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Zdravko "Insomnia" Georgiev's final goodbye
So I finally took the time to write this thing. Since this might be the last time you’ll hear from me I decided to take this opportunity and give something to the community that’s given so much to me during the past several years of my life.
As most of you might have already heard from doubtful sources I decided to step off of my progaming career. “But why? You were living the dream…” I almost hear some of you asking, so I’ll try to describe how I was seeing things and point out the things you are not able to see.
When I was 15, the only thing I wanted to do was play computer games. A lot of things were in my way of doing the thing I loved tho – school, parents, etc. After a while the first progamers appeared in South Korea – famous among their whole nation Stars, being paid to play the game they love, coincidently the game I love too – StarCraft. At this point of my life I had a new dream – to become a progamer, to be able to get enough money to live on, by only doing the thing I love to do – play StarCraft. However 8 years ago progamers did not exist in Europe yet. There were only 2-3 big international tournaments a year and no pro teams at that point. Being part of the whole e-sports evolution process however allowed me to see how rapidly everything was developing and I never abandoned my dream, I kept playing, striving to become the best. Years were passing, StarCraft was getting old and still the only people getting monthly salary to compete in e-sports were living in Korea.
Finally the summer of 2002 came and WarCraft3 was released to the open public. With its emerge I saw a new opportunity for achieving my dream. I knew WarCraft3 would take over for StarCraft and would be even bigger so I made the switch. In the start I did not like War3, it was way too colorful with too many redundant things – items, heroes, creeps, neutral buildings, etc. It took me not long however to realize how much better of a game WarCraft3 was and how much deeper thinking could be employed when creating a strategy. I started playing WarCraft3 in September 2002 and was able to join the best team at that time only 2 months later. Here I have to thank Jad “Nuke” Fawaz who was the manager of TWO of my former StarCraft teams and we knew each other pretty well. Only two weeks after I joined SK I was able to win the biggest online War3 tour so far (talk about a motivation boost, in SK I finally felt a semi-progamer). I still wasn’t getting a monthly salary but was promised free trips to all the big events around Europe if I kept showing good results. I was getting closer and closer to achieving my dream, when finally a year later the moment has come. SK and Intel Korea have come to an agreement to send 4 SK players to Korea and form team Intel, to compete in the Korean leagues. Me, MadFrog, Heman and Dominator were the lucky ones, who were able to experience the South Korean progaming dream.
The few months I spent there were certainly the most memorable and joyful times of my whole gaming career. Here I will use the opportunity to thank Fredrik, Alborz and Henrik for all the great moments we shared. I will never forget you guys. I was also able to win the WCG2003, which happened in Korea during my stay there. At this point I became a star in Korea. Teenagers were recognizing me in public places and I received offers for 3x the salary I was getting. However with every day passed I was feeling more and more homesick and the nostalgia for my friends and lifestyle in Bulgaria was getting stronger. So at the exact peak of my career, against all kinds of logic, I decided to leave the heart of the progaming world and return home and celebrate my victory with friends and family.
At this point of my life I felt as if I had nothing left to prove (in the field of RTS games) to myself or to anyone else. I had achieved my dream. This was the turning point for me at which War3 slowly started turning from a great passion to just a job.
A few months after I came home – in early 2004 I started getting regular salary from SK, money enough for me to live my life the way I wanted. I kept on practicing and attending tournaments and made numerous high place finishes, but slowly tournament after tournament, day after day I was losing my interest in War3, I was getting bored of it. I will be honest with you guys, in the last year – year and a half I mostly played because I had no other source of income.
Finally exactly 5 years after I joined SK I decided to tell everyone in the team how I felt and that I wanted to quit even tho I still had a running contract. On November 15th 2007 we all gathered in the SK office in Cologne for the upcoming wc3l finals and I used this opportunity to make the announcement. Big shout out goes to Alex, whom most of you know as TheSlasH – the SK Gaming global manager. He understood me and supported me in my decision. Thanks Alex, thanks for the support and the motivation you provided through all these years, thanks for leading the team forward and thanks for always being there when needed. I also want to thank my latest teammates – ReMinD, Soju and Lyn. SK could not have wished for better guys to join and strengthen the team. I have had great respect for all of them, long before they joined SK and was very happy when I heard we were recruiting them to the team. They all have an insane amount of potential. Thank you guys for the great performance at the WC3L playoffs, allowing me to end my career with a great victory.
I want to apologize to you guys for not putting up the announcement in time. The reason why this happened is simple. We wanted to have this blog up on the page along with the news item, but I just couldn’t find the time to write it. Now when my time is not occupied with war3 I’ve had so many new things entering my life it’s crazy. I am doing different kinds of sports 4 times a week now. Yesterday I went snowboarding, had so much fun. I also resumed my university studies and started socializing with my friends a lot more. I am also playing poker online to be able to get some income, but I am not focusing on it nearly as much as I did on games before. All in all life has been great and I certainly don’t regret my decision to leave the scene.
Last but not least I want to thank you guys. Thank you for the great support you provided during all those years, I hope I was able to give something back to you through my games. My advice to you is never to give up on your dreams, no matter what. That is the key to success, that everyone’s looking for.
Thanks for reading.
SK.Insomnia
Source: http://www.sk-gaming.com/content/15336-SKInsomnia_Retires
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good read wow that was well written for not a native english speaker i assume. I didn't know he played SC at one point but its cool how he achieved going to korea, pwning it up etc.
Couple of questions tho, where is he now, how old, and where does he plan on going?
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<3 X. He was best non-korean player in KBK 2. Top 16 I think.
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he stood on the podium of WCG. he will be remembered.
It saddens me that the recurring theme of retiring pro is that they are getting old with others things to do and i'm sitting here alone in the dark feeling pity about myself.
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I've watch his and didi8's reps back in the day, brings some memories  Great read, he will be remembered.
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Fantastic Zerg back in the day lovely style he had.
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"Everything that has an beginning, has an end."
He will be remembered.
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United States5262 Posts
Good read, thanks a lot Puerto Rican! I was scared after the first paragraph that that was YOUR writing and this would be the last we see of you.
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he surely was a talented player. This game-being-a-job experience is valuable for all pro-gaming dreamers. I wonder how hes gonna end up, especially if hes into cardgame.
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Peurto ricans dont snowboard, dont let the door hit you on the way out.
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On December 19 2007 02:29 Beyonder wrote:Show nested quote +On December 19 2007 01:52 jkillashark wrote:
Good read, thanks a lot Puerto Rican! I was scared after the first paragraph that that was YOUR writing and this would be the last we see of you. Let's keep this thread sincere now. Wishes don't come true. I read this yesterday and thought it was a great read. A great player - he should have some goodbye match with old players, like they do in football.
Map 1 Rivalry
Map 2 Gaunlet
Map 3 Dire Straits
imba/goodbye posts 50/50
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Belgium6776 Posts
It took me not long however to realize how much better of a game WarCraft3 was
hoho
blasphemy
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great player in both games
respect and gl in life.
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I respect this guy so much. He was my favorite human player and I used to copy his reps a few years ago when I played.
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i still remember when he rocked everyone on RoC , his MK use was outta this world
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ya i see him at the tables sometimes ;/
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eh....wc3 better than starcraft? since when...
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On December 19 2007 06:03 GoSuPlAyEr wrote:
eh....wc3 better than starcraft? since when...
Since people have different tastes and can speak their opinions freely.
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Beyonder
Netherlands15103 Posts
On December 19 2007 06:03 GoSuPlAyEr wrote:
eh....wc3 better than starcraft? since when...
please keep this discussion out of this thread. Anyone else attempting to do so will feel the wrath of Thor.
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On December 19 2007 07:26 Beyonder wrote:Show nested quote +On December 19 2007 06:03 GoSuPlAyEr wrote:
eh....wc3 better than starcraft? since when... please keep this discussion out of this thread. Anyone else attempting to do so will feel the wrath of Thor.
can.. hardly.. resist.. (HOWCANSOME1HAVINGPLAYEDSCONHISLEVELRATEWCIIIHIGHER?!)
anyways.
sad to see him quit. in a way. but why exactly? he proved everything there was to prove. back in the day he was often mentioned as number1 by respectable players like Tillerman and others, so it's prolly just a little pain we are feeling to see time pass by and old cornerstones of our e-world fade away.
WALK NEW PATHS - EXPLORE WHAT HAS BEEN HIDDEN TO YOU - FIND A NEW PERSPECTIVE - PLUNGE DEEP INTO THE POOL OF LIFE - SEE THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL - BE RELIEVED - FIND THE DIVERSITY - VALUE TIME - MAKE THIS WORLD YOUR HOME - DO THINGS YOU HAVE NEVER DONE BEFORE - EAT A DONUT
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I think it's sad to see him go not just because he was a legendary player who had been at the very top, but also because he was one of the most extraordinary people within the community. He was one of the most well-mannered and loyal players I've ever seen, and not only that, he was one of the very few Humans who refused to play the game in a "lame" way by massing towers and such. Although, that may have actually cost him some victories, but that is a completely different argument that has no purpose in this thread.
If everyone in the community tried to be like him, it would be a much, much better place. He was a rolemodel and a great player, and he will definitely be missed.
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On December 19 2007 07:26 Beyonder wrote:Show nested quote +On December 19 2007 06:03 GoSuPlAyEr wrote:
eh....wc3 better than starcraft? since when... please keep this discussion out of this thread. Anyone else attempting to do so will feel the wrath of Thor.
Thor has particle beams, not a hammer
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wow i didn't know puerto rican was a progamer, or did i misread something? Says he's from the U.S. so maybe it was about someone else. Either way, nice story :D
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On December 19 2007 10:14 Orlandu wrote:
He was one of the most well-mannered..... He was a rolemodel.....
While I agree he wasn't a bad person, it still amazes me how short of a memory gamers do possess. That link does leave out information (Insomnia played on three different friend's accounts - Wizard just eliminated two of them before Insomnia figured out how to counter his b/o trying to qualify DIDI8's account). Insomnia himself was already qualified from a LAN in his home country.
He has, of course, changed since then. But I still would not rank him as a rolemodel or one of the most well-mannered players as I can think of better candidates, such as Grubby or ToD. Personal opinion though, of course.
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lol, tod well-mannered, best joke ever.
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On December 20 2007 01:46 soonsu wrote:
lol, tod well-mannered, best joke ever.
I'm dead serious. I've never once read anything about ToD doing anything that wasn't on the up and up. He has even attempted to stand up for player's rights against unfair tournament conditions, losing guarenteed money in the process (true, people laughed at him for it, but tournament organizers are truly treating competitors like crap nowadays).
These things scream "well-mannered" more than any stupid sweet talk. Actions speak louder than words, but again, only my opinion.
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On December 19 2007 18:20 lololol wrote:Show nested quote +On December 19 2007 07:26 Beyonder wrote:On December 19 2007 06:03 GoSuPlAyEr wrote:
eh....wc3 better than starcraft? since when... please keep this discussion out of this thread. Anyone else attempting to do so will feel the wrath of Thor. Thor has particle beams, not a hammer
I beg to differ.
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On December 20 2007 01:58 Frits wrote:Show nested quote +On December 19 2007 18:20 lololol wrote:On December 19 2007 07:26 Beyonder wrote:On December 19 2007 06:03 GoSuPlAyEr wrote:
eh....wc3 better than starcraft? since when... please keep this discussion out of this thread. Anyone else attempting to do so will feel the wrath of Thor. Thor has particle beams, not a hammer I beg to differ.
It was a joke intended with SC2's Thor  , which (I guess) is supposed to have particle beams. But let's not get off-topic.
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No offense Bluewolf, but if you rate ToD's antics more well-mannered than your family history with Insomnia, then it's really hard to take what you say seriously regarding the concept of manners.
Regardless of what Insomnia may or may not have done, the wrong he has committed is far less than most players out there, especially ToD. I like ToD, I've even met him personally several times and I have nothing bad to say about him from that, but the fact remains that he is a very whiny person who lets his anger control him and who is unable to focus on his own mistakes while he instead comes up with excuses or just ignores his problems. He's very openly rude to people at times. That's not what good manners consist of. That doesn't necessarily make him a bad person though, it just means he has bad manners.
No one can be perfect. And people do make mistakes. How one reacts to those mistakes is what sets them apart. Insomnia may have made a mistake, but it seems he has learned from it as apparently that's the only negative example that you can come up with, and that's mainly just because your brother was the "victim." You don't see ToD attempting to fix his mistakes too often.
The point is, yeah, everyone's done something wrong in their life before. But look at Insomnia, and look at everyone else. He's a pretty "clean" guy, and I'd be really surprised if you could come up with anything else bad to say about him. To be honest your example seems more like a display of your own bad manners because you seem unable to let go of something from the distant past, that is to forgive and forget (or at least forgive), while Insomnia has realized his mistake and learned from it. Regardless of this, he still boasts some of the best manners out there and is the epitome of loyalty, having never switched teams in his entire WarCraft 3 career.
He's a special guy, whether he has inconvenienced Wizard in the past or not.
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I thought Sky's rant about how annoying a 'certain player' was was hilarious. (ToD). Always wanting to practice! Always getting mad at you if you said no! "NO! You can't go have dinner! more practice!" ahhh.
I agree with Orlandu, Insomnia had some of the best manners in War3's history.
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Orlandu said it all, that guy always has to make up for excuses after losing games to basically anyone.
I recall that, after losing some games in a tournament in China, he even claimed that "the heat was too warm, I wasn't able to play normally" yes, indeed...
But that's nothing to do with his skills, he's good yeah but by far one of the worst-mannered players I've ever known.
Insomnia is hell of funny and nice though, always enjoyed playing some DotA games with him
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EPT![[image loading]](http://www.amazingcomics.it/thor5web.jpg)
