Hello fellow StarCraft enthusiasts and players around the world, my name is SoBadRush, I’m am the caster for TV broadcasts of Taiwan’s TeSL. Recently the league has been discussing the possibility of opening up to non-Taiwan players next season (starting in August). While I must emphasize that this is NOT yet a finally decision (both the league and teams want to be careful in how they handle this, and there is still a possibility that it might be postponed to a future season), I wanted to let everyone know that this is indeed a possibility and also gauge the interest of international players and the international community by getting everyone’s feedback. If you are a competitive player please let me know what you think, if you know someone who might be, please share this info with them! Thanks everyone!
Sen's NASL application also includes a short TeSL tour:
I put together a simple FAQ so that you can know what being a pro SCII player for the TeSL in Taiwan would entail. Remember, TeSL has NOT yet decided for sure to let Foreign players join this season, so everything below is based on the assumption that things work out for next season.
How many foreign players can join? Like I said both the league and teams want to be cautious about this process. For the first season it appears that every team will be allowed one foreign player, therefore there would be a total of 5 spots open. The TeSL is a work in progress, and if everything goes well with the first group of 5 players I’m sure there will be more opportunities in the future.
What are the benefits like? Simply put: You will not get rich (from the base salary anyway), but if you have a good attitude you will have the experience of a lifetime. Base salary for most players is around $US 1,000 per month (with housing and most food being paid for), however exceptional players may be able to negotiate a higher salary with the team. Ask anyone who has been to Taiwan, the people are friendly and the food is delicious. In Taiwan you will be able to experience traditional Asian culture with most of the Western comforts you are used to. You will be expected to practice and go to events with the team (there are autograph signings and other events all over the island where players interact with fans), but you will get to experience being a hero to many and maybe even the feelings of having screaming teenage girl fans
What kind of contract would I have to sign? Honestly it’s still too early in the process to know for sure how this will work. Normally Taiwanese players sign with the team for 2 years. But I expect (but once again, I’m not sure!) that foreign players would be able to work out more flexible contracts with the team, maybe for a year or half a year, etc.
How will foreign players be selected? The TeSL is a draft-based league, meaning that all new players must go through a draft selection where each team take turns choosing players (like seen in the NBA, etc.). Therefore foreign players wishing to play in the TeSL must also go through a draft, however it will likely be a separate draft. Also, players will not have to come to Taiwan for the draft (because not all who make themselves elligable will be picked), we will ask interested players to send in their info and RPs so that teams have a chance to evaluate all of the candidates.
What kind of players is TeSL looking for? Well, aside from the obvious trait of being good at StarCraft II, the most important requirement is a good attitude, the ability to relocate to Taiwan, and being able to work well with others (This is a team league, not an individual league). Players do not need to learn Mandarin, but should be able to speak basic English (most Taiwanese can speak at least very simple English). With the 5 open slots we hope to get a nice balance of quality players from around the world. While we welcome players of all three of the StarCraft II races, we have a surplus of Protoss in the league right now, and lack of Zerg (Only 2 out of the current 19 players are Zerg). So even though teams will be looking for the best player available they might be more prone to take Zerg (or Terran) players of equal level over Protoss.
On April 22 2011 20:34 zhurai wrote: just wondering, would these foreign players need to learn mandarin/taiwanese, or...what? Also I'd be willing to join in the future seasons once I brush up my skills :D...eventually v.v
No. Good question, I should add that in there. English will do. Although shy, most players/coaches can use simple English to communicate, and we all speak the common language of StarCraft so it should be fine.
Will foreign fans be able to watch the league anywhere? maybe some description of how the league runs would be better instead of just saying "This is a team league, not an individual league"
On April 22 2011 20:34 zhurai wrote: just wondering, would these foreign players need to learn mandarin/taiwanese, or...what? Also I'd be willing to join in the future seasons once I brush up my skills :D...eventually v.v
No. Good question, I should add that in there. English will do. Although shy, most players/coaches can use simple English to communicate, and we all speak the common language of StarCraft so it should be fine.
nice that you say about the common language of StarCraft
that's nice and good, same as korea (the players trying to actively learn english there too, such as MC), which is nice, and makes esports between the continents feel more...connected.
Also I should start relearning mandarin too...(since I kinda got out of the chinese school programs at like 3rd grade = =... (my grandparents were from China, my parents were born in Taiwan, and I was born in the states...so I guess the TeSL'll be a good reason for me to start relearning my chinese :D) hmm
well, good luck to the teams in taiwan at getting foreign players, and hope that the skill levels of all the countries would grow to rival one another
(= =; sorry for weird cheesy talk/random errors in my text.... 5am! I should sleep..)
On April 22 2011 20:49 johanngrunt wrote: Will foreign fans be able to watch the league anywhere? maybe some description of how the league runs would be better instead of just saying "This is a team league, not an individual league" I'm really interested to know! =)
It would be nice if TeSL starts to interact with the foreign community a bit more. Adding foreigners to the league is a great idea to make the TeSL more attractive to the foreign competitive scene, though I think there needs to be a better connection with foreign fans if the possible foreigner addition is to be successful.
It would be nice if the league was better publicized on TL. Perhaps some good ideas would be opening up a livestream and/or having threads tracking the league and VoDs.
It's great to see Taiwan have such a great e-sports league, and I really think that allowing foreigner competition and increasing publicity for foreigners would really allow more people to enjoy the league's great production values.
Sounds pretty good, I could imagine some of the top weaker players doing this to make a name for themselves and improve and then maybe break into the GSL or become a tip top player?
this is one of those "once in a lifetime" experiences that would be really cool to go and try out, being in what is an amazing Asian country while being paid to play a game you love seems pretty cool.
Yea this is definitely one of those really cool opportunities, thanks for posting SoBaD! Essentially free rent/food, living and breathing Starcraft, being in Taiwan, pretty awesome :D
I can't believe this thread got buried! From the description, this seems like a better deal than GSL at the moment: a decent salary, training house, a chance to be on TV, living for a year in a place with some of the night-market food in the world! If I am any good with the game, I'd sign up in an instance!
Even though I'm graduating from college, if I were any good at SC2, I'd jump on this instantly. A year in a foreign country with room and board paid for? Heck yes!
This is amazing and fantastic to hear about interest in foreign players. I kinda wanna stop working and just play SC2 all day just for a chance XD. This is great news, and I hope you guys get insane amounts of applicants, as this is as you said, a once in a lifetime opportunity. Best of luck!
I do have a question, you mentioned having to re locate to Taiwan, this setup is very similar to the GSL foreign house where people buy their own plane ticket and then live in the team house, yes? Just wish to clarify.
Pretty sure he means per month, which is still well below the poverty line but I guess you have to take provided for food and housing into consideration.
gl, team leagues are the best. you should try for some kor. pro's who haven't broken through in the gsl since they have few tournaments for sc2 besides gsl apparently. relocation i would imagine would be a lot easier for them.
If everything was guaranteed (living arrangements, salary) then I think it's a no-brainer that a lot of foreigners (and good ones, at that) would jump on the opportunity to go. Hell, I would definitely go... but no way I'm good enough.
Pretty sure he means per month, which is still well below the poverty line but I guess you have to take provided for food and housing into consideration.
living costs in taiwan are vastly lower than the US. entry pay for engineers in tech companies in taiwan is something like less than 25k, whereas in the US it's 50-60k?
Pretty sure he means per month, which is still well below the poverty line but I guess you have to take provided for food and housing into consideration.
I concur, the salary is is not bad. Here in Mexico your minimum wage is five dollars a day. Thirty four dollars a day is pretty good considering that you get food, a home, and you are doing what you want!
Well, if you base it off of the Taiwanese New Dollar, 1000 USD a month gets you 28925 TWD a month. And, based on the website below(albeit out of date, along with a few others I checked, if someone has a more current cost of living, it would be very helpful) a month's living is about 24000 TWD, with utilities and rent and all that stuff. So if you take into account that housing and food is paid, while you won't get rich(as stated in OP) you'll have plenty of money on the side to treat yourself on off days if you choose to do so, no problem.
This is a great opportunity for anyone who's good enough to go. I really want to go but I'm not good enough atm. Maybe I'll pick SC2 up more seriously and see if I can improve enough by the time of the next draft pick.
Time to start practicing my ass off. This sounds like and opportunity of a lifetime. Play starcraft to earn a living, and travel to an asian country. Really liked watching you guys' league videos! This is pretty exciting.
This is really cool, but I never got to watch TeSL because I don't think it streams, and lack of English commentators make me frown. If foreign players join the league though, I might start looking out for their games, and maybe a few other games of the Taiwanese players too. If you guys get English commentators, I would watch this a shit load because the production value is so high (from the VODS I watched). But that might be hard to do.
Is the event ever streamed by the way, or can we only watch it through VODs?
While this is a great opportunity for someone, I think that most sponsered players would turn this down.
Simply because they are already salaried (at least the best foreigners are) to play on a less consistant schedule and around their own desires. Furthermore they dont have to move to a foreign country. Plus when you play on a team like this their is no opportunity to play in the many tournaments around the EU and US scene that supplement your income quite heavily, particularily if its someone who wins often.
This might attract some of the weaker foreigners who dont have a sponsered team, but I cant see the stars accepting this offer unless they are from or already live in taiwan (i.e sen).
I really wish it the best of luck though, I just think right now the stars would be giving up to much to consider it.
On April 24 2011 01:01 Darpa wrote: While this is a great opportunity for someone, I think that most sponsered players would turn this down.
Simply because they are already salaried (at least the best foreigners are) to play on a less consistant schedule and around their own desires. Furthermore they dont have to move to a foreign country. Plus when you play on a team like this their is no opportunity to play in the many tournaments around the EU and US scene that supplement your income quite heavily, particularily if its someone who wins often.
This might attract some of the weaker foreigners who dont have a sponsered team, but I cant see the stars accepting this offer unless they are from or already live in taiwan (i.e sen).
I really wish it the best of luck though, I just think right now the stars would be giving up to much to consider it.
This is a big problem I foresee. TeSL might want to start asking the players themselves if they would be interested too.
If TeSL accommodated foreigners to the extent of letting them participate in GSL in addition to TeSL, I could see top foreigner players going over to Taiwan to participate. Otherwise, I think it (whether top foreign players go) depends on how "locked in" foreigner players who participate in TeSL are.
This is really awesome, but I think you really need English commentators if you are interested in broadcasting internationally (no idea what your plans are regarding this)
On April 24 2011 01:01 Darpa wrote: While this is a great opportunity for someone, I think that most sponsered players would turn this down.
Simply because they are already salaried (at least the best foreigners are) to play on a less consistant schedule and around their own desires. Furthermore they dont have to move to a foreign country. Plus when you play on a team like this their is no opportunity to play in the many tournaments around the EU and US scene that supplement your income quite heavily, particularily if its someone who wins often.
This might attract some of the weaker foreigners who dont have a sponsered team, but I cant see the stars accepting this offer unless they are from or already live in taiwan (i.e sen).
I really wish it the best of luck though, I just think right now the stars would be giving up to much to consider it.
This is a big problem I foresee. TeSL might want to start asking the players themselves if they would be interested too.
However, given the current shitty situation in Korea (a few teams that don't even have sponsors/salaries like IM), wouldn't it actually behoove quite a few GSL or Korean Top 200 players to sign up? Honestly, this sounds like a better monetary situation than anything other than GSL Code S, which is rather difficult to stay in, and has an extremely top heavy prize structure.
I'm actually surprised more Koreans aren't going the route of idrA/SeleCt.
i'm always interrested in watching starcraft games, i love when it's casted as well !
Personnaly, i'm addicted to TSL3 at the moment, they have great casters, the intro and so on seems really professional, i really enjoy watching it in the evening (CET here)
If TeSL makes a nice stream, and gets casters, i would definitly watch it when TSL3 isn't live. It's really up to you guys
One question that I still wonder about is: How good are the top Taiwanese players in this league? Is there a large skill gap between Sen -> Softball? Sen being one of the best in the world, Softball described as the best player in the league.
I am borderline top 200 on the NA server. How long would the stay in Taiwan be required for? Would I have be considered around the same skill or far far below? This is something I am very interested in as I have Taiwanese GF, where living there wouldn't be that bad for me, and I've been there for multiple weeks before. Thx
On April 25 2011 21:03 Nizzy wrote: One question that I still wonder about is: How good are the top Taiwanese players in this league? Is there a large skill gap between Sen -> Softball? Sen being one of the best in the world, Softball described as the best player in the league.
I am borderline top 200 on the NA server. How long would the stay in Taiwan be required for? Would I have be considered around the same skill or far far below? This is something I am very interested in as I have Taiwanese GF, where living there wouldn't be that bad for me, and I've been there for multiple weeks before. Thx
might be a shot in the dark, but i asume they want good players ? ;o
On April 25 2011 21:03 Nizzy wrote: One question that I still wonder about is: How good are the top Taiwanese players in this league? Is there a large skill gap between Sen -> Softball? Sen being one of the best in the world, Softball described as the best player in the league.
Softball was one round short of qualifying for GSL season 3, he's very good.
I think there are enough people who'd like to join, but I don't think it'll get that many viewers because the scene is a bit saturated with matches nowadays (I don't even liquibet anymore because there are just too many matches)
More info on this would be much appreciated, when will it be decided if you are going to take in foreigners for the next season? How will people apply? Are there any requirements other then the ones mentioned (basic english, ability to travel to Taiwan).
Is there a prize pool structure or is it purely salary based (because it may be difficult to draw foreigners otherwise). Also, I think it would probably be best to get the league more established, as well as start sending out some of the players that rise out of the crop to compete in more international tournaments so people can see the overall strength of the players (I know Softball has competed in a little bit).
On April 25 2011 21:03 Nizzy wrote: One question that I still wonder about is: How good are the top Taiwanese players in this league? Is there a large skill gap between Sen -> Softball? Sen being one of the best in the world, Softball described as the best player in the league.
Softball was one round short of qualifying for GSL season 3, he's very good.
Wow yeah that's certainly impressive. Then there's definitley some very very strong players in this league.
Sounds like people are asking for english casters as well. Even though I'm not one of the best, I want to submit my application to be part of this epic tourney.
I think kellymilkies is already doing some castings for them. So I guess shell be one if ever it gets to this point.
For those that never saw any TeSL matches, here's a write-up of a recent match. I heard that kellymilkies did some english commentary on some of the games, but can't seen to find any right now. From what I can tell, There's a huge drop off in skill-level between Sen and softball, and even more for rest of the league.
My personal opinion is TeSL players' skill level is less than the tip-top US, EU, and KR players, and expect any Code-A level, MLG top-sixteen, or IEM/Dreamhack placed players to be immediately competitive in the league. Unfortunately, I have read that Sen's contract with Fnatics preclude him from participating with the league, so that may be the only barrier for any potentially interested Foreigner.
On April 24 2011 22:57 Naniwa wrote: would this require one to leave their other organisation?
That would be up to the previous organization. Conflicts may arise, such as orginal organization is sponsored by keyboard/mouse company A, but the TeSL team they are drafted by is sponsored by keyboard mouse company B. So it would depend on if the original organization can except that or not.
On April 24 2011 22:57 Naniwa wrote: would this require one to leave their other organisation?
That would be up to the previous organization. Conflicts may arise, such as orginal organization is sponsored by keyboard/mouse company A, but the TeSL team they are drafted by is sponsored by keyboard mouse company B. So it would depend on if the original organization can except that or not.
wasn't that the problem why Sen has to wait until his contract ends in Fnatic before joining one of the Taiwanese team?
this is great idea but if you really want international exposure you gotta make a website that caters to the English speaking countries (like Gom.tv) with games casted in Chinese as well as in English. my 2 cents.
showcase the TeSL for the world to see and you will have foreigners knocking on your doors.
On April 25 2011 21:03 Nizzy wrote: One question that I still wonder about is: How good are the top Taiwanese players in this league? Is there a large skill gap between Sen -> Softball? Sen being one of the best in the world, Softball described as the best player in the league.
Softball was one round short of qualifying for GSL season 3, he's very good.
Wow yeah that's certainly impressive. Then there's definitley some very very strong players in this league.
Have you contacted any koreans? I mean Taiwan is pretty close to Korea, and you know the skill level of Koreans. Koreans seem to be better choice than NA and EU players for TeSL.
to all those saying 1,000 a month is crap, well it sort of is here. But in taiwan (where you can get delicious meal for $2) it's pretty decent. Not going to make you rich but you can live off it.
I was just watching WhiteRa's stream, he was speaking in Russian, but one of the chat members translated that the Ra signed a contract and will be playing in the TeSL. Not sure though if it is true.
On May 04 2011 20:52 emc wrote: so how do we sign up?
Sign up process, or even if this will happen for sure next season is still being decided. They just wanted to gauge the interest of the community and will keep us posted.
How strong are the players in this league? Compared to Sen, for example. I think it'd be an awesome experience to go for half a year, especially since I'm Taiwanese and have family that lives in Taiwan (only speak English though =[, although apparently that's ok).
I'd probably only be a practice partner though T_T.
And $1,000 a month is more than I'm making now, lol, which is about $850-900. How sad.
What about prizemoney? You get a low salary (good enough in taiwan?) and housing/food etc.. but there ought to be some prizemoney in that league although you can't count on it 100% it could make a move for some pros to Taiwan more attractive.
On May 05 2011 06:10 FabledIntegral wrote: How strong are the players in this league? Compared to Sen, for example. I think it'd be an awesome experience to go for half a year, especially since I'm Taiwanese and have family that lives in Taiwan (only speak English though =[, although apparently that's ok).
I'd probably only be a practice partner though T_T.
And $1,000 a month is more than I'm making now, lol, which is about $850-900. How sad.
Based on what I've seen in the TeSL vods, most of the players are code B - low code A level, although there are some star players like softball who are easily top code A or code S level.
On May 05 2011 06:10 FabledIntegral wrote: How strong are the players in this league? Compared to Sen, for example. I think it'd be an awesome experience to go for half a year, especially since I'm Taiwanese and have family that lives in Taiwan (only speak English though =[, although apparently that's ok).
I'd probably only be a practice partner though T_T.
And $1,000 a month is more than I'm making now, lol, which is about $850-900. How sad.
Based on what I've seen in the TeSL vods, most of the players are code B - low code A level, although there are some star players like softball who are easily top code A or code S level.
No idea what Code B level is but still probably above me *sigh*.
So we know there are salaries? but what about the winning team do they get any type of compensation? or are the players just payed and they must play through the competition and the winning team just gets the pride of being the winning team?
I havent heard of any compensation for the team that wins (or comes in second) so i assume there is no compensation for winning, to me at least this takes out alot of the thrill of the tournament if nothing is on the line....
On May 05 2011 06:10 FabledIntegral wrote: How strong are the players in this league? Compared to Sen, for example. I think it'd be an awesome experience to go for half a year, especially since I'm Taiwanese and have family that lives in Taiwan (only speak English though =[, although apparently that's ok).
I'd probably only be a practice partner though T_T.
And $1,000 a month is more than I'm making now, lol, which is about $850-900. How sad.
Based on what I've seen in the TeSL vods, most of the players are code B - low code A level, although there are some star players like softball who are easily top code A or code S level.
No idea what Code B level is but still probably above me *sigh*.
Code B is Grandmaster's and High Master's in Korea level.
EPT
... (my grandparents were from China, my parents were born in Taiwan, and I was born in the states...so I guess the TeSL'll be a good reason for me to start relearning my chinese :D) hmm
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