|
![[image loading]](http://www.fragster.de/de/esport/coverages/blizzcon/2011/invitational/eu/bilder/blizzcon-regionals-eu-teaser.jpg)
fragster sat down with  White-Ra and talked with him about his play at the EU Battle.net Invitational and his feelings about the current state of the community.
-> To the interview (be aware of spoilers according EU Battle.NET Invitational)
Some impressions:
What is more important for you: Winnig tournaments or having a lot of fans?
White-Ra: I think second one. Because there are too many events and not enough fans. Of course, winning is very important and you will get many fans. But I like being friendly and open for the community better. I know that it is important to give something back to the community. So for me the community support is more important than winning tournaments. Maybe tournament wins would give me more money, but community support it gives me energy and support for the future. And, of course, I am feeling good myself, when I see such a good support by the fans. And family and friends see and like it as well.
![[image loading]](http://fragster.de/de/esport/coverages/blizzcon/2011/invitational/eu/galerie/samstag/sc2-blizzard-european-battle-net-invitational-54-whitera.jpg)
Does your family follow your tournament results, the streams and so on?
White-Ra: Streams no, some tournaments yes. Because they miss me when I have a long travel or something. So they can see me online and cheer for me.
How did you like MLG and the experience in America?
White-Ra: It's very good for the community, because there are many fans in America. It has been a good support. But I think the MLG rules are not perfekt. Like the extend series rule. And I got a def loss for being ten minutes too late. I had a travel of ten hours and it were only ten minutes. The next day I won eleven Bo3s. That was very exhausting. Not for my body, but for my brain and my emotions. The next day I couldn't concentrate.
Enjoy reading the whole interview! (Be aware of spoilers about the European Battle.NET invitational)
For more content, pictures and interview head over to this thread
![[image loading]](http://www.ebears.eu/files/wer/fragster.jpg)
Brought to you by fragster.de
Follow me on twitter
Follow fragster on twitter
Follow fragster on facebook
|
I read this in Whitra-english.^^
|
|
|
thanks for posting, WhiteRa is perfekt!
|
ye white ra is right : he won 11 bo3s and he barely placed 24th that rule is so mean for a players travelling so much to attend the tuornament
|
haha oh man, nice set of priorities.. so that's why he keeps on giving out his personally used items to fans all over the world.. you're so baller mr Aleks
|
White-Ra for presidentoss! :D
|
Thanks! Really nice interview.
On August 07 2011 07:06 Hardigan wrote:
I read this in Whitra-english.^^
As did i. Whitera-english is the shit.
|
|
|
Whitera such a beast. 
|
Maybe you could put all these interviews into a single thread?
|
"Will you take time off?"
'Yes, it needs two weeks, very easy'
Hahaha, <3 White-Ra
|
White-ra is my favorite player. During the MLG Def thing i almost swore to never watch MLG again but then White-ra decided to keep at it and win many bo3. White-ra you have my support forever man
|
On August 07 2011 07:12 ProxyKnoxy wrote:
Maybe you could put all these interviews into a single thread?
They are all (it´s only 2 from warschau) in one thread. But these single threads are necessary as well. If they are only in the "main thread" nobody can discuss the interview.
(MrBitter and Naniwa are not interviews from us)
|
haha, yeah, I hear white-ra's responses in his accent. <3
|
On August 07 2011 07:06 Hardigan wrote:
I read this in Whitra-english.^^
Same here :-P
|
People would rage at this title if it was anyone else =/
|
White Ra, awesome as always
|
Best of luck to White-ra. Definitely my favorite toss out there. I don't care if he wins or not, his presence is enough to make any tournament exciting for me. GLHF
|
I wish more progamers would adopt WhiteRa's beliefs in community build. Obviously not so much that winning isn't important, but it would be nice if some progamers could do more to show their personalities to make them a loveable or a love to hate character. Also I love how WhiteRa advocates good manners. With so many fans following people like Idra, it's great to see WhiteRa being such a mannerbear.
|
yes they prolly would, but its white ra , dont know about anyone else that can say somethign like that and make me smile still such a cutie
|
Being dq'd for being 10min late would hurt my brain too, especially since that rule isn't uniformly enforced. Sundance needs to smack some heads.
|
Reading this makes me an even bigger fan of White-ra :D
|
Yep, read the answers in White-Ra's voice. He really IS everywhere.
|
"It's not always Special Tactics, because everyone will make counter for it, when I use it every time."
Oh no! Players are starting to catch on to the special tactics. :O
|
Awsome person, one of the best representatives sc2 could wish for.
Furthermore: MLG read carefully, whitera doesn't dish out criticism easily.
|
Older ppl like WhiteRa and Boxer always has the best support from the community b/c of their maturity. No whining, no trash talking, always respect others and give the fans what they want.
|
|
|
![[image loading]](http://img695.imageshack.us/img695/9886/zdjcie0172a.jpg) http://img695.imageshack.us/img695/9886/zdjcie0172a.jpg
He is really AWESOME guy, crowd shouting his name was epic!
|
Such a nerd baller! <3 him
|
the whitera bandwagon is awesome and i am on it, he is just so nice
|
I would have gotten so mad at ANYONE else.
|
always going to be one of my favorites
|
His performance at MLG was beyond epic. I hope White-Ra decides to come back to the next event.
Easily my favorite personality in all of StarCraft. Such a likable guy.
|
WhiteRa is so fuckign awesome! =D
|
whitera is a boss!!!!!!!!!!
|
WhiteRa telling it like it is regarding MLG.
|
This is why he is so awesome and has such a great fan base. I know that whenever I see him in a tournament, regardless of who he is playing I'm always rooting for him to pull out a win. He has such a great attitude and understands that the fans are what allows him to do what he does. That isn't to say others don't but he just ... gets it.
I'm pretty sure he said he wasn't going to make it to Raleigh, but I sure hope he comes to Orlando. I'd love to root for him in person!
|
man whitera is a such a bossl. hope he shows some top games in the near future
|
White-ra original badass all there is to say.
|
On August 07 2011 07:06 Hardigan wrote:
I read this in Whitra-english.^^
I was about to post the same!! :D
He's in my head, especially when I read the word "perfekt"...
WhiteRa is such an awesome guy!
|
|
|
If you watch his stream, when the fans tell him on the chat to go carriers and mothership rush. He'd do it right away. That's how awesome he is.
|
On August 07 2011 08:07 Notdefect wrote:
This is why he is so awesome and has such a great fan base. I know that whenever I see him in a tournament, regardless of who he is playing I'm always rooting for him to pull out a win. He has such a great attitude and understands that the fans are what allows him to do what he does. That isn't to say others don't but he just ... gets it.
I'm pretty sure he said he wasn't going to make it to Raleigh, but I sure hope he comes to Orlando. I'd love to root for him in person!
Is he really not going to Raleigh? 
This is really sad.
|
Whitera, probably the most amazing pro player in my eys, just because how much he values the community. Always going to be a fan of this guy <3
|
Not sure why anyone could not like WhiteRa. Such an amazing SC2 player and person in general.
|
He was so amazing during the signatures giving and meeting with fans. I was very suprised seeing him spending over an hour with fans before the show and after his match with Nerchio. I have to say - White-Ra is now one of my favourite players - thanks to his personality.
|
United Kingdom16710 Posts
On August 07 2011 17:12 m0s1n0 wrote:Show nested quote +On August 07 2011 08:07 Notdefect wrote:
This is why he is so awesome and has such a great fan base. I know that whenever I see him in a tournament, regardless of who he is playing I'm always rooting for him to pull out a win. He has such a great attitude and understands that the fans are what allows him to do what he does. That isn't to say others don't but he just ... gets it.
I'm pretty sure he said he wasn't going to make it to Raleigh, but I sure hope he comes to Orlando. I'd love to root for him in person! Is he really not going to Raleigh? This is really sad.
If you take a moment to think about it, you can understand why. He has to fly 10+ hours for $5,000 1st prize, which is pretty much impossible to win with him being in the open bracket, and the koreans coming over. With a wife back home, you can see why it's not really worth the effort & risk. The only reason he would possibly show up, is to please his fans.
|
On August 07 2011 07:06 Hardigan wrote:
I read this in Whitra-english.^^
Same here haha
|
|
|
<3 ra, THEE Ambassador of starcraft
|
For White-Ra, for cyber sports!
|
Great interview, always great to hear words from our favorite veteran.
<3 WhiteRa
|
I enjoy whitera's play but COME ON~!
"I prefer fans than winning"
"awww whitera is so awesome!"
it's so transparent that it's disgusting!
"he really likes the fans hyuk!!!!!"
"WOW WHITERA IS A MAN FOR THE FANS"
*disgusting PR crap *
User was warned for this post
|
White-Ra fighting!! Damn he's such a kick ass guy, wanna get his autograph one day at an MLG. :D edit-lol at the kid that posted above me, what a douche bag comment. The guys been playing for years and years professionally, I'm pretty sure he's comfortable enough by now to really love the fans and not spend every second thinking about winning event after event.
|
On August 07 2011 19:28 TortoiseCa wrote:
I enjoy whitera's play but COME ON~!
"I prefer fans than winning"
"awww whitera is so awesome!"
it's so transparent that it's disgusting!
"he really likes the fans hyuk!!!!!"
"WOW WHITERA IS A MAN FOR THE FANS"
*disgusting PR crap *
You dislike him for putting his fans before him winning a tournament? He's old enough to have the perspective that to him, winning isn't everything. That's something not everyone can appreciate, I know this, but to dislike him for it is abhorrent. It's not like he's not still trying to win, but he knows he's not going to play SC2 forever, and would rather use his popularity and the travel he gets from playing to connect with as many people as he can.
|
On August 07 2011 19:28 TortoiseCa wrote:
I enjoy whitera's play but COME ON~!
"I prefer fans than winning"
"awww whitera is so awesome!"
it's so transparent that it's disgusting!
"he really likes the fans hyuk!!!!!"
"WOW WHITERA IS A MAN FOR THE FANS"
*disgusting PR crap *
Fans make ESPORTS, but they don't pay White-Ra's bills. He know winning is important, but he is also not just saying the fans are important to him to sound good. He genuinely invests a ton of time into his fans and community because he appreciates them. Watching his stream you can see that not only does he go out of his way to comment and explain his gameplay while he ladders, but he does it in a language that he is not even very fluent in. He is happy to talk to any of his fans, and even if he is at a tournament and has a match coming up he will pause and take pictures or sign stuff for people who stop him. Whatever his motives may be, his actions certainly reflect exactly what he says.
White-Ra is awesome. I hope he gets the break he needs to come back strongly and win some big tournaments!
|
|
|
On August 07 2011 19:28 TortoiseCa wrote:
I enjoy whitera's play but COME ON~!
"I prefer fans than winning"
"awww whitera is so awesome!"
it's so transparent that it's disgusting!
"he really likes the fans hyuk!!!!!"
"WOW WHITERA IS A MAN FOR THE FANS"
*disgusting PR crap *
Oh please, it's not like he's one of those hollywood people who just say it to become more popular. He's actually involved a lot with his fans, always takes time to answer questions, even does builds on request on stream, etc. Of course he still wants to win when he plays, but it's pretty obvious that he genuinely enjoys interacting with fans, which is quite rare for a pro.
He's pretty much the opposite of me, but there's no way I can have anything but respect for his style.
|
I'm pretty sure that any pro-gamer appreciates their fans. I guess my post was just kind of directed at the responses. Whitera is awesome, don't get me wrong. I just kinda feel like this PR crap is below the intelligence level of the SC2 community.
|
On August 07 2011 20:30 TortoiseCa wrote:
I'm pretty sure that any pro-gamer appreciates their fans. I guess my post was just kind of directed at the responses. Whitera is awesome, don't get me wrong. I just kinda feel like this PR crap is below the intelligence level of the SC2 community.
The thing is , we are pretty sure this community is very critical of PR crap ( see threads about EG lol). There is a difference between PR crap and genuine statements.
White-ra didn't have to play the 2nd day of MLG honestly. He would have had to go through 25 bo3 or so ( possible 75 games) to actually gain anything. He was so close to forfeiting the tournament but decided to play it anyway knowing that at the end of the day , he probably won't get significant rank points or any money at all.
|
White-ra is my favorite SC2 progamer (after July, of course), he knows what's best for eSports.
|
white-ra, awesome guy! special taktiksss
|
|
|
On August 07 2011 21:03 qubee wrote:
white-ra, awesome guy! special taktiksss
so cool his "special taktiksssss" 
|
United States15536 Posts
His love for his fans just gets him more fans. This is why White-Ra is amazing (also, all those other things).
|
|
|
|
|
Cool interview. I don't know what it is about this guy but he has made me a huge fan. <3 Definitely one of the best SC2 players in regards to personality there is.
|
"And I got a def loss for being ten minutes too late. I had a travel of ten hours and it were only ten minutes. The next day I won eleven Bo3s. That was very exhausting. Not for my body, but for my brain and my emotions. The next day I couldn't concentrate."
Where many progamers would smash gears on admin skulls, white-ra smothers everyone in class
|
I heard that you will now take a short break to recover from all the travelling and the tournaments. Will you come back as a strong White-Ra, winning tournaments?
White-Ra: Yes. I think it needs two weeks. Very easy.
Read that in whiteras voice. LOL
|
Just wanna say I will always support white-ra one of the greatest players, and one of the nicest and loving players ever rawr <3
|
|
|
White-Ra in my opinion has the best personality out of all the pro gamers :D Not just after this interview but the way he communicates with the community is astonishing, he destroys any language barrier in his way :D
Thanks for the interview ^.^
|
I love whitera,without him I wouldn'thave known of sc2
|
<3 WhiteRa
I can never forget about that DuckloadRa ID though. Such a silly sponsorship deal, but then again.... SPECIAL TAKTIKS!
|
God WhiteRa is so amazing... ahh! I am such a fanboy of his. Everyone should have nothing but respect for this guy.
|
♥ to White-Ra!
Obviously the most awesome person alive =)
|
|
|
Cool interview. I guess this means that Whitera will likely fall behind Naniwa's level of play.
|
On August 07 2011 19:28 TortoiseCa wrote:
I enjoy whitera's play but COME ON~!
"I prefer fans than winning"
"awww whitera is so awesome!"
it's so transparent that it's disgusting!
"he really likes the fans hyuk!!!!!"
"WOW WHITERA IS A MAN FOR THE FANS"
*disgusting PR crap *
Actually after he was eliminated from MLG Anaheim he immediately walked out of the booth and over to the fans, started signing autographs and taking pictures, laughing,smiling, and joking with the fans the whole time. I'm fairly certain this is all genuine and he is actually that awesome of a person. You have to remember this level of fame outside of korea is new to RTS players, and I'm sure nearly all of them really appreciate the fans and community support.
|
|
|
On August 07 2011 20:30 TortoiseCa wrote:
I'm pretty sure that any pro-gamer appreciates their fans. I guess my post was just kind of directed at the responses. Whitera is awesome, don't get me wrong. I just kinda feel like this PR crap is below the intelligence level of the SC2 community.
This isn't "PR crap" - Whitera could be a callous dick to all his fans and opponents - like IdrA - but he doesn't because that's not who he is, a nice guy is.
|
White-Ra is a genuine person. If you ever met him, you'll realize that instead of spewing bullshit.
|
he must earn much more money streaming then he ever does for sponsorship/tournys... no wonder he likes the community so much!
but then again he is a likable chap and stays true to his word.
|
On August 07 2011 19:28 TortoiseCa wrote:
I enjoy whitera's play but COME ON~!
"I prefer fans than winning"
"awww whitera is so awesome!"
it's so transparent that it's disgusting!
"he really likes the fans hyuk!!!!!"
"WOW WHITERA IS A MAN FOR THE FANS"
*disgusting PR crap *
You really think this community is that blind to PR moves?
|
United States37500 Posts
White-Ra speaks like a champ. <3
|
<3 White-Ra, one of the most awesome people I've ever met.
EDIT: Now I'm not a mod and if I were I'd warn anyone who would judge White-Ra's personality without ever meeting him, everyone is entitled to their opinion: But don't judge White-Ra personally if you haven't met him personally. He's really like that, he is more for putting on a show than to win, he's genuinely a great person and sometimes that strikes back at him and yeah it won't win him most tournaments but it will win him fans, me being one of them.
|
|
|
On August 08 2011 04:33 ChroMaTe_ wrote:
PAPATOSS <3
Mannertoss?
Ballertoss?
|
white-ra is hands down the most boss pro gamer out there for SC2 right now, hes just an overall bosstoss and a cool guy.
^___^
|
White-Ra is one of the few non-Zerg players I consistantly hope to see win games and interviews like this just make him seem all the more awesome. Really good interview.
|
|
|
On August 08 2011 04:20 NeoIllusions wrote:
White-Ra speaks like a champ. <3
White-Ra is a champ!
|
On August 08 2011 04:39 KinQuh wrote:Mannertoss? Ballertoss?
tosstoss
monstertoss
kindnesstoss
imbatoss
besttoss
thetoss
bosstoss (f*** mc! :D )
specialtoss
caretoss
memakeforcefieldggtoss
....
....
....
hes simply toss!!! white ra for president!
|
On August 08 2011 03:17 Jesushooves wrote:Show nested quote +On August 07 2011 20:30 TortoiseCa wrote:
I'm pretty sure that any pro-gamer appreciates their fans. I guess my post was just kind of directed at the responses. Whitera is awesome, don't get me wrong. I just kinda feel like this PR crap is below the intelligence level of the SC2 community.
This isn't "PR crap" - Whitera could be a callous dick to all his fans and opponents - like IdrA - but he doesn't because that's not who he is, a nice guy is.
IdrA is very nice to his fans...unless he had a special attraction to me when I asked for signature and was riding in an elevator with him.
Also White-Ra is a total boss, but him and a lot of other players need to travel less. Its cool to go to tournaments, but you can see that White-Ra, IdrA, Naniwa, and others are preforming poorly because they travel too much.
|
Whitera the grandpa toss has to be one of the friendliest and nicest caracters in all of ESPORTS,
In like, ever. FIGHTING!!
|
White ra always responded to my messages in game very polite person anyone who thinks he is lying about fans most important is a bitter meany butt.
|
I still hope that White-Ra does not prioritize fan events over his own training though.
As much invitationals as I have seen where just being invited gives you money, this is still suppose to be competitive, right?
Anyhow, GL to White-Ra, captain of the World-Team!
|
|
|
|
|
White-ra most mannered man in e-sports!
Hopefully White-ra can get some tournament wins with his special tactics.
|
Ok White-Ra IS the manliest man to ever be a man! so humble! and just a true Champ in my eyes, you know we love you Ra. Will forever be a fan.
|
White-Ra is such a boss.^^
|
On August 08 2011 06:09 gwaihir wrote:Show nested quote +On August 08 2011 04:39 KinQuh wrote:On August 08 2011 04:33 ChroMaTe_ wrote:
PAPATOSS <3 Mannertoss? Ballertoss? tosstoss monstertoss kindnesstoss imbatoss besttoss thetoss bosstoss (f*** mc! :D ) specialtoss caretoss memakeforcefieldggtoss .... .... .... hes simply toss!!! white ra for president!
taktikstoss
(<3 whitera)
|
White Ra is the most loved man in Starcraft :D
|
he honestly follows the same priorities as boxer; he truly understands what he's playing for. he wouldn't be there if not for fans.
i tip my hat to the 'ra.
|
On August 08 2011 17:10 Zlasher wrote:
White Ra is the most loved man in Starcraft :D
And these words from an US-citizen :D
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
EPT
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/k9xgL.png)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/bLNTj.jpg)
