• Log InLog In
  • Register
Liquid`
Team Liquid Liquipedia
EDT 03:38
CEST 09:38
KST 16:38
  • Home
  • Forum
  • Calendar
  • Streams
  • Liquipedia
  • Features
  • Store
  • EPT
  • TL+
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Smash
  • Heroes
  • Counter-Strike
  • Overwatch
  • Liquibet
  • Fantasy StarCraft
  • TLPD
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Blogs
Forum Sidebar
Events/Features
News
Featured News
[ASL21] Ro4 Preview: On Course12Code S Season 1 - RO8 Preview7[ASL21] Ro8 Preview Pt2: Progenitors8Code S Season 1 - RO12 Group A: Rogue, Percival, Solar, Zoun13[ASL21] Ro8 Preview Pt1: Inheritors16
Community News
Code S Season 1 (2026) - RO8 Results1Weekly Cups (May 4-10): Clem, MaxPax, herO win1Maestros of The Game 2 announcement and schedule !11Weekly Cups (April 27-May 4): Clem takes triple0RSL Revival: Season 5 - Qualifiers and Main Event12
StarCraft 2
General
Team Liquid Map Contest #22 - The Finalists Code S Season 1 (2026) - RO8 Results MaNa leaves Team Liquid Weekly Cups (May 4-10): Clem, MaxPax, herO win Code S Season 1 - RO8 Preview
Tourneys
2026 GSL Season 2 Qualifiers Maestros of The Game 2 announcement and schedule ! $5,000 WardiTV Spring Championship 2026 SC2 INu's Battles#16 <BO.9> Master Swan Open (Global Bronze-Master 2)
Strategy
Custom Maps
[D]RTS in all its shapes and glory <3 [A] Nemrods 1/4 players
External Content
Mutation # 525 Wheel of Misfortune The PondCast: SC2 News & Results Mutation # 524 Death and Taxes Mutation # 523 Firewall
Brood War
General
Pros React to: TvT Masterclass in FlaSh vs Light vespene.gg — BW replays in browser ASL21 Strategy, Pimpest Plays Discussions Flashes ASL S21 Ro8 Review BGH Auto Balance -> http://bghmmr.eu/
Tourneys
[ASL21] Semifinals B [ASL21] Semifinals A [BSL22] RO8 Bracket Stage + Another TieBreaker Small VOD Thread 2.0
Strategy
Fighting Spirit mining rates [G] Hydra ZvZ: An Introduction Simple Questions, Simple Answers Muta micro map competition
Other Games
General Games
Stormgate/Frost Giant Megathread Nintendo Switch Thread Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne Starcraft Tabletop Miniature Game PC Games Sales Thread
Dota 2
The Story of Wings Gaming
League of Legends
Heroes of the Storm
Simple Questions, Simple Answers Heroes of the Storm 2.0
Hearthstone
Deck construction bug Heroes of StarCraft mini-set
TL Mafia
Vanilla Mini Mafia Mafia Game Mode Feedback/Ideas TL Mafia Community Thread Five o'clock TL Mafia
Community
General
US Politics Mega-thread Russo-Ukrainian War Thread UK Politics Mega-thread YouTube Thread European Politico-economics QA Mega-thread
Fan Clubs
The IdrA Fan Club
Media & Entertainment
[Manga] One Piece Anime Discussion Thread [Req][Books] Good Fantasy/SciFi books
Sports
2024 - 2026 Football Thread McBoner: A hockey love story Formula 1 Discussion
World Cup 2022
Tech Support
streaming software Strange computer issues (software) [G] How to Block Livestream Ads
TL Community
The Automated Ban List
Blogs
How EEG Data Can Predict Gam…
TrAiDoS
ramps on octagon
StaticNine
Funny Nicknames
LUCKY_NOOB
Customize Sidebar...

Website Feedback

Closed Threads



Active: 1715 users

TSL to become first SC2 team with player salaries - Page 16

Forum Index > SC2 General
Post a Reply
Prev 1 14 15 16 17 Next All
goiflin
Profile Blog Joined November 2010
Canada1218 Posts
March 15 2011 14:56 GMT
#301
On March 15 2011 12:52 chenchen wrote:
Hey guys, I just want to make this clear, because there's a lot of misconception regarding this.

South Korea is a highly highly developed country, easily one of the fifteen most developed countries in the world (actually widely considered to be ranked 10th-15th) along with nations like NA (no Mexico), Northern Europe, Japan, and Australia.

The cost and standard of living in Korea is very high and comparable to that of any other urban first world country. The Seoul area is especially notoriously expensive.


Thank god the team picks up their food and board! If they didn't, they might have no money considering all those drinking binges/shopping sprees that pro gamers are renown for.

But seriously, they have nothing to actually spend the money on, besides luxuries. 30k of disposable income is perfectly fine, even if you live in a very expensive city.
Sein
Profile Blog Joined September 2010
United States1811 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-03-15 15:50:50
March 15 2011 15:48 GMT
#302
On March 15 2011 23:54 C5Five wrote:
Show nested quote +
On March 14 2011 14:48 oncearunner wrote:
^^heh its "80" hours a week but its palyng a video game. time flies when ur having fun

imagine being the assistant manager at my restaurant working 70 hours a week on salary


You're also melting your brain/eyes/nerves all along.

Just try to play 11 hours a day of SC2 and enjoy the symptoms you'll get (blurry vision, intense headaches, nausea, back pain, tetany attacks, tremor, etc)

If half of your salary is there just to cover the extensive amount of medical care you'll need to go thru, I say it's not worth the hassle.


Come on, man. Just which progamer has needed an extensive medical care for playing too much game? There's a reason there are many progamers and hopefuls in Korea. It's a worthwhile job for them.
Morale
Profile Joined August 2010
Sweden1010 Posts
March 15 2011 16:15 GMT
#303
I thought the cost of living was quite low in SK. Also seem to remeber Huk saying on his stream that food was quite cheap.
Wegandi
Profile Joined March 2011
United States2455 Posts
March 15 2011 16:18 GMT
#304
On March 15 2011 23:54 C5Five wrote:
Show nested quote +
On March 14 2011 14:48 oncearunner wrote:
^^heh its "80" hours a week but its palyng a video game. time flies when ur having fun

imagine being the assistant manager at my restaurant working 70 hours a week on salary


You're also melting your brain/eyes/nerves all along.

Just try to play 11 hours a day of SC2 and enjoy the symptoms you'll get (blurry vision, intense headaches, nausea, back pain, tetany attacks, tremor, etc)

If half of your salary is there just to cover the extensive amount of medical care you'll need to go thru, I say it's not worth the hassle.


I've been playing video games for nearly 19 years now, and quite extensively (For instance during my FFXI binge I played something ridiculous like 250 days in a 4 year time period). That's not even counting my Halo, RA95, AoK, etc. days.

Yes, my eyes have become more near-sighted over the years, but that will happen to anyone who works on a computer for any amount of protracted time (and let's face it -- lots and lots of people work on computers for 8+ hours a day.) Hell, I sit in front of a computer for 12 hours a day at my work (USCG), and then usually for another 6-8 when I get home and for 10+ hours on my days off. My computer is my entertainment system (Music, TV, Movies, Games, etc.). I hardly have any headaches, nausea, back pain (learn how to properly sit and or buy a good chair), tremors, etc.

I am sure being a construction worker or some other menial task-doer is vastly better for you.

If you don't think it's worth the price then say it -- each person has their own subjective values, but to objectively state that you incur loss due to medical expenses later in life because you played a video game is quite laughable. (CTS is quite rare)

As a Radioman it's even worse for me because in my line of work it isn't uncommon to have loss of hearing later in life -- and the military doesn't pay disability for that (And I make ~36k a year as an E-4 with 4 years).
Thank you bureaucrats for all your hard work, your commitment to public service and public good is essential to the lives of so many. Also, for Pete's sake can we please get some gun control already, no need for hand guns and assault rifles for the public
Murfshake
Profile Joined November 2010
46 Posts
March 18 2011 01:08 GMT
#305
Good news for esports!
turdburgler
Profile Blog Joined January 2011
England6749 Posts
March 18 2011 01:15 GMT
#306
On March 16 2011 00:48 Sein wrote:
Show nested quote +
On March 15 2011 23:54 C5Five wrote:
On March 14 2011 14:48 oncearunner wrote:
^^heh its "80" hours a week but its palyng a video game. time flies when ur having fun

imagine being the assistant manager at my restaurant working 70 hours a week on salary


You're also melting your brain/eyes/nerves all along.

Just try to play 11 hours a day of SC2 and enjoy the symptoms you'll get (blurry vision, intense headaches, nausea, back pain, tetany attacks, tremor, etc)

If half of your salary is there just to cover the extensive amount of medical care you'll need to go thru, I say it's not worth the hassle.


Come on, man. Just which progamer has needed an extensive medical care for playing too much game? There's a reason there are many progamers and hopefuls in Korea. It's a worthwhile job for them.



tlo doesnt have serious wrist problems or anything right?
C5Five
Profile Joined March 2011
England53 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-03-18 01:18:50
March 18 2011 01:16 GMT
#307
On March 16 2011 01:18 Wegandi wrote:
I've been playing video games for nearly 19 years now, and quite extensively (For instance during my FFXI binge I played something ridiculous like 250 days in a 4 year time period). That's not even counting my Halo, RA95, AoK, etc. days.

Yes, my eyes have become more near-sighted over the years, but that will happen to anyone who works on a computer for any amount of protracted time (and let's face it -- lots and lots of people work on computers for 8+ hours a day.) Hell, I sit in front of a computer for 12 hours a day at my work (USCG), and then usually for another 6-8 when I get home and for 10+ hours on my days off. My computer is my entertainment system (Music, TV, Movies, Games, etc.). I hardly have any headaches, nausea, back pain (learn how to properly sit and or buy a good chair), tremors, etc.

I am sure being a construction worker or some other menial task-doer is vastly better for you.

If you don't think it's worth the price then say it -- each person has their own subjective values, but to objectively state that you incur loss due to medical expenses later in life because you played a video game is quite laughable. (CTS is quite rare)

As a Radioman it's even worse for me because in my line of work it isn't uncommon to have loss of hearing later in life -- and the military doesn't pay disability for that (And I make ~36k a year as an E-4 with 4 years).


Yeah, at work, watching tabs or text. Everyone can read a screen for hours without problems.

Remaining focused on a game like SC2 or even a shooter for instance for several hours WILL fuck you up.

Try it one day. Play from like 4 pm to 2 am without interruption (maybe only for bio and eating). I'd love to hear how many painkillers you'll have to ingest to calm that intense brain ache.

It also engraves patterns into your muscles. Ever noticed that little callus most people using computers have at the base of their hands ? Yeah, that. Why do you think moving your hand in the opposite direction feels so "weird" ?
WAAA
Profile Blog Joined February 2010
New Zealand291 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-03-18 01:21:49
March 18 2011 01:19 GMT
#308
On March 15 2011 12:52 chenchen wrote:
Hey guys, I just want to make this clear, because there's a lot of misconception regarding this.

South Korea is a highly highly developed country, easily one of the fifteen most developed countries in the world (actually widely considered to be ranked 10th-15th) along with nations like NA (no Mexico), Northern Europe, Japan, and Australia.

The cost and standard of living in Korea is very high and comparable to that of any other urban first world country. The Seoul area is especially notoriously expensive.


South korea is ranked #33 in terms of GDP per capita according to the international monetary fund (2010) with $20165. US is $47,132 at 9th, Australia $54,869 at 6th. So yea, you are quite wrong..
Turgid
Profile Blog Joined September 2010
United States1623 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-03-18 01:30:45
March 18 2011 01:29 GMT
#309
Are people really questioning that South Korea is a developed nation? It's a G-20 economy and one of the most tech-oriented countries that there is. Seriously, I would be blown the fuck away if Seoul, South Korea wasn't one of the most expensive cities in the world.
(╬ ಠ益ಠ)
dANiELcanuck
Profile Joined April 2010
Canada217 Posts
March 18 2011 02:52 GMT
#310
Isn't the average Korean still making less than 20k USD per year? I'd say making 30k to play video games is pretty good, regardless of the "long hours" required to stay at the top level.
teamsolid
Profile Joined October 2007
Canada3668 Posts
March 18 2011 03:01 GMT
#311
On March 18 2011 10:16 C5Five wrote:
Show nested quote +
On March 16 2011 01:18 Wegandi wrote:
I've been playing video games for nearly 19 years now, and quite extensively (For instance during my FFXI binge I played something ridiculous like 250 days in a 4 year time period). That's not even counting my Halo, RA95, AoK, etc. days.

Yes, my eyes have become more near-sighted over the years, but that will happen to anyone who works on a computer for any amount of protracted time (and let's face it -- lots and lots of people work on computers for 8+ hours a day.) Hell, I sit in front of a computer for 12 hours a day at my work (USCG), and then usually for another 6-8 when I get home and for 10+ hours on my days off. My computer is my entertainment system (Music, TV, Movies, Games, etc.). I hardly have any headaches, nausea, back pain (learn how to properly sit and or buy a good chair), tremors, etc.

I am sure being a construction worker or some other menial task-doer is vastly better for you.

If you don't think it's worth the price then say it -- each person has their own subjective values, but to objectively state that you incur loss due to medical expenses later in life because you played a video game is quite laughable. (CTS is quite rare)

As a Radioman it's even worse for me because in my line of work it isn't uncommon to have loss of hearing later in life -- and the military doesn't pay disability for that (And I make ~36k a year as an E-4 with 4 years).


Yeah, at work, watching tabs or text. Everyone can read a screen for hours without problems.

Remaining focused on a game like SC2 or even a shooter for instance for several hours WILL fuck you up.

Try it one day. Play from like 4 pm to 2 am without interruption (maybe only for bio and eating). I'd love to hear how many painkillers you'll have to ingest to calm that intense brain ache.

It also engraves patterns into your muscles. Ever noticed that little callus most people using computers have at the base of their hands ? Yeah, that. Why do you think moving your hand in the opposite direction feels so "weird" ?

I've done an 8 hour session of SC2 before and I didn't feel any head aches after. Sure it was a bit tiring, but I don't think it was mentally damaging at all. Granted, I don't know how it would feel if you did that everyday, but still I don't see any of the Korean progamers on painkillers.
Sein
Profile Blog Joined September 2010
United States1811 Posts
March 18 2011 03:30 GMT
#312
On March 18 2011 10:15 turdburgler wrote:
Show nested quote +
On March 16 2011 00:48 Sein wrote:
On March 15 2011 23:54 C5Five wrote:
On March 14 2011 14:48 oncearunner wrote:
^^heh its "80" hours a week but its palyng a video game. time flies when ur having fun

imagine being the assistant manager at my restaurant working 70 hours a week on salary


You're also melting your brain/eyes/nerves all along.

Just try to play 11 hours a day of SC2 and enjoy the symptoms you'll get (blurry vision, intense headaches, nausea, back pain, tetany attacks, tremor, etc)

If half of your salary is there just to cover the extensive amount of medical care you'll need to go thru, I say it's not worth the hassle.


Come on, man. Just which progamer has needed an extensive medical care for playing too much game? There's a reason there are many progamers and hopefuls in Korea. It's a worthwhile job for them.



tlo doesnt have serious wrist problems or anything right?


CTS has a very strong genetic predisposition and if it really is CTS, I doubt it's that serious considering he's still playing at the top level and entering many tournaments.

It'd be a rare case anyway EVEN IF playing too much starcraft actually directly caused CTS for TLO. Some football players have wrecked their legs while playing football. Does that mean professional footballers are doing something not worth the risk? Just read the post that I was originally replying to and tell me it isn't vastly exaggerated.
WAAA
Profile Blog Joined February 2010
New Zealand291 Posts
March 18 2011 03:32 GMT
#313
On March 18 2011 10:29 Turgid wrote:
Are people really questioning that South Korea is a developed nation? It's a G-20 economy and one of the most tech-oriented countries that there is. Seriously, I would be blown the fuck away if Seoul, South Korea wasn't one of the most expensive cities in the world.


No one is questioning the first world nature of S korea. People are just pointing out that the average S korean makes considerably less than countries where the majority of the TL viewership resides. Hence it is safe to assume there is a disparity in the purchasing power of $30k USD.
WilliamDecker
Profile Joined April 2010
Canada43 Posts
March 18 2011 05:05 GMT
#314
Congrats to TSL and their coach. They're really fortunate to secure funding. I'm sure their salaries aren't the only money they'll be seeing this year. Now that they don't need to worry about money and can focus entirely on Starcraft I'm certain they'll get a lot better! Probably will increase team morale a lot as well.
nart
Profile Joined March 2011
97 Posts
March 18 2011 05:08 GMT
#315
On March 14 2011 15:49 Doraemon wrote:
30,000 USD is quite substantial when you factor in the cost of living in korea is considerably cheaper than any western countries. albeit the clock in 80 hours a week, the salary i believe would be equivalent of 60,000USD if you were living in the states.



You need to do some research! Seoul is one of the most expensive cities in the world to live in. Much more expensive than most cities in the west.
nart
Profile Joined March 2011
97 Posts
March 18 2011 05:18 GMT
#316
On March 14 2011 15:13 nokz88 wrote:
Hm, as I suspected, there seems to be a number of foreign teams that pay their players salaries. But both articles put a strong emphasis on "first". Maybe they mean "first korean SC2 team"?


I don't think foreign teams pay their players much. Maybe 5k/year for Idra, which is probably one of the highest paid foreign players.
nart
Profile Joined March 2011
97 Posts
March 18 2011 05:26 GMT
#317
On March 14 2011 15:23 Alphaes wrote:
Show nested quote +
On March 14 2011 15:20 kagemucha wrote:
On March 14 2011 15:13 ch33psh33p wrote:
On March 14 2011 15:08 Backpack wrote:
On March 14 2011 14:55 FXOpen wrote:
I've been paying my players a salary since December..... Gotta love media


Pretty sure liquid and EG also pay salaries...

No idea where this article is coming from


How much, FXOBoss?

Yes, how much? :D


I doubt he'll say. It's apparently taboo to disclose that sort of info, at least in the western e-sport scene.


The reason foreign players don't disclose their salary is because it's low, maybe a few thousands/year for players like Idra; the rest of players maybe 2k from endorsement. Based on the fact that he trains 10hrs/day and only won $800 bucks from IEM. This just shows you how much they get pay compared to their tournament winnings. Generally, people don't disclose their earnings unless they make more money compared to others in the same profession. It's not taboo at all.
Geovu
Profile Blog Joined November 2010
Estonia1344 Posts
March 18 2011 05:32 GMT
#318
On March 15 2011 23:54 C5Five wrote:
Show nested quote +
On March 14 2011 14:48 oncearunner wrote:
^^heh its "80" hours a week but its palyng a video game. time flies when ur having fun

imagine being the assistant manager at my restaurant working 70 hours a week on salary


You're also melting your brain/eyes/nerves all along.

Just try to play 11 hours a day of SC2 and enjoy the symptoms you'll get (blurry vision, intense headaches, nausea, back pain, tetany attacks, tremor, etc)

If half of your salary is there just to cover the extensive amount of medical care you'll need to go thru, I say it's not worth the hassle.

... it's called proper posture dood.

If I went out to chop wood for an hour every day I would easily f*ck up my shoulders, back, wrists etc. pretty quickly as well if pretended to be a hunched troll.

nart
Profile Joined March 2011
97 Posts
March 18 2011 05:32 GMT
#319
On March 14 2011 15:58 Cedstick wrote:
SK has cheaper living costs than in North America -- I personally can't compare to the EU -- and they already have their room, board, and supposed food paid for, so 31k is actually pretty damn good.

Show nested quote +
On March 14 2011 15:45 FXOpen wrote:
I pay above average

Until you disclose specifics, stop trying to turn this in to your thread


Until you disclose the cost of living comparison between South Korea and the states, don't post assumptions. If you said rural SK, then it might be true; but Seoul and the surrounding region have one of the highest cost of living in the world according to most studies.
TheRealPaciFist
Profile Blog Joined August 2010
United States1049 Posts
March 18 2011 05:35 GMT
#320
Such good news! Can't wait to see more teams follow (assuming Starcraft 2 goes on to have a healthy lifespan)
Second favorite strategy game of all time: Starcraft. First: Go (aka Wei Qi, Paduk, or Igo)
Prev 1 14 15 16 17 Next All
Please log in or register to reply.
Live Events Refresh
Next event in 2h 23m
[ Submit Event ]
Live Streams
Refresh
StarCraft: Brood War
Horang2 1038
Hyuk 914
Killer 256
Bisu 155
Pusan 127
Mind 102
EffOrt 54
910 46
Backho 43
Sacsri 42
[ Show more ]
Mong 14
Bale 12
Icarus 9
Movie 4
soO 3
ZergMaN 2
Last 0
Dota 2
NeuroSwarm178
League of Legends
JimRising 621
Counter-Strike
Stewie2K723
m0e_tv321
Super Smash Bros
Mew2King93
Other Games
summit1g9451
WinterStarcraft464
ceh9418
Sick335
monkeys_forever224
Organizations
Counter-Strike
PGL19290
StarCraft: Brood War
UltimateBattle 63
StarCraft 2
Blizzard YouTube
StarCraft: Brood War
BSLTrovo
[ Show 15 non-featured ]
StarCraft 2
• Berry_CruncH327
• LUISG 30
• AfreecaTV YouTube
• intothetv
• Kozan
• IndyKCrew
• LaughNgamezSOOP
• Migwel
• sooper7s
StarCraft: Brood War
• iopq 2
• BSLYoutube
• STPLYoutube
• ZZZeroYoutube
League of Legends
• Lourlo1073
• Stunt421
Upcoming Events
RSL Revival
2h 23m
Classic vs Solar
herO vs SHIN
OSC
5h 23m
Big Brain Bouts
8h 23m
sebesdes vs Iba
Percival vs YoungYakov
Reynor vs GgMaChine
Korean StarCraft League
19h 23m
RSL Revival
1d 2h
Clem vs Rogue
Bunny vs Lambo
IPSL
1d 8h
Dewalt vs nOmaD
Ret vs Cross
BSL
1d 11h
Bonyth vs Doodle
Dewalt vs TerrOr
GSL
2 days
Cure vs herO
SHIN vs Maru
IPSL
2 days
Bonyth vs Napoleon
G5 vs JDConan
BSL
2 days
OyAji vs JDConan
DragOn vs TBD
[ Show More ]
Replay Cast
3 days
Monday Night Weeklies
3 days
Replay Cast
3 days
The PondCast
4 days
GSL
5 days
Replay Cast
5 days
GSL
6 days
Replay Cast
6 days
Liquipedia Results

Completed

Proleague 2026-05-13
WardiTV TLMC #16
Nations Cup 2026

Ongoing

BSL Season 22
ASL Season 21
IPSL Spring 2026
KCM Race Survival 2026 Season 2
Acropolis #4
KK 2v2 League Season 1
BSL 22 Non-Korean Championship
Escore Tournament S2: W7
SCTL 2026 Spring
RSL Revival: Season 5
2026 GSL S1
Heroes Pulsing #1
Asian Champions League 2026
IEM Atlanta 2026
PGL Astana 2026
BLAST Rivals Spring 2026
IEM Rio 2026
PGL Bucharest 2026
Stake Ranked Episode 1
BLAST Open Spring 2026
ESL Pro League S23 Finals
ESL Pro League S23 Stage 1&2

Upcoming

YSL S3
Escore Tournament S2: W8
CSLAN 4
Kung Fu Cup 2026 Grand Finals
HSC XXIX
uThermal 2v2 2026 Main Event
Maestros of the Game 2
WardiTV Spring 2026
2026 GSL S2
BLAST Bounty Summer Qual
Stake Ranked Episode 3
XSE Pro League 2026
IEM Cologne Major 2026
Stake Ranked Episode 2
CS Asia Championships 2026
TLPD

1. ByuN
2. TY
3. Dark
4. Solar
5. Stats
6. Nerchio
7. sOs
8. soO
9. INnoVation
10. Elazer
1. Rain
2. Flash
3. EffOrt
4. Last
5. Bisu
6. Soulkey
7. Mini
8. Sharp
Sidebar Settings...

Advertising | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use | Contact Us

Original banner artwork: Jim Warren
The contents of this webpage are copyright © 2026 TLnet. All Rights Reserved.