EPTthe "Spiegel", a german magazine just released an article about the World Championship at GOMs.
http://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/games/0,1518,754358,00.html
If anyone missed it.
+ Show Spoiler +
On April 05 2011 17:49 nepeta wrote:
Starcraft II World Championship
South Korea vs the Rest of the World
Original article by Malte E. Kollenberg & Fabian Kretschmer in Spiegel Online 05-04-2011.
Translation by nepeta on teamliquid.net 05-04-2011.
Science fiction war in South Korea: The real-time strategy game 'Starcraft' is the national sport here; progamers are celebrated stars. The fans wear school uniforms, the players talk like football [eu] players. Korea's gaming elite for the first time confronts a world selection of players in 'Starcraft II'.
Aleksy Krupnyk, known in the starcraft scene under the pseudonym 'WhiteRa', worriedly gazes at the screen. The World team's captain has to watch disappointedly, as the korean opponent outplays his team mate. After 20 minutes the score is 1-0 for Korea.
The Korean fans are going wild. For the better part dressed in school uniforms, the public raises a din like football fans do at a derby. For an outsider, it is estranging to see, that their attention is focussed on nothing but a screen. The game is entirely digital: on the 28th of march in Seoul began the first Starcraft II championship, or something rather similar. South Korea's role in Starcraft Broodwar, the 'star-game' of e-sports, it had hitherto been comparable to the USA's in basketball; the Koreans do not win always, but still, rather often. The tournament's motto therfore is: 'Korea vs The World'. The eight best players from Korea play against an equally large World Team. On the line are $100 000. The finals will be played on april 9.
Terrans vs Worms
In both starcraft games the players control a race; the humanoid Terrans, the remotely-human Protoss or the worm-shaped Zerg. On distant planets, troops have to be assembled and directed, attacks must be launched, defenses mounted -under the pressure of time. The balance between the three races, which could be called the chess-pieces of this science fiction game, has been deemed the power of the original Starcraft.
Starcraft II: World championship of digital competitive sports
Today, the game is played with an intensity and speed which makes it hard for outsiders to even partially comprehend a live match. Television stations have specialized in e-sports and broadcast matches round the clock. The best Korean players are athletes, have sponsor contracts and hundreds of thousands of fans. Many earn yearly six-figured salaries. And now they should change their game.
"Compared to Starcraft Broodwar, Starcraft II is yet but a baby", says Emil Kalaidzhiev. The 19 year old Bulgarian studies Korean in Seoul -and a little Starcraft on the side. While sc2 has long since been well-received internationally, in Korea, Starcraft Broodwar is still the measure of e-sports. And that, when the world-wide best-selling rts has been on sale since 1998 and since then has turned into a digital antiquity. Game studio Blizzard would of course like for the oldie to be relieved.
Starcraft is timeless like jazz
"For the Starcraft II scene in Korea to grow, more well-known stars should move on to the second Starcraft", says Emil Kalaidzhiev. Internet broadcasting station GOM TV shares this opinion; with the world championship they would like to enhance the game's popularity in Korea. That is why the station had the best players from the USA, EU and Asia flown in for the tournament.
Aleksy, like the other players on the world team, looks back on a long career as a science fiction strategist. The now 30 year old began to play the rts' first installment more than 10 years ago. Even today, he turns lyrical, speaking about the more than 13 year old original game: "It's like jazz -simply timeless." Nevertheless, with the summer 2010's release of Starcraft II, 'WhiteRa' switched to the sequel.
A contributing factor herein is his comparably old age; to play SC2 you don't need fast reflexes as much as a tactical understanding of the game. "I've still got about 2 to 3 years at the least", the old gun muses. But even after his playing career the Ukrainian wants to remain part of e-sports. As developer of gaming peripherals like mousepads, keyboards, or as tournament organizer. Who once was a professional wants to stick to the game, in this respect Starcraft isn't any different from football.
World beats ROK
Another match has finished in Seoul: a down-and-out Korean leaves the booth, with keyboard and mouse under his arm. Yang Chia-Cheng from Taiwan triumphs: The world team has equalized after the second game.
During the break, a light and pyrotechnics show takes place in the background. The American Erik Lonnquist draws his smartphone, and twitters the score for the benefit of his fan community at the other end of the world. Today he is part of the public, in everyday life he is a commentator for GOM TV. 'Shoutcasters', they're called, and sometimes they have become starlets in their own right. When Lonnquist comes to speak on the progress of the game, only starcraft insiders may comprehend. "The Koreans are of course the favourites of the tournament, although I wouldn't write off the World team just yet", says the 28 year old. "In Starcraft Broodwar there were but a very few foreigners who were able to take the Koreans head-on. But that is slowly changing."
A victory for Adrian
His assesment turns out to be correct; after four exciting hours the World team beats the Koreans four to two. The fact that Starcraft is a genuine athletic discipline is being demonstrated by the players' looks: the Koreans are exhausted, the Americans and Europeans have their jetlags to battle off to boot. The next day, the knockout system will continue. Everyone will continue to play for their personal glory, as well as for the $30 000 winner's prize money.
Aleksy Kropnyk dreams of returning to the Ukrain with the prize money. Before he returns to the team's stay, only a stone's throw away from the venue, he gives one last interview for the waiting journalists. As the lights behind him switch off and the e-sports arena gets cleaned up, the otherwise stoic team captain smiles for the cameras, and dedicates his first victory to his wife, who remained at home: "She has always supported my e-sports career. Without her, I wouldn't be here." A boxer's cliché.
Starcraft II World Championship
South Korea vs the Rest of the World
Original article by Malte E. Kollenberg & Fabian Kretschmer in Spiegel Online 05-04-2011.
Translation by nepeta on teamliquid.net 05-04-2011.
Science fiction war in South Korea: The real-time strategy game 'Starcraft' is the national sport here; progamers are celebrated stars. The fans wear school uniforms, the players talk like football [eu] players. Korea's gaming elite for the first time confronts a world selection of players in 'Starcraft II'.
Aleksy Krupnyk, known in the starcraft scene under the pseudonym 'WhiteRa', worriedly gazes at the screen. The World team's captain has to watch disappointedly, as the korean opponent outplays his team mate. After 20 minutes the score is 1-0 for Korea.
The Korean fans are going wild. For the better part dressed in school uniforms, the public raises a din like football fans do at a derby. For an outsider, it is estranging to see, that their attention is focussed on nothing but a screen. The game is entirely digital: on the 28th of march in Seoul began the first Starcraft II championship, or something rather similar. South Korea's role in Starcraft Broodwar, the 'star-game' of e-sports, it had hitherto been comparable to the USA's in basketball; the Koreans do not win always, but still, rather often. The tournament's motto therfore is: 'Korea vs The World'. The eight best players from Korea play against an equally large World Team. On the line are $100 000. The finals will be played on april 9.
Terrans vs Worms
In both starcraft games the players control a race; the humanoid Terrans, the remotely-human Protoss or the worm-shaped Zerg. On distant planets, troops have to be assembled and directed, attacks must be launched, defenses mounted -under the pressure of time. The balance between the three races, which could be called the chess-pieces of this science fiction game, has been deemed the power of the original Starcraft.
Starcraft II: World championship of digital competitive sports
Today, the game is played with an intensity and speed which makes it hard for outsiders to even partially comprehend a live match. Television stations have specialized in e-sports and broadcast matches round the clock. The best Korean players are athletes, have sponsor contracts and hundreds of thousands of fans. Many earn yearly six-figured salaries. And now they should change their game.
"Compared to Starcraft Broodwar, Starcraft II is yet but a baby", says Emil Kalaidzhiev. The 19 year old Bulgarian studies Korean in Seoul -and a little Starcraft on the side. While sc2 has long since been well-received internationally, in Korea, Starcraft Broodwar is still the measure of e-sports. And that, when the world-wide best-selling rts has been on sale since 1998 and since then has turned into a digital antiquity. Game studio Blizzard would of course like for the oldie to be relieved.
Starcraft is timeless like jazz
"For the Starcraft II scene in Korea to grow, more well-known stars should move on to the second Starcraft", says Emil Kalaidzhiev. Internet broadcasting station GOM TV shares this opinion; with the world championship they would like to enhance the game's popularity in Korea. That is why the station had the best players from the USA, EU and Asia flown in for the tournament.
Aleksy, like the other players on the world team, looks back on a long career as a science fiction strategist. The now 30 year old began to play the rts' first installment more than 10 years ago. Even today, he turns lyrical, speaking about the more than 13 year old original game: "It's like jazz -simply timeless." Nevertheless, with the summer 2010's release of Starcraft II, 'WhiteRa' switched to the sequel.
A contributing factor herein is his comparably old age; to play SC2 you don't need fast reflexes as much as a tactical understanding of the game. "I've still got about 2 to 3 years at the least", the old gun muses. But even after his playing career the Ukrainian wants to remain part of e-sports. As developer of gaming peripherals like mousepads, keyboards, or as tournament organizer. Who once was a professional wants to stick to the game, in this respect Starcraft isn't any different from football.
World beats ROK
Another match has finished in Seoul: a down-and-out Korean leaves the booth, with keyboard and mouse under his arm. Yang Chia-Cheng from Taiwan triumphs: The world team has equalized after the second game.
During the break, a light and pyrotechnics show takes place in the background. The American Erik Lonnquist draws his smartphone, and twitters the score for the benefit of his fan community at the other end of the world. Today he is part of the public, in everyday life he is a commentator for GOM TV. 'Shoutcasters', they're called, and sometimes they have become starlets in their own right. When Lonnquist comes to speak on the progress of the game, only starcraft insiders may comprehend. "The Koreans are of course the favourites of the tournament, although I wouldn't write off the World team just yet", says the 28 year old. "In Starcraft Broodwar there were but a very few foreigners who were able to take the Koreans head-on. But that is slowly changing."
A victory for Adrian
His assesment turns out to be correct; after four exciting hours the World team beats the Koreans four to two. The fact that Starcraft is a genuine athletic discipline is being demonstrated by the players' looks: the Koreans are exhausted, the Americans and Europeans have their jetlags to battle off to boot. The next day, the knockout system will continue. Everyone will continue to play for their personal glory, as well as for the $30 000 winner's prize money.
Aleksy Kropnyk dreams of returning to the Ukrain with the prize money. Before he returns to the team's stay, only a stone's throw away from the venue, he gives one last interview for the waiting journalists. As the lights behind him switch off and the e-sports arena gets cleaned up, the otherwise stoic team captain smiles for the cameras, and dedicates his first victory to his wife, who remained at home: "She has always supported my e-sports career. Without her, I wouldn't be here." A boxer's cliché.
All credits for this translation goes to the author of the quote.
) but they're basicly describing the World Championship, particularly from White-Ra and Doa's perspective from what i understand, and talking about how the SC2 community is still growing, praising GOMTV for their efforts in helping them grow.
