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Please, if you're going to post troll responses like "You don't" or "Just go no life" just don't post and I'm saying this because this is a ridiculous thread that's honestly going to get ridiculous answers.
People that play basketball and are in the NBA and such just play from when they're kids, go to school, get some coaching, then go to college, blah blah blah.
People that become accountants or something go to college, take courses, blah blah blah.
So how the hell do you become a pro gamer? It's not like you're born with it. Here in the states (or at least where I live) it's not really seen as something that can actually get you anywhere because "it's just a game"- which is weird because football and baseball are "just games" all the same. It's mind over matter.
Gosucoaching is really expensive in my eyes ($30 an hour? wtf?).
It's not like you can just play forever and become pro eventually- people don't have time for that, they have jobs and stuff to do.
It's not like I can move to South Korea and go pro gamer there, my family isn't exactly rich or supportive of how much I like this game -,-
I've gone from silver in the beta to a 2300 diamond (TheeMan.279) now, and it felt great to go from platinum to diamond, to think that I'm up against the best.
BUT I'm not, obviously.
World top has 3800, and that number is only going to go up.
So really... how in the world have people like Machine or IdrA had time to go pro gamer?
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8751 Posts
Everyone became good enough to go pro while doing school full time, just like sports. The only major difference is that you're kinda on your own. Like you say, there are no local teams and no free coaching.
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30 dollars is not that much for a service where a guarantee that the person doing it knows what they are doing is necessary. 30 dollars an hour wont get you a very good accountant/plumber/welder much less an attorney or surgeon.
anyway, it's a job. a full time job is 40 hours a week. get yourself a stream and play in every tournament and put in the time and if you have the talent it will happen.
just remember, no one is as good as they think they are.
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....That's kind of funny to hear because I'm 15 right now. (lll-,-) I wish there were local teams.
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They play a lot, but what separates them from most mass-gamers is that they have a lot of quirks when they play and watch their own replays. Their analytical ability is beyond the average SC2 player and they tend to explore every option possible. They're not the type of players that do the same thing in every situation (ie 80% of diamond players).
Aside from that, being pro also means that the IRS knows you get a lot of money from playing Starcraft 2.
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8751 Posts
On January 03 2011 11:48 gamerkhang wrote:
....That's kind of funny to hear because I'm 15 right now. (lll-,-) I wish there were local teams.
Well you can play as much as possible while you're in high school, while also building a good resume to apply for colleges, and in the spring of your senior year you can decide if you want to go to college and quit progaming, or not go to college and pursue progaming, or go to college and continue to work at progaming in your spare time.
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What's your definition of pro?
Being on a pro team? Making your entire living off of it?
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Why not set your own team up, it doesn't have to be local, just look at root all of them have very little support and they're doing pretty well. Something in common that all pro gamers have are teams to practice with people who enjoy the game as much as they do. So just join teams play your best do a lot of tournaments that are free to enter get your name out there, stream a lot and hope for the best!
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All can happen at 15. All progamers started in their teens cause you have a lot of freetime and can play a lot without consequences. If you dedicate yourself enough to the game, try to improve everytime you play and have talent, it will just happen.
Just remember to have a bit of real life and friends cause the game itself wont get you anywhere in life, even if you're a progamer.
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On January 03 2011 11:43 gamerkhang wrote:
It's not like you can just play forever and become pro eventually- people don't have time for that, they have jobs and stuff to do.
thats exactly what you do
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On January 03 2011 11:52 IdrA wrote:Show nested quote +On January 03 2011 11:43 gamerkhang wrote:
It's not like you can just play forever and become pro eventually- people don't have time for that, they have jobs and stuff to do.
thats exactly what you do
LOL, yeah I worded that kind of funny  but I wish progaming here in the States had the publicity it has in South Korea, oh well.
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Well, you don't go pro just by dreaming about it. It "just" takes hard work and serious dedication. I can't really do that, which means I'm never gonna "go pro". If you can't dedicate a significant portion of your life to this game (playing intensively and analysing your mistakes that is), then forget about ever competing at the highest level and just enjoy the game.
Also, about the coaching. There are plenty of free solution that can get you going aswell.
And while a team can help you, in the end, this is one person game. The strengh and dedication that can turn the tide has to come from within.
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In my eyes, I'd pay for Gosucoaching even though I'd consider myself a higher end player just because the things that separate you and me, from say IdrA, are actually quite small differences (beyond the actual skill gap of course) they are just small player quirks or tricks they have learned to help put themselves ahead of the group (other professionals) through continual play. (And of course the following) :
Sadly, while you may say refrain from saying "Just go no life" Much of the difference in skill level /does/ revolve around practice. And you cannot practice without putting in the time. That's not to say that players like QXC and others do not exist, or that it should hold a negative connotation! They have many many other activities and I think in one interview from MLG QXC actually classified his game time as 'when he has time' rather than first and foremost.
I'd actually say, sadly, players are more inclined to be "born" with it. That is what talent is. The game wouldn't be as challenging or hold much entertainment value if everyone could just get better than one another because they "try hard". Your comparison to SC and Sports holds much more value than I think you understood. They are identical in the previously noted perspective, that the games hold human interaction and therefore - over time - can curve in skill or performance. While you and many others work very hard to achieve higher placements than what was originally held; players like NesTea have worked hard on top of holding a strong basis of skill, and therefore, are just that much further ahead.
I don't want to make it sound depressing, but often, most players who are near the Semi-Professional area or just have not "tried"/"shown their max potential" are about the only other players outside of the professionals who will ever be able to compete with or reach that realm of skill. Of course, excluding players who just have not moved over etc.
Like noted above though, practicing DOES improve your game; and you CAN achieve higher status by dedicating yourself in a smart fashion!
Hopefully this helps people understand what exactly separates a normal player and a professional 
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Oh yeah one more thing... SC2 Ranks isn't really accurate, is it. :/
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I was a local pro before in Counter Strike, in that age I didn't have good grades since I was very addicted to CS, because everytime at school all I could think of is strategies and getting the hell out of class and play all afternoon long..
We'll the thing is, if you plan on going pro definitely keep a promise to yourself that there will be a balance between the two and I promise you man, you're going to miss out meeting girls.
Anyway, listen to tyler since his like 20 x better at me when it comes to experience with that type of thing (stopped being pro at 18 and choose college)
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Maybe I'm making up complete nonsense but unless you get out there and find a team of some sort, you will get nowhere. You need practice partners, friends that can make you improve, give tips. You can't become a pro gamer without social interaction with the community, and apm like IdrA of course.
If a progamer can give a story about how hey started that would be great!
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On January 03 2011 11:55 gamerkhang wrote:Show nested quote +On January 03 2011 11:52 IdrA wrote:On January 03 2011 11:43 gamerkhang wrote:
It's not like you can just play forever and become pro eventually- people don't have time for that, they have jobs and stuff to do.
thats exactly what you do LOL, yeah I worded that kind of funny but I wish progaming here in the States had the publicity it has in South Korea, oh well.
that just means it would be harder for you as there would inevitably be more competition.
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On January 03 2011 11:50 Liquid`Tyler wrote:Show nested quote +On January 03 2011 11:48 gamerkhang wrote:
....That's kind of funny to hear because I'm 15 right now. (lll-,-) I wish there were local teams. Well you can play as much as possible while you're in high school, while also building a good resume to apply for colleges, and in the spring of your senior year you can decide if you want to go to college and quit progaming, or not go to college and pursue progaming, or go to college and continue to work at progaming in your spare time.
Very well put. And to be quite honest, at this point one and three sound the best. There isn't a huge market for progaming atm.
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On January 03 2011 11:59 YoiChiBow wrote:Show nested quote +On January 03 2011 11:55 gamerkhang wrote:On January 03 2011 11:52 IdrA wrote:On January 03 2011 11:43 gamerkhang wrote:
It's not like you can just play forever and become pro eventually- people don't have time for that, they have jobs and stuff to do.
thats exactly what you do LOL, yeah I worded that kind of funny but I wish progaming here in the States had the publicity it has in South Korea, oh well. that just means it would be harder for you as there would inevitably be more competition.
More competition=more teams=more progamers=game itself taken more seriously=what I've been wishing this whole thread.
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Not everyone can become a pro-gamer, just like not everyone has the talent to get into the NBA... its not how it works. Millions of American's play Basketball, Hundreds of Thousands play on organized teams, a few thousand actually get to play in a semi-pro level, but only a handful actually become a pro player. Why?
1) Natural talent, look at the players who play basketball, what makes them different then you and me? First it starts out physically... look at their height, their bone structure, and muscle structure. Their genes help dictate who gets into the top.
This is the same for SC. You have to be able to think fast, and accurately. When a pro looks at a group of units they can tell if they can win or will lose that battle and by around how many units. Part of this is practice, but to be able to recognize this, they need to have the ability to think quickly. Some people are born to think as quickly as a Boxer or a Fruitdealer, some are not.
2) Hard work. If you want to get into the NBA, you have to play A LOT of basketball. Hours every day, someone who play's basketball only on the weekends will never get into the NBA, you have to play for 3, 4, 5 hours a day ontop of your regular life.
In SC, its the exact same thing. You have to practice, A LOT. Look at the people who are semi-pro, look at Catz and orb, they play like 4 hours a day+. Look at actualy pros like Idra who players 8+ hours a day. You need to play A LOT, its a sacrifice, just like anything else. You go to work or school say 9 - 5 then you come home and play SC from 5 - 10 and then sleep and wake up and do the same thing over again. It's impossible to become a pro without hard work.
3) Knowing WHAT to practice. If you want to get into the NBA, you don't just play games everyday... you practice, you do layups and practice free throws. You have things to actually practice, not just playing willy-nilly you have goals.
Pro players do the same thing, when they blow off steam they play on steams and do what ever, but when they are preparing for a tournament, the stream goes off... and they practice the same build for 8 hours in a row, tweaking it until it works, then plays the same build 8 hours more to make sure its perfect. But not only that, they get other players to play against them and play the same game "hey, can you 4 gate me for the next 8 hours so I can practice a build to completely shut it down", "hey, can you banshee rush me, then transition into bio for the next 8 hours."
They have practice partners, and they train to beat certain builds. To beat 4 gates, 3 gate robo, 3 gate expo, 1-1-1, 7rr, muta-ling, etc, etc,etc... and they play vs that build over and over and over and over till they can beat if if they scout it.
Then they go "alright, go 3 gate expo, but then when i scout the expo, cancel the expo and go into robo tech" and then you play vs that where you expect 3 gate expo, but get 3 gate robo...
Its not like they just ladder a billion times in a row and get good.
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To be come a pro, its like 25% natural talent, and 75% hard work. Most people don't put in the time, the dedication... nor do they actually practice.
Listen to some of day-9's earlier shows where he talks about beating the immortal timing push from protoss and how it took him like 50 games till he finally make a build that beat the toss, and then transitioned into an expo...
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What I'm really trying to say is... if your not willing to give up a lot of your life for SC then you won't become a pro. Just like anything else, if you want to become a pro it takes sacrifice... that means playing 4+ hours a day after work even when you don't want to. It means finding practice partners, and trying to get better. It means a lot of boring play just so you can get on stage and win some.
Do pro-basketball players WANT to shoot 1,000 free throws in a row so that they can do it perfectly when on the court? Hell no, they want to play basketball... but to do so, they need to do the boring things.
DO pro-basketball players WANT to practice for hours a day... hell no, they want to play the game... but without practice they will not be on the team.
Do pro-SC2 players want to play hours upon hours a day... probably, but a lot of the time they don't. But its worth it to win a tourney.
Do pro-SC2 players want to play vs a 4 gate, or to 4 gate for hours on end just so they can play perfectly? Fuck no! They want to fool around, play the game, and have fun... but they need to so they can get to the top of GSL.
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Fianlly, when you go "$30/hour wtf?" dude... a private tutor for music can cost over $100/hour, most tutors for school cost $60/hour or more. You want to become a pro at SC2, well its just like become a pro at Basket-ball, or the piano, its expensive to learn from people who know more than you, but it helps.
When you go "I cant go to South Korea!" well... do aspiring actors/actresses really want to go to Hollywood? Do comp-sci students really want to go to silicone valley? Fuck no... but they have to for their passion. SC2 is no different.
If you really want to be a pro, it takes a lot of time, dedication, and a large protion of your life... you won't get there playing a few hours on the weekends...
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EPT
