A Glimpse into SC2 Progaming - Page 10

On October 20 2010 18:34 Hot_Bid wrote:

Everyone who accomplished something great or had a lot of fun took a risk somewhere along the line. Sure, maybe a few progamers made a mistake in picking progaming. Maybe a cubicle desk job is the best they could do. But you can't walk a "safe" career path and accomplish truly great things. Did you really go through your twenties thinking "wow what will my future wife think" and "how does this affect my future kids"? At some point in your life you need adventure and for these guys it's progaming.

I hate to keep piling on you because everyone already is replying and criticizing your post, but Day9 is the absolute worst example of "missing out on life" ever. The guy lives the dream. He gets flown to every major Starcraft 2 event every other week. 15,000 people watch him talk, and millions would trade places with him in an instant. He spends the majority of his time doing what he loves. He's a huge celebrity as long as Starcraft lives, and this game will live for decades (if you count the expansions and SC3 behind it). He can probably drop out of school and make a living casting right now but instead finishes his super hard math program at a good university.

If anyone is set up to succeed through the esports industry, it's Day. There's nothing more stable than being the #1 in-demand caster. It's not like his casting performance will disappear or drop away, it will only gain strength and experience with time. Every single time he's flown out to IEM or MLG or Blizzcon his resume is buffed and he becomes even more indispensable for the next event. I'm willing to bet he could cast until age 50 if he wanted, and teach casting all that time as well. It's ridiculous that you chose probably the most successful person in the SC2 esports industry right now (outside of Blizzard's CEO haha) as your example of "missing out on life."

On October 20 2010 22:10 Champ24 wrote:


I was expecting to get criticized. I'm basically in the hornets nest of pro gaming asking why. Anyways, I rescinded my day9 analogy a few posts later once I learned of his masters program at USC. I'll own that mistake. He isn't a good example.

If you want to do what you love, go for it. I'm certainly not the one to stop you. However, I revert to my NFL analogy; it may seem great, but it leads down a path that may be difficult to get out of. To another curious member, Tatum Bell was the Bronco player selling phones. A chilling related stat, 78% of all NFL player are bankrupt, divorced, or unemployed following their NFL stint. I get the feeling pro gaming falls into the same boat. You learn skills that are not valuable in life when your gaming career ends. But perhaps I'm wrong...it wont be the first time.

I just don't get warm fuzzies when I see teens posting on here about wanting to pack their bags and move to Korea so they can get paid to play video games. If you truly want to, by all means, do it. You only live once. But there are always consequences for your actions, and some are more difficult to see than others. Id hate to see someones life ruined 10 years from now because they had delusions of grandeur about sc2 gaming. The OP exemplifies a bunch of buddies sitting around, drinking beer, playing video games into the wee hours of the night, and blowing tournament cash at restaurants following a victory. Can it happen? Certainly. But it's jut one angle of the big picture. I'm merely attempting to highlight a different side.

But I must say I am slightly biased. I work as an engineer for a living, so not taking unnecessary risks has been pounded into my brain for years.

On October 20 2010 22:10 Champ24 wrote:


I was expecting to get criticized. I'm basically in the hornets nest of pro gaming asking why. Anyways, I rescinded my day9 analogy a few posts later once I learned of his masters program at USC. I'll own that mistake. He isn't a good example.

If you want to do what you love, go for it. I'm certainly not the one to stop you. However, I revert to my NFL analogy; it may seem great, but it leads down a path that may be difficult to get out of. To another curious member, Tatum Bell was the Bronco player selling phones. A chilling related stat, 78% of all NFL player are bankrupt, divorced, or unemployed following their NFL stint. I get the feeling pro gaming falls into the same boat. You learn skills that are not valuable in life when your gaming career ends. But perhaps I'm wrong...it wont be the first time.

I just don't get warm fuzzies when I see teens posting on here about wanting to pack their bags and move to Korea so they can get paid to play video games. If you truly want to, by all means, do it. You only live once. But there are always consequences for your actions, and some are more difficult to see than others. Id hate to see someones life ruined 10 years from now because they had delusions of grandeur about sc2 gaming. The OP exemplifies a bunch of buddies sitting around, drinking beer, playing video games into the wee hours of the night, and blowing tournament cash at restaurants following a victory. Can it happen? Certainly. But it's jut one angle of the big picture. I'm merely attempting to highlight a different side.

But I must say I am slightly biased. I work as an engineer for a living, so not taking unnecessary risks has been pounded into my brain for years.