"Recently, MVP recruits 3 new female players who participated in WSL: Park Sora, Lim Bona and Lee Hyunji.
Besides, It is known that Lim is a leader of k-pop girlgroup named 'cupid' and all those three are going to start their career both as singers and progamers."
Edit: MVP got a new 'main'(naming) sponsor - it`s not IBsports(what MVP-IBsports signed was MOU) and will be announced tomorrow.
Plus, there`s another sponsor - this one will be announced on next Mon. or Wed.
On November 13 2015 03:19 Seeker wrote: The fuck?! I was not expecting this :o
Especially when Choya made it a point to announce that he was announcing their roster today. Does that mean no one has left and only they have joined? Does it mean they're good enough to actually be important to proleague? Found out next week on Dragon Ball Z Choya Rules the World
This is an interesting direction for things to go, I mean it isn't a very big club in korean starcraft history is it? Toss Girl in BW is the only one I can think of. Barbie, Aphrodite, are the only ones that come to mind.
Last time i saw a big female tournament ( yes the korean one ) the skill level was pathetic, it was painful to watch. Very few female player have a decent level ( maddelisk/aphro/...) ( master ) and those names weren't in the bucket.
On November 13 2015 03:44 Shinespark wrote: My PC opinion: "good luck to the new pickups" Honest opinion: "they're not real players, are they? was this really a good decision?"
Odds are it was involved in the new sponsor deal. So unless Choya or MVP management agreed to consistently play them in leagues, odds are it won't matter a great deal and they are probably still pulling in more money.
We'll see though, last professional match with a girl I recall off hand was Eve vs Sniper, scarlett notwithstanding. It has been a while, I think it'll be fun regardless
I really hope they do well, we need some really good women progamers finally. But it could also be cool if MVP had their own Kpop group, I just hope its not a publicity stunt and they at least are good at either gaming or Kpop.
Singers AND progamers? Well, best of luck to them, but that sort of screams "gimmick" to me. If they can actually pull it off it would be awesome, though.
Were they hired as players or are they filling another role ? (marketing / image ) It says they start their careers as singers and progamers, but are they just scheduled to practice for now (and if so how does that work? aphrodite was staying home because they can't really ask girls to join a boys team house in korea), will they appear as players in an upcoming event?
And who is who on the picture?
Any info on their respective current level? Are they all masters/gm ? Are they even recruited for starcraft? Another game?
I'm not going to judge them until they play on the pro scene. That said, it's an unconventional move, a welcome olive branch to opening up e-sports, and will give us an interesting next season.
"start their career as singers and progamers" LOL wut?? It looks like being "a progamer" is just a gimmick to launch their singing careers and MVP is also taking advantage of this to expand their brand. We have male progamers who follow 12+ hour practice schedule and still can't compete competitively so I don't see how these girls can do both. I want female progamers to be recruited based on their skill level and that they are not being used as some marketing gimmick. We don't need another Eve.
I wonder if the sponsorship deal was directly related to the signing of these three young ladies. From a Business point of view its not really a bad strategy. Just having three females in a line up and sport dominated by males will surely garner additional viewship.
I do hope they are good and we get to see them play...even if it's just show matches or something.
Edit: It would be nice if they've got the skill level of Scarlett or Maddelisk...or even higher!
On November 13 2015 03:19 Seeker wrote: The fuck?! I was not expecting this :o
Especially when Choya made it a point to announce that he was announcing their roster today. Does that mean no one has left and only they have joined? Does it mean they're good enough to actually be important to proleague? Found out next week on Dragon Ball Z Choya Rules the World
so uhm... does MVP have a team house? and uhm.... are the girls who are basically pretty idols going to live in the same house with the pro gamers of MVP?
Hello, this is Gayoung "Aphrodite" Kim. I have decided to leave MVP after an year long journey with them. Knowing female players are very hard to come by, after hearing MVP recruited female professional players I made a difficult decision that will help enlarge the competition of women league and improving myself as a person. I really hope MVP recruiting female players marks the beginning of something big in female competition. As a person who has pride in her job, I sincerely hope that I too, play a role in making e-sports better! I am attending IeSF as Korean representative, I have a long way to go but I will try my best so cheer me on! Even though I am teamless, I will try my best to excel in what I do. I want to thank MSI for sponsoring and trusting in me. I also want to thank everyone who supports me. I am always thankful for you guys, I would not be who I am without your support and for that I am truly grateful. Thank you always!
On November 13 2015 07:46 adymus wrote: Statement from Gayoung "Aphrodite" Kim + Show Spoiler +
Hello, this is Gayoung "Aphrodite" Kim. I have decided to leave MVP after an year long journey with them. Knowing female players are very hard to come by, after hearing MVP recruited female professional players I made a difficult decision that will help enlarge the competition of women league and improving myself as a person. I really hope MVP recruiting female players marks the beginning of something big in female competition. As a person who has pride in her job, I sincerely hope that I too, play a role in making e-sports better! I am attending IeSF as Korean representative, I have a long way to go but I will try my best so cheer me on! Even though I am teamless, I will try my best to excel in what I do. I want to thank MSI for sponsoring and trusting in me. I also want to thank everyone who supports me. I am always thankful for you guys, I would not be who I am without your support and for that I am truly grateful. Thank you always!
Good to see that she's not retiring. Hope she finds another team. Maybe in the foreign scene she would do better, who know?
On November 13 2015 05:23 Ve5pa wrote: Just so these girls know...MC was the first Singer/Progamer, closely followed by Dragon, but best of luck to them.
On November 13 2015 07:29 Incognoto wrote: wasn't aphrodite a legit good player?
she used to stream, did quite well on Korean ladder. not GM but top masters
Which is FAR from being able to compete.
She actually was GM! I remember playing her and thinking "that wasn't the real Aphrodite." and I turned on her stream after the game to check and it was.
She can certainly compete in online cups. Not sure if you'd consider that 'pro' but she's the closest thing the female SC2 scene has.
They must be quite talented to be able to pursue careers as both singers and progamers. In other news, on Monday I will seek to begin my career as both a pro golfer and an astronaut - wish me luck.
On November 13 2015 09:27 TheFish7 wrote: They must be quite talented to be able to pursue careers as both singers and progamers. In other news, on Monday I will seek to begin my career as both a pro golfer and an astronaut - wish me luck.
Hype! Will you be practicing golf while on the moon?
On November 13 2015 09:27 TheFish7 wrote: They must be quite talented to be able to pursue careers as both singers and progamers. In other news, on Monday I will seek to begin my career as both a pro golfer and an astronaut - wish me luck.
Hype! Will you be practicing golf while on the moon?
Yes. The low gravity is basically like the hyberbolic time chamber of golf training.
On November 13 2015 09:18 SetGuitarsToKill wrote: if female are getting signed, I hope Jin Air signs Saint, aka Maru-girl, next. She already has a shirt even.
On November 13 2015 09:18 SetGuitarsToKill wrote: if female are getting signed, I hope Jin Air signs Saint, aka Maru-girl, next. She already has a shirt even.
On November 13 2015 03:10 Noonius wrote: kpop and sc2 finally coming together like they should. I wanna see k-pop StarLeague. Idols playing sc2. Choa vs Jiyeon Seolhyun vs Nana
On November 13 2015 10:14 BreAKerTV wrote: Don't ask me how I know this, but the team's sponsorship by IB Sports was worth at least 125,000 USD yearly.
Sponsoring these battle-vixen keyboard warriors probably wasn't initially in the deal, but was definitely a product thereof.
I don't understand this much at all. Why would you get 2 non-players and a Gold zerg to replace a high master (sometimes GM) player? I guess that the singing part of their contract is going to be their primary focus. Is this how Choya is going to help fund the team? Heck, Aphrodite won the MSI WSL 2015, and I don't think she dropped a map in the process.
On the one hand, it's great that we're seeing more female pro-gamers. On the other hand... pro-gaming takes an awful lot of dedication, and so does singing. Are they going to be focusing on one or the other, or be mediocre at both? I question their dedication.
I expect there to be at least a time when, instead of playing himself like he used to, Choya sends out one of the girls to cheese someone out of the game.
Eve wasn't able to play to the best of her ability; Barbie never really got to play; Aphrodite has largely just been stomping female only competitions.
We need more ladies to get on teams, practice, and go out to fight for their teams. Win or lose, just seeing them be fielded would be an improvement.
So a Gold among 3 Korean "pro gamers"? Totally for marketing purpose
But to be honest, if you're a girl and actually play sc2, it would be more logical to stream instead of trying to be a pro. I mean, there are already a few GM/Master female players who stream, but I don't think they would stand a chance at pro level.
Anyway, if there is a female player who actually play at pro level (like CS:GO's stephanie harvey) at SC2, that would be cool.
What will they play? Starcraft or anything else? Cool girls, but let's hope the new sponsorships and investments are paid well in order to produce a stronger team for the next Proleague.
Would I guess right that Aphrodite, who I think takes the game quite seriously, had to leave so she wouldn't be clumped with this half-joke group? Imagine you're trying to promote an image of actually competitive female players and your team recruits some singer mascots who have 0 chance of winning a pro match in the next 5 years even if they dropped their singing career and full time from now on. That kinda destroys everything you're trying to do. I know I'm assuming a lot here, but I don't really see any other reason for her leaving the tema.
I hope the new players atleast improve enough to show some level of skill in WSL even though it's clear Aphrodite is going to win every time and it's not going to be even close.
On November 13 2015 17:06 sagi wrote: Would I guess right that Aphrodite, who I think takes the game quite seriously, had to leave so she wouldn't be clumped with this half-joke group? Imagine you're trying to promote an image of actually competitive female players and your team recruits some singer mascots who have 0 chance of winning a pro match in the next 5 years even if they dropped their singing career and full time from now on. That kinda destroys everything you're trying to do. I know I'm assuming a lot here, but I don't really see any other reason for her leaving the tema.
I hope the new players atleast improve enough to show some level of skill in WSL even though it's clear Aphrodite is going to win every time and it's not going to be even close.
aphrodite is like the tossgirl of sc2. Can beat any female players out there but just not good enough to compete with the guys. I do hope she finds another team though.
Do these koreans come like this from the box or? They look fantastic. Or are there lots of hours of work and maybe a few surgical improvements on them? Them as in those we look on in media.
I hope they will be on MVP Proleague roster. I need players for 0 points so I can invest in heavy hitters who don't deliver in FPL (Aphrodite was for 0, wasn't she?)
The dream: I really want to see another Scarlett. Someone who would be able to compete with men and win from time to time. And I hope some of them will deliver (intended )
On November 13 2015 16:21 HornyHerring wrote: Another 3 gold league 'progamers'. Great pickup! If I were playing a PL match against them I'd tremble in fear.
Not all three. You people really need to stop losing your heads over this.
And frankly any attention SC2 gets is good. I'm pretty sure BW is more popular than SC2 in Korea.
Nay, both are not popular, compared with LOL (tho I think this scene is fine)
Of course BW was phenomenal (literally, boxer is quasi-GOD among 20-40`s).However, this is 2015, not 1999. People love BW in terms of nostalgia, not the game itself.
And frankly any attention SC2 gets is good. I'm pretty sure BW is more popular than SC2 in Korea.
Nay, both are not popular, compared with LOL (tho I think this scene is fine)
Of course BW was phenomenal (literally, boxer is quasi-GOD among 20-40`s).However, this is 2015, not 1999. People love BW in terms of nostalgia, not the game itself.
honestly they might work in an archon mode league, archon mode is less mechanically taxing on the gamers and requires just better strategy and decision making
I wonder if they are good enough to be practice partners. I say only because it seems they are not fully committing to being pro gamers since they want to be pop stars too.
[2]: this sentence is talking about the people who work as progamers on the side, combining with their first job. [3]: just singing. [4]: you`re roight [5]: negative 'perception' of people - (bout female progamers who are not competitive nor conative)
Nay, both are not popular, compared with LOL (tho I think this scene is fine)
Of course BW was phenomenal (literally, boxer is quasi-GOD among 20-40`s).However, this is 2015, not 1999. People love BW in terms of nostalgia, not the game itself.
BW is still fairly popular in Korea, sure the player base is dwarfed by LoL's, but last I saw (which was about a month ago) it was the 4th most played game at PC Bangs.
Nay, both are not popular, compared with LOL (tho I think this scene is fine)
Of course BW was phenomenal (literally, boxer is quasi-GOD among 20-40`s).However, this is 2015, not 1999. People love BW in terms of nostalgia, not the game itself.
BW is still fairly popular in Korea, sure the player base is dwarfed by LoL's, but last I saw (which was about a month ago) it was the 4th most played game at PC Bangs.
and it`s share is 3.49%, tho you`re right. its 4th.
On November 13 2015 01:07 Thouhastmail wrote: Besides, It is known that Lim is a leader of k-pop girlgroup named 'cupid' and all those three are going to start their career both as singers and progamers.
If I say I have 0 expectations of them even being fielded in PL don't say that I'm sexist of course it will be cool to see if they can perform well/win some matches, but if they are doing this AND singing, like is this just a publicity stunt?
On November 13 2015 01:07 Thouhastmail wrote: Besides, It is known that Lim is a leader of k-pop girlgroup named 'cupid' and all those three are going to start their career both as singers and progamers.
If I say I have 0 expectations of them even being fielded in PL don't say that I'm sexist of course it will be cool to see if they can perform well/win some matches, but if they are doing this AND singing, like is this just a publicity stunt?
I honestly feel like this is the case. Unless any of them really devote time, and effort into it, there's no way they'd be fielded into the main lineup for Proleague. At best they'll be practice partners for the team, juggling between being a Kpop Group and a progamer seems way too difficult and one has to devote seemingly full time over the other if they want to succeed in either.
I wish them the best of luck, but I don't expect them to amount to much as pro gamers.
I don't have a problem with a bit more eye candy in the sc2 scene
Man, they're living the dream though. They're beautiful, get lots of attention from being popstars AND get to game as part of their job. Some of us just didn't get the right cards when we were born, I swear
On November 13 2015 01:07 Thouhastmail wrote: Besides, It is known that Lim is a leader of k-pop girlgroup named 'cupid' and all those three are going to start their career both as singers and progamers.
If I say I have 0 expectations of them even being fielded in PL don't say that I'm sexist of course it will be cool to see if they can perform well/win some matches, but if they are doing this AND singing, like is this just a publicity stunt?
Has to be that. If they really wanted a skilled female progamer they would have kept Aphrodite, she was pretty good and crushed face in the WSL they had recently.
On November 14 2015 21:20 Cascade wrote: Hmmm, wonder if this will encourage other female gamers, or just cement the notion that girl are for looking, not gaming. :/
I'm very afraid that it's the former, since they took girls that have basically no experience nor skill in the game. It appears that considering females as normal persons is still pretty far from happening in pro teams
Women as obvious mascots in 2015... that's just so backwards. Somebody go make a thread about this on reddit, collect juicy comments, post them on SRS and let the ensuing shitstorm give MVP what they rightfully deserve.
I am far from supporting "keyboard feminism" and I think people getting easily offended about anything related to gender is pretty silly. However this is light years further down to center of the Silly Galaxy.
On November 14 2015 02:30 Waxangel wrote: Eh, just take gender out of the equation and think about it as if MVP picked up three part-timers.... yeah, don't expect anything
The problem is that you cannot take out the gender in this, since it is the only focus of this article. I find that poor taste and unnecessary.
I don't approve of this because I was brought up in a gaming culture that smiles only on the champions of competitive videogames and proclaims the equality of the sexually dimorphic faculties pertaining to the act of becoming one such champion.
I am thus reluctant to believe this is a good decision on any level except as a desperate publicity stunt and an assault on the notion that progaming is a profession that is concerned primarily with videogame skill. In which case, well done MVP. My illusion is shattered, and the female role in the progaming industry is, shall we say, the more-nuanced one?
edit: I do hope this opens the way for male progamesingdancers, since we as a community no longer care as much about tournament results.
You just suggested people should be shitstormed by internet mob because their business practice does not match your standards (in a different culture no less!). You are bona fide keyboard SJW, no use to pretend otherwise
Let's be real, they won't see any play-time. It's a PR move. Aphrodite is arguably the only Korean female progamer to have done much if anything in the SC2 competitive scene.
EPT
(Aphrodite was for 0, wasn't she?)
