Link Enjoy the interview. Original Interview: Daily e-Sports Translated by: doothegee All rights reserved to DES.
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MBCGame's Kim Chul Min "I feel like the captain of a sinking ship, holding onto the rudder for dear life"
With the opening of the channel "MBC Music" this coming February 1st, the 10-year old game channel, MBCGame, is set to close.
Opened in 2001 under the name "geMBC", MBCGame formed a friendly rivalry with fellow game channel OnGameNet, producing programs such as MSL and Tekken League. In the center of all this was caster Kim Chul Min. Given the duty of head commentator with the formation of the channel, he was there to witness the rise and fall of MBCGame.
Daily e-Sports met Kim at the LOOX MBCGame Hero Center, who was recording a program called "Adieu, MBCGame". Kim's eyes watered as he watched videos from over 10 years ago and his voice quietened with every spoken word.
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Q: We hear this is the final program scheduled to air on MBCGame. Thoughts? A: It's very depressing. It feels like I'm on the last lifeboat from a sinking ship and floating aimlessly on the ocean. To be more accurate, I feel like the captain of a sinking ship holding onto the rudder. I didn't want to show up to the recording session, but it felt like my duty to show up, so I did. (Translator's note: Kim sounds extremely disgusted saying this. Original text: "출연하기 싫었지만 인간적인 예의는 지켜야겠다는 생각으로 나왔다")
Q: Any other reason you decided to show up? A: When MBCGame opened, the person who called me was this program's producer. His name is Oh Hak-Dong, and he called me to say "We need you for our last program". He was the one who led me to MBCGame when I was working at SeoCho Cable TV, so I came out of loyalty to him.
Also, I felt sorry to the fans. After the Survivor Tournament for the then-next MSL ended, we never got a chance to say a proper farewell. The fans might be thinking that there will be still a chance for MSL to take place, and the players will be waiting for a tournament as well. However, "Adieu, MSL" is the last program. It seems like a very inhumane conclusion, but I showed up to present a formal goodbye to the fans.
Q: You were with MBCGame since 2001, the opening of the channel. A: At the time, the channel was called geMBC. If I recall correctly, the channel was renamed MBCGame at around 2005. I have many memories with the channel, and it's where I spent most of my golden days. I remember laughing and crying with the fans through various programs. I want to take this chance to give thanks to the fans again, with whom I shared so many emotions.
Q: What programs did you take part in? A: I was in so many programs, that it would take a day to name all of them. I saw old videos during today's recording, and I saw a young myself, as well as younger versions of my fellow commentators, Lee Seung Won, Kim Dong Joon, Nal_rA, and Yooi. It made me laugh, but it wasn't a genuine laugh; rather, it was more like a disdainful chuckle. I still can't believe what happened and it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.
Q: Still, don't you remember the first program you took part in? A: I remember the first KPGA Tour. We crowned a champion every month. I think a player called TaewoO won. It was the first league-style program of MBCGame, and it was essentially the first form of MSL.
Q: We know it would be difficult for you, but if you had to pick one program that sticks with you? A: It's a program called "TPZ", and the MSL. TPZ is short for "Terran, Protoss, Zerg", and it was a program where BoxeR, GARIMTO, and YellOw came on as representatives of each race and talked about strategies and tactics. There was a corner called "Crazy Replays" which eventually made its way into a separate program in 2008, and it really took the viewers by storm. Personally, I think that's the program that made MBCGame so popular as it is now. MSL and Proleague gave the channel fame as well, but with out TPZ, it would have taken far longer for the channel to establish itself.
Q: Any episodes you remember during "TPZ"? A: The program was marked by BoxeR, YellOw, and GARIMTO's awkwardness. Of course now, they are star players and after many TV appearances, they are more comfortable but back then, they were young kids in their late teens and early 20s. I remember YellOw was almost unusable on TV. We had no idea what he was saying. After time, I told the producer "I can understand what he's saying" and he replied "Your listening's getting better." I felt like I was taking the TOEIC with every episode.
Q: You also casted many leagues. Any partners that you can't forget? A: Lee Seung Won, Kim Dong Joon, Nal_rA, Yooi, Shark. The first two, especially, are like my mother's home cooking. There's nothing special to remember. It was just my life. They were always around me like the air so I never fully realized how thankful I was for them. The program flowed like water with them, which couldn't have been better.
I have the most stories with Nal_rA and Yooi. To be honest, and I'm exaggerating a bit here, it was like broadcasting with two people with speech impediments (laughs). They were very pure at heart, but also very lost. At the time, Park Sang Hyun, Yoo Dae Hyun, and Lee Seung Won were creating great synergy together, so the three of us put our heads together all night to think of something as well. As a result, we came up with the name "Kang-Chul-Seung", which we even mentioned on the air. Our slogan was "Hello, we're the public broadcasting team, Kang-Chul-Seung." On the program which filmed the commentators live, I remember that us three had the most airtime.
Q: Any episodes with Lee Seung Won and Kim Dong Joon? A: We were like gears running in tandem. There were no accidents. We yelled so much that we were dubbed as a singing trio, but they were two commentators who knew so much. Both have moved to OnGameNet, where Kim is commentating for League of Legends and Lee is working for ProLeague. I think it turned out well.
Q: OnGameNet took in former commentators, celebrities, writers, etc. Didn't you think of moving? A: People around me ask me why I'm not moving. It's not that I haven't thought of moving myself. However, every time I hear that I should move, I asked myself and got mad. I first thought about why a perfectly functional channel like MBCGame had to disband and we had to move to another channel. After that, I didn't feel like moving at all. It had nothing to do with my personal pride. I just didn't like the situation that we were stuck in.
I'm not blaming the people who moved, but rather, I detest the situation, environment, and structure that gave us all these troubles. We really thought gaming and e-sports had established itself as a culture, but to think that it was all founded on a pathetic base where a channel can disappear just like that, it almost feels like my ten years at MBCGame were meaningless.
Q: The program you took part in today was mostly about looking back on the past. Watching the videos, what did you think? A: It sounds negative, but my first thought was "Why the hell am I doing this?" I asked the PD, "Why are we doing this?", and he told me, "It's because the ones higher up ordered us to." It's like giving another slap to a crying child.
If they gave the responsibility of this program to someone who will be moving onto MBC Music - fine, I can live with that. But they gave the responsibility to a producer who doesn't know where he is going to after this, and to me, who will be losing my job soon. That's why I really wanted to refuse when the offer first came in.
Q: Your face seems to tell us that it troubles you to even reminisce of the past. A: There's nothing good to try to hold on to the glorified past. Rather than be depressed by thinking of the past, it's better to forget and move on. It's much more productive to worry about the future. I want another game channel to open, so that we can show up MBCGame. I want to show them that their policies are wrong, and they made a terrible choice to close the channel.
Q: If a new game channels opens, would you be willing to start again? A: Yes. But let's face it, what's the likelihood of that happening? For the time being, I don't want to work in gaming or e-sports. Not like that's ever going to happen (laughs). If it's regular TV or sports, I will consider it.
Q: This is the final program of MBCGame. We're sure you have lots of things to say. A: I already talked a lot, so I don't have a lot left to say. If the channel closed in a good way, I wouldn't have these regrets. It feels like my home was taken away. Actually, no, this metaphor would be more appropriate. Let's say I was running a restaurant that was doing well on business. However, because of some particular people who believe that we must change our menu, we're forced to change our entire restaurant. I can't understand it at all.
When I heard that the game channel would be changing into a music channel, I was appalled. Noone seemed to be interested in saving a game channel. It was very disheartening to see everyone trying to find a new life and a new job. Last September and October, I worried an awful amount, and I even lost a lot of hair.
Q: What does it feel like to be at the last recording? A: The seats that used to be full of fans and the waiting rooms that used to be full of progamers are now empty. It really breaks my heart to see the program set all over place, without any maintenance. It feels like I'm standing in an empty house that has been garnished by the government.
This is a precious place for the fans and an unforgettable venue for the players, and I hate the fact that I can't come here any more. The fact that I hate the most is that we've only been here since 2008 and we have to move out already.
Closed door to MBCGame Hero Center after the recording
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I've translated a lot of interviews before, some by Kim Chul Min, but this is by far the most depressing and bitter-sounding one of them all. Let's hope everything works out well for everyone involved.
Some of this is really harsh, you can tell how very upset he is. As he should be, MBC really screwing the pooch just going "FUCK IT MUSIC CHANNEL TIME"
Feel really bad that he's having to do this last program - I'd be disgusted too. :/
reading this feels like be part of a funeral, like something beloved just died
MBCGame was 50% Proleague and MSL, for me, the more prestigue tournament, cant really tell why :/ its so sad that they closed the gamingchannel and the way they did it....i really wish for Kim Chul Min and all the others that they will find the job they enjoy and this does not happen again (to them).
and thanks for translation, making us all feel sad :p
I remember the first day I've heard MBCgame is rumored for closure. The moment I've opened up this site and there it was the dreaded title. I held my breath as deeply as humanly possible as it processes the images text. The clock is in the motion of making a single second....tic..........tac.....one of the most lasting memories of a lifetime.
It really felt apocalypse was cast upon the universe.
I guess this is the time to part ways.....captain....it was a one hell of a journey.
Q: This is the final program of MBCGame. We're sure you have lots of things to say. A: I already talked a lot, so I don't have a lot left to say. If the channel closed in a good way, I wouldn't have these regrets. It feels like my home was taken away. Actually, no, this metaphor would be more appropriate. Let's say I was running a restaurant that was doing well on business. However, because of some particular people who believe that we must change our menu, we're forced to change our entire restaurant. I can't understand it at all.
When I heard that the game channel would be changing into a music channel, I was appalled. Noone seemed to be interested in saving a game channel. It was very disheartening to see everyone trying to find a new life and a new job. Last September and October, I worried an awful amount, and I even lost a lot of hair.
so depressing, he's in the right feeling bitter though; he's put so much passion and effort into casting sc and developing mbcgame/esports in general and then suddenly they just pull the plug.
I'm not blaming the people who moved, but rather, I detest the situation, environment, and structure that gave us all these troubles. We really thought gaming and e-sports had established itself as a culture, but to think that it was all founded on a pathetic base where a channel can disappear just like that, it almost feels like my ten years at MBCGame were meaningless.
God, what a depressing interview. Fuck whoever thought that a music channel could replace a game channel. I hope no one watches MBC music and it goes down in flames.
Sigh... even something as amazing as the BW scene is so fragile.
i was reading this earlier and thought about translating it... thanks for translating the article! he openly expresses his hatred and disgust towards upper management that made the decision to remove mbc game, which is rare in any korean tv personality.
MBC music , Is going to flop for putting everyone into so much pain . I hated the idea when the music channel was put out , hoped that our save mbc game movement will do something . It did created awareness but still , we can't stop the greedy execs at the top who wants to capitalised on the k pop hype . This lost will be mourned of coursed and sad that we won't get to see kim chul min ever cast a game of starcraft again .
This is horrible, and shows how precious BW is: When some higher-ups decide that they want to "change direction", the scene could take a huge hit. These guys invested so many hours and emotions, it just seems wrong that this is happening.
is it possible, as a last honour to MBCGame and to say Farewell, to publish this show like the ones with Hyungjoon and Nal Ra's Oldboy? not even needed to be translated...(i guess it doesnt need hangul knowledge to understand it at all...)
edit: what is the song at the caster opening video? edit2: it is Amberlin with Feel Good Drag, found ya edit3: this song so fitting for this situation -.-
On January 20 2012 11:33 Xiphos wrote: Feature this TL. Spread the agony.
No , I refused featuring these would lead to more people spamming this thread with post not associated with mbc . Some of these guys don't even know what the hell is msl stands for in the first place .
On January 20 2012 11:33 Xiphos wrote: Feature this TL. Spread the agony.
No , I refused featuring these would lead to more people spamming this thread with post not associated with mbc . Some of these guys don't even know what the hell is msl stands for in the first place .
Hear, hear.
But then again, they are busy with their black pot/kettle
This wouldn't really matter much except to those who really cared about MBC, rather unfortunately. I sincerely hope Kim Chul Min and many others who are affected manage to come out okay. I'll be happy even if they get something not related to e-sports at all...
Fuck you MBC... This makes me so sad ty for the translation, if nothing else it makes this injustice less overlooked. I read the interview on fomos he did before, and it was also very upsetting.
This is really awful. No matter what you say about money and business, these are still real people. This was the worst way to end it.
I feel a ton of sympathy towards him, people like him love esport and dedicate their lives to it even back when it was almost a joke, but then the corporate higher-up fuck with their actions and people like him have to find a way to start over again. All their hard work and passion gone and it's not even their fault since they don't make the big decisions that eventually lead to MBC's demise.
This interview destroyed my day, but it was worth it. sigh... I'll pray for the possibility of a new game channel for the rest of my life. 'Til the next MSL... + Show Spoiler +
Started playing Starcraft a couple of months after the release. When I got my first modem I started playing online, skipping school to watch replays of the best swedish and korean players. Played it for a couple of years, stopped during the golden WoW era. When SC2 got announced during the summer of 2007 I started playing BW again and got into watching MSL/OSL and PL. Especially english casted ones. For about four years I watched almost every game.
Later I picked up Tekken, I've seen every Tekken Crash on MBC Game. I've also lived in Korea for 6 months now going to every live broadcast for the last season in addition to watching alot of proleague, as well as the Jinair OSL final live at the korean war memorial.
As my stay here in Korea draws closer to its inevitable conclusion, like MBC Game, I reflect back on all the good memories I've had with the channel. It's highly unfitting to end it like this for such a cornerstone in progaming/esports history. A channel that probably more than anything shaped todays esport as we know it.
the flying FUCK: Q: OnGameNet took in former commentators, celebrities, writers, etc. Didn't you think of moving? A: People around me ask me why I'm not moving. It's not that I haven't thought of moving myself. However, every time I hear that I should move, I asked myself and got mad. I first thought about why a perfectly functional channel like MBCGame had to disband and we had to move to another channel. After that, I didn't feel like moving at all. It had nothing to do with my personal pride. I just didn't like the situation that we were stuck in.
The higher ups don't care about the fans.
I hope to dear god this man shows up MBCGame and creates a new game channel. Please. Please.
All good things must come to an end, but that doesn't mean I have to like it =(. He sounds so bitter after this interview, and understandably so. Everything he's worked for in his life is gone because of some damned MBC exec and KPop of all things.
I feel so depressed, I just wanna cry. I always thought MBCGame was closing because it wasn't doing so well. But he says they were doing perfectly fine. WTF!
i had difficulties reading this, so sad, bitter and angry at the same time...a page on esports get shut down.. so sorry for Kim Chul Min he sound really devastated by the closing of MBC..
I feel so sorry for him and all the MBC staff, they've been treated horribly. The part where he feels the 10 years he's spent at MBC feels meaningless really got it me. That has to be one of the worst feelings, I mean 10 years... That a lot of time and for it to feel like it amounted to nothing...that's just depressing.
Even though they won't ever read this, I'd like to thank all of them for making MBC what it was and for all the great memories. I hope they all find new jobs and success soon.
That picture of Shark really got to me. These people love Brood War so much, it is inspiring.
Q: Your face seems to tell us that it troubles you to even reminisce of the past. A: There's nothing good to try to hold on to the glorified past. Rather than be depressed by thinking of the past, it's better to forget and move on. It's much more productive to worry about the future. I want another game channel to open, so that we can show up MBCGame. I want to show them that their policies are wrong, and they made a terrible choice to close the channel.
This makes me so angry at Mbc, it looks like they closed the channel allthough it did "good business". Why didnt they open a music channel parallel , why did it have to be instead mbcgame. I hope mbcmusic fails terribly
wow does it get anymore sad. The 5th last picture og what used to be a buzzing progame stadium of cheering fans and 2 players getting ready to battle it out is now empty chairs, only 2 tv's on each side turned on and the remaining staff of MBCGame ending an era, not because they want to defintely not but because they are forced to . I love the way the koreans answer questions, full of beautiful metaphors and colour.
I'm sorry for the language, but FUCK YOU MBC. You did not have to do this. You were a pillar to BW and now you will just be another unremarkable music channel of which there are plenty in Korea if my knowledge is correct.
If it weren't for me not being alone right now I'd have tears all over my face. Makes me wish I was a billionaire so I could save MBC Game.
I've never read a more resentful interview, and guess what? I bloody agree with everything he said.
wow, it was as if he took the words out of my mouths. This is exactly what I thought when I heard about the shutdown. It's nice to hear the same words from someone who was part of the scene.
So this guy doesn't want to be commentating esports further? Didn't the famous MBC caster, who was kinda fat, get picked up by OGN? So is this guy just a color commentator?
Absolutely gut-wrenching read. The level of anger is palpable as a great deal of sadness and bitterness about the whole ordeal.
If only all those involved with MBCGame could band together and set-up some sort of streaming station that would provide BW content, surely there is enough talent now out of work (T_T) to make something like that....
Ah, who am I kidding, everything seems like it is conspiring towards the agonizing decline of BW T_T
It's saddening to see what feels like corporate greed taking over and destroying what was once something amazing. maybe one day something will have the possibility of replacing MBCGame. But I for one know that won't be for a long time.
You were sitting at one place. I sat beside you and asked what happened, you walked away. I was about to run after you but then I realized that we were sitting on my grave.
We really thought gaming and e-sports had established itself as a culture, but to think that it was all founded on a pathetic base where a channel can disappear just like that, it almost feels like my ten years at MBCGame were meaningless.
Let's say I was running a restaurant that was doing well on business. However, because of some particular people who believe that we must change our menu, we're forced to change our entire restaurant. I can't understand it at all.
Really makes me angry reading this. It is such a shame really. After so many years. Just disgusting.
Man...Kim didn't hold back one bit and told it how it is and what he felt (I like this). Thank you for all you've done for MBCGame and hope that life will treat you well in the future in your dark times now.
This is ridiculously depressing. Though you know...
"When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us."
On January 21 2012 20:55 RogerX wrote: Someone god please just open that door and tell us all it was just a huge horrendous joke.
This interview shedding man tears.
Than team WeMadeFox,Hwazeung Oz and Mbc game hero disbandment and the creation of kespa team 8 would be a joke too . I know it's hard to accept for all of us broodwar fan to see one of the most treasured starleagues, favourite programmes like b.net attack and commentator like's kim chul min get's the short end of the stick because the higher exec's decision to change mbc game into a music channel .
But than again , maybe what flame wheel say is right , I think it's just too early to see this as the end of the world , one door closes and another door open's . Who know's another company will make a gaming channel like mbc game ? It's possible and I want to believe another msl is waiting in the corner just to take me by surprised .
Shed a tear. Truly the end of an amazing era. The first season of GOMTV MSL was probably my first real exposure to the BW scene in Korea and the following on TL. Thank you for all these years MBCgame! <3
End of an era, not the game. Looking forward to what the future may hold.
A very surprising read. I didn't expect him to be so bitter, I guess because I'm so used to the standard answers Korean interviewees usually give. It sucks what happened and I hope he can get back on his feet quickly.
As depressing as the interview was, I respect Kim Chul Min for calling a spade a spade. I wonder if he'll get over his current feelings in time and end up working for OGN.
This is ridiculously depressing. Though you know...
"When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us."
Actually, I think we know exactly what that door is: MBCMusic.
The only thing is that the door isn't for us :/
I mean, if you want to always look on the bright side, I suppose it's really nice that the OGN stadium is always so packed now. But often times a shortage on supply just gives an illusion; it doesn't mean demand has actually decreased.
EPT![[image loading]](http://img.dailygame.co.kr/news/201201/attachments/20120118_6e7561b9d7bb9117f0a324d2f16fb472.jpg)
Nal_rA, and 
Yooi. It made me laugh, but it wasn't a genuine laugh; rather, it was more like a disdainful chuckle. I still can't believe what happened and it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.
TaewoO won. It was the first league-style program of MBCGame, and it was essentially the first form of MSL.![[image loading]](http://img.dailygame.co.kr/news/201201/attachments/20120118_430f97f8d22ace0a3cc2c400d48eb9e8.jpg)
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