Commentator Kim Tae Hyung: “I will raise LoL like I raised Starcraft.”
On my last Medic Date, I met with KT Rolster’s Reach, the last of the 4 Kings still active. As two of the, nay, the only two of the “old” progamers still around, we had a unique opportunity to meet for the first time in a long while and share what we had in mind. We had a very fun time thanks to you readers.
Today we are also going to meet someone who is a welcome face for long-time Esports fans. For the last 10 years, he commentated for the OSL with Caster Jun Yong Joon and Commentator Um Jae Kyung. His nickname is more famous than his real name. He is… Kim Tae Hyung. Recently he’s been interacting with fans through League of Legends and he’s entertaining the fans with his show, “I am a Carry.”
I, of course, saw his show before. I don’t know the game LoL very well, but his show became the most searched on all the portal sites, so I started to watch it. It was a huge surprise for me to see him, who is normally very serious, break down like that on the show.
That shows just how much he’s enjoying LoL not just as a job, but as a game itself. Let us now delve into his world of League of Legends.
Staying up all night playing Starcraft.
TS: It’s been a few years since I last saw you at the OSL preliminaries. How have you been since then?
KC: I am also very happy to see you for the first time in a long while. Since there was no Starleague for a while now, I had no opportunity to show myself to the public. I don’t know if it’s good or bad, but during this break I have been so sucked into LoL time flew by so fast. Once I get hooked to a game, I cannot get myself to focus on anything else and even have a hard time living out my daily life.
TS: That’s me too. If I come across a fun game, I am completely absorbed by it. Just now I thought about the days when I met Starcraft for the first time in its early days. Back then, I stayed up all night sitting in front of the computer.
KC: I did that, too. Guys in particular were hooked really badly, and it wasn’t just at the stage of staying up all night. I’m so glad Starcraft was free. If I had to spend real money to get upgrades, I would’ve sunk millions.
TS: If it was like that, then I would’ve lost BILLIONS. It’s not far-fetched to say that Starcraft created today’s Esports culture. In the end, I think the games have to be fun for Esports to succeed.
KC: That’s it. In the case of Starcraft, so many people enjoyed it to the point of obsession. Even today, I think Starcraft continues as an Esports because many people are still obsessed with it. A game looking to be bigger than Starcraft as an Esport has to be at least as fun to play as Starcraft. We shouldn’t forget this basic fact.
TS: You seem to be staying up all night now with LoL, just like when you stayed up every night with Starcraft when you first played it.
KC: It’s true. For the first time in years, I met a game that I stayed up all night with. Time flies so fast when I am sitting in front of the computer. I am sometimes shocked when I get hungry and look at the time.
TS: I am afraid that will happen to me, so I am avoiding it nowadays. What if I stay up every night playing it like you?
KC: Probably you will.
The nickname more famous than the real name.
TS: You know that many people think your real name is “Kim Carrier,” right? When I did an interview a long time ago, I also said “Kim Carrier” when mentioning you.
KC: Many people think that. To be honest, I like that name so much I want to make that my real name. I think that thanks to that name, as if it was fate, I met a game related to “carry.”
I got the name “carry” in Starcraft because I insisted so much for Carriers to be used. Then, to my surprise, LoL had the term “carry.” In LoL, the “carry” is the one who leads his team to victory. So the term “carry” in LoL has a very beautiful meaning (laugh).
TS: In PvT, the Protoss often produces carriers. I watch all the Terran games, so I also heard you commentating a lot. Every game, you scream “Carrier” so loud. Is there a real reason for that?
KC: I didn’t really do that on purpose. Since I was a Protoss player, I used Carriers a lot against Terrans on Battle.net. I thought Carriers were really good units. If I was a manager of coach, I would’ve recommended carriers to the Protoss players, but they don’t use it much. I was so sad because of that. Even while broadcasting, emotions came in and before I knew it I was screaming my neck off yelling “Carrier!”
Then, unknowingly, I started to get so excited when Stork used the Carriers like I thought on stage. After that, I get so excited whenever I see Carriers. I still don’t really know exactly where the name “Kim Carrier” came from.
TS: Then you also got the nickname “Kim Yuk-Sung” (T/N: Yuk-Sung or 역성 means partiality) for always predicting wrong. Was that also on purpose?
KC: Everyone thought I did that on purpose. It’s embarrassing for me to say this, but not once did I predict wrong on purpose. I don’t have superhuman powers, but what can I do about thinking that this team or this player might win it all for no particular reason? I predicted a lot correctly, by the way, but I got that image because I only predicted wrong on the biggest games. I, as a commentator, got a lot right!
Master of incidents?
TS: In preparing for this interview, I went on portal sites and searched you, and I got “broadcast incidents” as a related search term. You must’ve had a lot of them over time.
KC: You can say that I was a hotbed for them. A majority of the broadcast incidents in Esports involve me.
TS: Which one do you remember the most?
KC: There’s so many. Now that I think about it, I can think of maybe 3 incidents. One of them, I said a word that one should not even carry in one’s mouth, so it’s awkward to talk about that now. If I say “Double Nex” I think most fans will know. (T/N: He said Double Nex Boji/보지, which means vagina in korean. Reference Video) What I remember most about that incident is when my fellow commentators couldn’t follow up and just remained silent, even when it’s unusual to have such a long pause during broadcast.
TS: I didn’t see the video clip, but I should see it now.
KC: You don’t really have to see it.
TS: The broken PC incident is also very famous.
KC: That time, OGN was not broadcasting, but MBCGame was, and OGN took that footage and broadcasted it from the Ongamenet studio. Since there was no way to know what happened, we were very anxious. There was just nothing more to say after the 50 minute delay. So I just said, “the PC must have gone kaput.” I was just speaking my mind, but I had no idea that Caster Song and Themarine would just explode in laughter like that. They must’ve thought the same thing. (T/N: Reference Video)
Normally, I don’t curse at all. The people around me know this, so I think they are lenient with me when I make a mistake. They think it’s just an episode. I think I’m lucky in that regard.
TS: I’m also someone who was involved in an incident. Starcue put his headphones on backwards, and his opponent was me. I didn’t know at first, but then he said in chat, “I am wearing my headset backwards.” I remember laughing for so long after that. I think there are many difficult situations that a commentator has to broadcast in. (T/N: Reference Video)
KC: I don’t have anything else to say but buying time is the most difficult. So I hated GoRush so much. His setup time was so long. We hated him so much we even gave him the nickname “Park-setting.” So I liked players who join right away the most.
TS: In all your years as a commentator, who do you remember the most?
With LoL, I want to be a part of lifting Esports to new heights.
TS: What is the ideal woman for you?
KC: Before, it was Gong Hyun Joo, but now, any lady is good. Everyone thinks I have a lot of girlfriends but that’s so not true. Since my skin got much better because I haven’t been outside much, everyone says I have a boyish face.
TC: What is your dream?
KC: My short-term dream is to introduce you to LoL. Then you can contribute to the popularity of LoL.
Just kidding. I want to be even just a small force towards making LoL a popular Esport. I confirmed for myself that LoL is a really fun game, so now I have to do my part to popularize the game and to make it succeed as a league. If through it Esports advances and gets to the next level, won’t it be the most fun?
For my personal dream, there’s a really good BBQ joint near Tae-leung (T/N: It’s the burial site of an ancient Choson king) and I want to to take my girlfriend there for a meal. (laughs) I have a lot of dreams. (laughs)
TS: I hope you achieve all your dreams. Now try to achieve the dream of dragging me into the world of LoL.
KC: Let’s go to PC Bang right now. (laugh)
Writer: Reporter Lee Sora sora@dailyesports.com Photographer: Reporter Park Woonsung photo@dailyesports.com Source: DES Translated by jpak
As usual, if fellow Koreans can refine and correct any mistakes that I made in this translation, I will fix it. Before any of you (especially those who are not familiar with the BW scene) start criticizing Kim Carrier for staying up all night playing a "noob" game, please keep in mind that he was involved in Esports since its very beginning, and he saw and experienced a lot more than 99% of you out there.
I was torn on whether to post this in the BW forum or the LoL forum, but in the end, I decided to post it here because he was a part of the BW Esport for the past 13 years.
Being able to speak Korean, I always appreciated the commentators for what they have done. It's easy to see most of them are very passionate about the game and prospect of e-sport as a whole. I know Kim Carry tried very hard to salvage audience interest on OSL finals when match-fixing scandal broke out. Overall, I am happy to hear that he discovered another enjoyable game! although you wouldn't really know it watching him having mental breakdown on that LoL show
On February 23 2012 13:53 GARO wrote: I can't even tell if this is out of respect or loathing
I would be astounded if any of the individual associated with Korean e-sport industry looked upon savior favourably. Some really do not understand how much damage he caused to the scene.
I can't help it. I see the title, I click knowing what it's going to be, and yet every time I feel crushed, like a small part of my soul has died because the thread did not go where I wanted it to go.
As always, great interview, thank you for translating
Tossgirl doesn't interest me because the amount of make-up on her face could choke a whale. That said it's not much different for other people in her position
On February 23 2012 15:31 Dakkas wrote: Gonna be the devil's advocate here
Tossgirl doesn't interest me because the amount of make-up on her face could choke a whale. That said it's not much different for other people in her position
On February 23 2012 15:48 Plexa wrote: Looks like SC2 isn't going to kill BW, but LoL just might.
A mix of cs, sc, wc3, d2 has been my life since 2001. I think they're very complementary in terms of the gamer side. I think LoL has it's own market so sc shouldn't really take any hit imo.
On February 23 2012 15:31 Dakkas wrote: Gonna be the devil's advocate here
Tossgirl doesn't interest me because the amount of make-up on her face could choke a whale. That said it's not much different for other people in her position
Oh my god, nobodies ever criticized her appearance before!
On February 23 2012 15:31 Dakkas wrote: Gonna be the devil's advocate here
Tossgirl doesn't interest me because the amount of make-up on her face could choke a whale. That said it's not much different for other people in her position
Oh my god, nobodies ever criticized her appearance before!
Go white knight else where, I was saying I didn't like the make-up.
On February 23 2012 15:31 Dakkas wrote: Gonna be the devil's advocate here
Tossgirl doesn't interest me because the amount of make-up on her face could choke a whale. That said it's not much different for other people in her position
On February 23 2012 15:31 Dakkas wrote: Gonna be the devil's advocate here
Tossgirl doesn't interest me because the amount of make-up on her face could choke a whale. That said it's not much different for other people in her position
It's not like Tossgirl didn't wear lots of makeup in the past, but never looked this good back in her younger days.
On February 23 2012 15:31 Dakkas wrote: Gonna be the devil's advocate here
Tossgirl doesn't interest me because the amount of make-up on her face could choke a whale. That said it's not much different for other people in her position
Oh my god, nobodies ever criticized her appearance before!
Go white knight else where, I was saying I didn't like the make-up.
On February 23 2012 15:31 Dakkas wrote: Gonna be the devil's advocate here
Tossgirl doesn't interest me because the amount of make-up on her face could choke a whale. That said it's not much different for other people in her position
Oh my god, nobodies ever criticized her appearance before!
Go white knight else where, I was saying I didn't like the make-up.
Do you even know what devil's advocate means?
According to wiki
devil's advocate is someone who, given a certain argument, takes a position he or she does not necessarily agree with, for the sake of argument. In taking such position, the individual taking on the devil's advocate role seeks to engage others in an argumentative discussion process. The purpose of such process is typically to test the quality of the original argument and identify weaknesses in its structure, and to use such information to either improve or abandon the original, opposing position. It can also refer to someone who takes a stance that is seen as unpopular or unconventional, but is actually another way of arguing a much more conventional stance.
On February 23 2012 15:31 Dakkas wrote: Gonna be the devil's advocate here
Tossgirl doesn't interest me because the amount of make-up on her face could choke a whale. That said it's not much different for other people in her position
Oh my god, nobodies ever criticized her appearance before!
Go white knight else where, I was saying I didn't like the make-up.
Do you even know what devil's advocate means?
No, I do not. I used it because I liked the movie with Keanu Reeves and Al Pachino
I havent played LoL but I think the game is free right? Same with BW it was basicly free with LAN and servers like Fish, Brain in Korea.
I see a patern here free + fun = success as an esport in Korea. SC2 is trying too hard to milk money out of their players/fans and its failing in Korea because of that.
On February 23 2012 15:31 Dakkas wrote: Gonna be the devil's advocate here
Tossgirl doesn't interest me because the amount of make-up on her face could choke a whale. That said it's not much different for other people in her position
Oh my god, nobodies ever criticized her appearance before!
Really brings back the memory of the post-savior incident video. (The 3 OGN commentators sitting around having dinner, discussing the ramifications of his and the others' actions).
The enmity in his voice was monumental, 'Erase his name from the records'
On February 23 2012 14:26 GTR wrote: i'm really curious as to the meaing behind the savior response.
Based on his super violent declarations in that After Talk episode I think it's pretty obvious.
what did he say?
On February 23 2012 19:29 Eishi_Ki wrote: Really brings back the memory of the post-savior incident video. (The 3 OGN commentators sitting around having dinner, discussing the ramifications of his and the others' actions).
The enmity in his voice was monumental, 'Erase his name from the records'
oh, i see
but why only savior? he wasn't the only one, and he wasnot the head of this.
On February 23 2012 19:29 Eishi_Ki wrote: Really brings back the memory of the post-savior incident video. (The 3 OGN commentators sitting around having dinner, discussing the ramifications of his and the others' actions).
The enmity in his voice was monumental, 'Erase his name from the records'
oh, i see
but why only savior? he wasn't the only one, and he wasnot the head of this.
//Tossgirl is hot! More pictures of her!
Yes he was, he organised and involved the other programers in it
TS: In all your years as a commentator, who do you remember the most?
KC: (Z)sAviOr.
I can't even tell if this is out of respect or loathing
Probably both. He was the most dominant player in SC history turned into super villain. No matter how you look at it, he left a big impact on the scene.
No but seriously, this gets lost on a lot of people looking to "monetize Esports" or bring Esports to the mainstream. For a title to become an Esport, first it has to be a REALLY fun game to play. Like Kim Carrier staying up all night playing fun. At least in Korea, LoL has taken hold and it's well on its way as of right now to be the next big thing.
On February 23 2012 14:22 Lokerek wrote: I was hoping for a picture of a Tossgirl on an actual Carrier... disappointed jpak... disappointed
Tossgirl is beautiful enough, is she not?
On February 23 2012 14:44 endy wrote: SC2 is doomed is Korea, LoL will replace BW. Tossgirl still so pretty.
On February 23 2012 14:26 GTR wrote: i'm really curious as to the meaing behind the savior response.
Based on his super violent declarations in that After Talk episode I think it's pretty obvious.
SC2 was doomed to wither away slowly since that Kespa-Blizzard fight. Ideally, LoL will complement BW and provide the jolt the Korean Esports needs right now.
What the hell people. I really need to find and link 스타 뒷담화 - After Talk in english? - video where he and other relevant individuals discuss match-fixing incident. There is so much anger and some [BEEP] (literally screened out by OGN) to be had.
On February 24 2012 00:03 Hesmyrr wrote: What the hell people. I really need to find and link 스타 뒷담화 - After Talk in english? - video where he and other relevant individuals discuss match-fixing incident. There was so much [BEEP] (literally, OGN screened them out) on the show it wasn't even funny.
TS: In all your years as a commentator, who do you remember the most?
KC: (Z)sAviOr.
I can't even tell if this is out of respect or loathing
Not respect, but not just loathing. Remember that he casted so many games of Savior, has spoken highly of him on the stage and during his games, and seen his brilliance. That's what made the wound of Savior being implicated with misdeeds so deep. If he was just some random player no one would have cared. I bet most people here don't even remember every name that was found guilty (upmagic, yarnc, etc? No one talks about them anymore), but because it was SaviOr BW really did take a significant hit to its integrity.
I feel like it is easy to see Kim Carrier's feelings in this light. To have so much respect for a person and then to be so betrayed, of course it is going to be the most significant memory. If he said anything else it would have been to be PC. No one will forget what Savior did, both the good and the bad. If all you had to do was remember the bad, it would be easy to let go.
Thanks for the translation, OP. BW has been a lot thru the last 2-3 years, matchfixing, Blizzard's lawsuit, sponsors ducking out (likely as a result of the former two combined). LoL sounds like something that can exist concurrently with BW. It's not a replacement for BW, being a totally different game, and if Kim Carrier is right, it might be one of those games KeSPA has been looking to add to the roster for so long.
Love how KC just answers Mr. Ma then just ends the question right there.
Also, there was a comment about KC just trolling..... Kim Carry would've finished the sentence instead of just saying someone's name if he thought that he needed to discuss more on the issue (such as praising someone). Instead, he just says the name and cuts off right there. Respect +1
the natural transition to LoL is probably happening more through incentives of KeSPA than anything else, LoL being free also helps 'trying it out' much easier for these players as well. My guess is that they see the potential for easy money with LoL and will jump ship, those who truly love the game of Starcraft will probably try their hands at SC2 because it'll bring more nostalgia. I personally don't enjoy LoL but I don't see why both can't strive alongside each other.
Also, baller answer with sAvior.. and nothing else. so true.
On February 23 2012 13:47 jpak wrote: KC: There’s so many. Now that I think about it, I can think of maybe 3 incidents. One of them, I said a word that one should not even carry in one’s mouth, so it’s awkward to talk about that now. If I say “Double Nex” I think most fans will know. (T/N: He said Double Nex Boji/보지, which means vagina in korean. Reference Video)
Malformed URL.
KC: That time, OGN was not broadcasting, but MBCGame was, and OGN took that footage and broadcasted it from the Ongamenet studio. Since there was no way to know what happened, we were very anxious. There was just nothing more to say after the 50 minute delay. So I just said, “the PC must have gone kaput.” I was just speaking my mind, but I had no idea that Caster Song and Themarine would just explode in laughter like that. They must’ve thought the same thing. (T/N: Reference Video)
Normally, I don’t curse at all.
You should use some different word to translate this: "kaput" is not considered a curse word in English.
On February 23 2012 14:44 endy wrote: SC2 is doomed is Korea, LoL will replace BW. Tossgirl still so pretty.
Still? I think she's gotten prettier. I didn't used to think she was anything much, but in these pictures she does look pretty good.
KC: That time, OGN was not broadcasting, but MBCGame was, and OGN took that footage and broadcasted it from the Ongamenet studio. Since there was no way to know what happened, we were very anxious. There was just nothing more to say after the 50 minute delay. So I just said, “the PC must have gone kaput.” I was just speaking my mind, but I had no idea that Caster Song and Themarine would just explode in laughter like that. They must’ve thought the same thing. (T/N: Reference Video)
Normally, I don’t curse at all.
You should use some different word to translate this: "kaput" is not considered a curse word in English.
He doesn't outright swear in the article/video either.. The article literally says 'did the computer go kaput/get destroyed or something,' and proceeds to say 'I usually never swear,' so he did a fine job translating.
I'm very surprised by LoL's popularity in KR, the game is extremely easy even when compared to the likes of DotA, the individual skill cap is so ridiculously low that any random DotA pubstar can get to the 0,1% ELO rating that represents the best players in no more than a month, it's really baffling to me how a guy can love the hardest game out there and at the same time place LoL just as highly.
On February 25 2012 08:46 R!! wrote: I'm very surprised by LoL's popularity in KR, the game is extremely easy even when compared to the likes of DotA, the individual skill cap is so ridiculously low that any random DotA pubstar can get to the 0,1% ELO rating that represents the best players in no more than a month, it's really baffling to me how a guy can love the hardest game out there and at the same time place LoL just as highly.
I share the sentiment (hardcore DOTA fanboy, even DOTA 2 isn't there yet)... but they may have their own reasons. Maybe the lack of partnership with Valve, for instance? In either case, I'm happy esports is still giving birth to new competitive games.
On February 23 2012 13:47 jpak wrote: KC: There’s so many. Now that I think about it, I can think of maybe 3 incidents. One of them, I said a word that one should not even carry in one’s mouth, so it’s awkward to talk about that now. If I say “Double Nex” I think most fans will know. (T/N: He said Double Nex Boji/보지, which means vagina in korean. Reference Video)
The problem with DotA is that its hard to watch. The graphics for LoL are simple and colorful and it's easy to distinguish different things that go on. Also fights last longer and are easier to follow. BW is of course a very hard game but its a relatively easy game to watch (even if you don't get any of the strats). Colors are also pretty clear and fights are pretty simple to get.
On February 25 2012 08:46 R!! wrote: I'm very surprised by LoL's popularity in KR, the game is extremely easy even when compared to the likes of DotA, the individual skill cap is so ridiculously low that any random DotA pubstar can get to the 0,1% ELO rating that represents the best players in no more than a month, it's really baffling to me how a guy can love the hardest game out there and at the same time place LoL just as highly.
I also had this idea stuck in my head that Koreans are mainly interested in 1 on 1 type games but apparently I am very wrong. For example I think the top WoW guild for awhile is Korean, Korean team won the WoW arena during blizzcon and now many well known pros playing League full-time.
TG ugly as always, scary fake eyes and big load of make up, meh~ But interview was good, lol @ predictions part, can't wait for Kim's next OSL prediction! Thanks a lot for translaiting these "dates".
EPT![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/TcYqZ.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/rQYSB.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/6smUO.jpg)
Stork used the Carriers like I thought on stage. After that, I get so excited whenever I see Carriers. I still don’t really know exactly where the name “Kim Carrier” came from.![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/FGQr4.jpg)
GoRush so much. His setup time was so long. We hated him so much we even gave him the nickname “Park-setting.” So I liked players who join right away the most.![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/S2MMm.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/AlAXZ.jpg)
