans out of a UMS game. -_-;;;;
man... he's so good and he just quit. I guess once you reach a certain level you have no more will to play. (like in final fantasy when you reach level 100 you just quit playing...).
I remember the Grrr vs HOT series. I watched the vods without sound and they kept giggling and looking at eachother like they were flurting...hmm HOT does look gay
Grrr and Elky gone, I fear our last white hope is Legion! ...wait Brian too!
On June 07 2005 17:37 TserHossHiBreed wrote: I'm also a french canadian, Guillaume showed me even people coming from as far as Quebec stand a chance in higher gaming. He's my hero, no jokes. I'm seriously thinking about progamming stuff now, I'm about 1/50 of what I'd need to be a progammer, but I'm just 16 and recently I've been practicing and improving like mad, I've never had so much fun and I keep getting better... I'm seriously wondering about if I should consider SC progamming as a future career in 4-5 years maybe.
This might really be ahead of me, but seeing as how someone coming from the same province as me was a progammer shows me that it is at least POSSIBLE if I put enough effort and will into it...
I remember that game vs Boxer. It was the first Broodwar VOD I watched in my starting bw - could be said "serious" here - gaming life... The event, called "Last 1.07", surprised me because of the midia structure, gaming arena and the fans watching the game live. I saw a poor Grrr (who, then, began to be my referece point in saying to my friends how many Starcraft was played professionaly) beeing defeated by Boxer's overwhelming strats... After the releasing of the 1.08 patch, I just could say to my brother - who started playing with me at this times -: "OMG, Boxer has done everything that on 1.07, imagine he on 1.08!" (because the amazing dropships scenes I saw).
man... what does he do now? he never stated. go play mondi bo5 and make some money boy. screw it, i'll raise money for you(even if i have to lie and say im raising money to help blind retarded kids go to camp) to get better again and pwn testie 1v1 bo1
On June 07 2005 17:37 TserHossHiBreed wrote: I'm also a french canadian, Guillaume showed me even people coming from as far as Quebec stand a chance in higher gaming. He's my hero, no jokes. I'm seriously thinking about progamming stuff now, I'm about 1/50 of what I'd need to be a progammer, but I'm just 16 and recently I've been practicing and improving like mad, I've never had so much fun and I keep getting better... I'm seriously wondering about if I should consider SC progamming as a future career in 4-5 years maybe.
This might really be ahead of me, but seeing as how someone coming from the same province as me was a progammer shows me that it is at least POSSIBLE if I put enough effort and will into it...
On June 08 2005 11:34 GaR wrote: I remember the Grrr vs HOT series. I watched the vods without sound and they kept giggling and looking at eachother like they were flurting...hmm HOT does look gay
Grrr and Elky gone, I fear our last white hope is Legion! ...wait Brian too!
take the sound out of the boxer impression video, watch it, and tell me what you think then
I remember game Grrr vs GARIMTO on Jungle Story ;-) Great game ~~ I understand that they understood that SC its not whole life but.... Grrr vs ElkY bo7 SHOWMATCH PLEASE ~~
Now is the time for sharing! Come oooon! Send me the best replays of Grrr that you have, and I'll put them on my website for all of us to download, or I can upload them to TL (if you prefer it that way
I think we've been hit with enough nostalgija (not the map, though to just sit and watch some of the greatest moments in Grrr's career... even if we saw then a dozen times before
If anyone cares, my email is "X.3.M [at] mail.ru", and I'll put online all the replays I get from you. (ofcourse, replays of Grrr's games
this is sad =( broodwar wouldnt be the same if grrr never came along and now he says he let everyone down... hmm i think he did more for the game than anyone else including boxer, boxer may have been a little better but grrr made broodwar what it is today! he'll always be my broodwar idol =D
EPT![[image loading]](http://img248.echo.cx/img248/4766/giyom0yl.png)
I wish he'd go for a revival, Elky too!
