EPTThe original interview in Korean can be found over here http://www.thisisgame.com/board/view.php?category=13438&id=655851.
Anyway, halfway through the translation, I realise that the Chinese translation didn't actually translate all the questions that were in the original Korean interview. I tried my best to translate it based on the Chinese translation and the google-translated Korean page to get a grasp of what was being said. This is a translation of a translation, and if anyone is doing an actual translation of the actual Korean interview, go ahead and do it, and I'll probably get the mods to delete this post or something
Just translating because I was kind of bored._________________________________________________________________________________
MarineKingPrime, the Terran player who has made it to multiple GSL finals should be no stranger to most Starcraft 2 players. Born in 1993, he is a young man who's not even 19 years of age yet. As perpetual runner up in tournaments, he has been viewed by some as a successor to Yellow from Starcraft 1, a member of the Kong Line. However, this has only served to further fuel his desire to win. Let's take a deeper look at MarineKing and find out more about this man from this interview.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/D8Wra.jpg)
How are you getting along after being eliminated in the round of 32 of code S this season?
After being eliminated from GSL Code S, I've been focusing most of my energy on practising, spending the whole day in the practise room. The practice has mainly been for the GSL Up and Down Matches, as well as for the GSL Super Tournament. The Super Tournament is something all the professional gamers hope to be able to win.
Ever since you made it to the finals of the GSL World Championship, many people have had great expectations from you, but you lost so early in the GSL Code S.
I was too complacent, and I never imagined that the person to be eliminated from our group could be me. Morever, I was in a pretty bad condition that day. Overall, I think it was because of overconfidence and not playing well.
You haven't been competing for nearly a month. Do you feel upset?
In this season of GSL, all the top players were eliminated. All the players that defeated me were eliminated too. I missed the best chance for me to win the championship, so that was quite sad.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/xuFVa.jpg)
When did you decide to be a professional gamer?
I decided when I was in junior high school that it would be good to be a professional gamer. I've liked gaming since young, and I didn't really have much interest in studying. I made up my mind when I was in high school to become a professional gamer.
Were you influenced by anyone? What opportunities were there?
When I was in elementary school, I saw BoxeR and YellOw playing in the Starleague finals (T/N: This was probably from 2001.). From then on, I fell in love with Starcraft 1 broadcasts. After that, I got into the game myself, and I was playing better than my peers, and because of that, I gradually wanted more and more to be a professional gamer.
How did you start on your road to becoming a professional gamer?
To be a professional gamer, I needed a professional gamer license, and so I took part in the Courage Match in April 2009. I won that and obtained the license to be a professional gamer.
I suppose it was at the Courage Match that MBCGame noticed you?
A few months after I obtained the license, I entered a drafting tournament, and I think I ended up 10th place or so. I was supposed to go to KT as a trainee, but coach Lee Woon Jae of MBCGame (now with TSL) was there, and he asked me to join their team, so I joined them instead.
How long did you practise after joining the team?
I think it was about 7-8 months. When I first started, everyone on the team was really good, and there were a lot of flaws in my play. Moreover, I was the youngest, and I ran into quite a lot of difficulties. In addition, it was my first time living away from home, and it took some getting used to. However, I learnt a lot, and it was rather interesting.
Yet even before your debut, you gave up professional gaming?
In May-June 2010, I took part in the preliminaries of the StarLeague and the MSL, but was eliminated in the first game of both preliminaries. After that, I mulled a lot over whether or not I should be a professional gamer. I wasn't producing any good results then, so I gave up. There seemed to be an invisible wall stopping me, and because my teammates were all so good, I rarely had the chance to play in tournaments.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/MQChF.jpg)
After having given up on professional gaming, you turned to Starcraft 2.
In August 2010, the Open Beta for Starcraft 2 started. At that time, I didn't think about being a professional gamer, but since it was the successor of Starcraft 1, I decided to start playing it, starting from the Single player campaigns. I thought it was rather fun, and decided to continue playing. After that, I started laddering and got to rank 1. When I saw Fruitdealer win the GSL, I made the decision to join the GSL preliminaries.
Why did you name yourself Boxer in Starcraft 2?
I came to understand Starcraft 1 and wanted to be a professional gamer because of BoxeR's influence. I look up to him as role model, and wanted to become the BoxeR of Starcraft 2, so I gave myself that ID.
After you started taking part in tournaments, there were fans who started calling you Foxer.
I thought it was quite interesting, and I was quite happy with the fans calling me that.
After BoxeR moved over to Starcraft 2 and took part in the GSL, you changed your ID.
When the real BoxeR came to Starcraft 2, I had to return his ID to him. But actually, even if he didn't move over to Starcraft 2, I would have changed my ID anyway. People didn't really like that I was using that ID, and there was a pressure of having to play amazing and produce amazing results because of that ID.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/M5m3Z.jpg)
What motivated you to join the Prime team?
I lived in Changwon. However, I had to live in Seoul because of the GSL, so I decided to start looking for a team. Initially, IM contacted me, but because I was very close to Check from Prime, I decided to join Prime after he asked me to.
(T/N: Wow. Imagine IMMarineKing. IM would be an even sicker team than it is now.)
If you were eliminated from the GSL Open Tournament, would you have gave up being a professional gamer?
I probably would have quit professional gaming, and just be a normal gamer.
It was quite a pity that you came in second in GSL Open Season 2.
On the way to the finals, I never thought that I would lose. When I first took the 2-0 lead, it all went so smoothly. In fact, it went so smoothly I almost thought I had won already. Because of that, I ended up letting my guard down, and it became a mess. In the blink of an eye he had caught up with me, and we were playing the final game. Since it was my first time in the finals, I was not as good as Nestea, both in my tactics and my mentality.
In the next season, you made it to the round of 8 but were knocked out by oGsMC, Jang Min Chul
I was not feeling very well when I was playing in Season 3. This sounds like an excuse, but I was not able to play at 100% of my abilities when I went up against MC (T/N: He actually adresses MC in a respectful kind of way. Hard to translate over to English).
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/bnVFJ.jpg)
What was your mentality when the actual GSL started?
I did not think much of my experiences in the GSL Open, and I wanted to work hard to catch up to the top players who were winning. I thought of myself as someone who was new to Starcraft 2 and had just started playing.
In GSL season 1, you made it to the finals as well.
In GSL Open season 2, I mainly made it to the finals by beating Zergs. However, in season 1 of the actual GSL, I did not face up against any Zergs and mainly played against Terrans to get to the finals. It felt really different from the GSL Open, and I even got to play with a foreigner. I was also very honoured to be able to play against NaDa.
How did you feel playing against NaDa?
NaDa (T/N: Again, he addresses NaDa in a respectful kind of way too) has a lot of fans, and he has a lot of great achievements in Starcraft 1. At that time, I was uncertain of his skill level, and I doubted if I was able to beat him.
After starting to play in the actual GSL tournament, I guess your desire to win the tournament must have grown even stronger?
Yes indeed. I want to defeat MVP. When I first started playing Starcraft 2, I thought he was the only Terran that was better than me. I frequently lost to him on the ladder. Even if I had defeated Nestea the first time I got into the finals, I would still not have been satisfied, because in the end, MVP is the player I really want to beat.
In the finals, you lost to MVP 0:4. Even the spectators were quite shocked at that.
That 0:4 loss was a huge blow to me. I personally found it hard to believe too.
Did you lose so badly because you did not play according to your own style, but followed MVP's style instead?
I think that was probably the case. Up until the round of 4, I had been playing according to my own style. However, I did not play to my strengths in the finals and tried to change the way I played. I probably should have played according to my style instead.
So, what made you suddenly decide to change your tactics in the finals?
I was scared, because MVP knew my style very well. If he had practised and played to counter me, I would have lost really badly. I only made the decision because the opponent was MVP. On hindsight, it was the wrong decision.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/2B6Hz.jpg)
After a period that was relatively non-eventful, you made it to the finals again, this time of the GSL World Championship, and you were up against MVP again.
I was really looking forward to it, and was very happy to be able to face up against MVP in the finals again. I lost terribly the previous time, and I really wanted some revenge.
Were you confident going into this second finals against MVP?
To be honest, I was more confident than I was the first time.
You went down 0:2 in the first two games of the World Championship finals.
I lost two games in a row, and the two games were rather one sided .That caused to me to think it would be another 0:4 result. I felt that the series would have been over had I lost the third game as well, so I gave it my all in the third game, and managed to catch up with him.
In the end, you suffered a 2:4 defeat.
I think I lost by just a bit. MVP's TvT has always been really strong, and even though I lost, it was not as big a blow as the first time.
I guess you would want to learn from the strengths of MVP?
I've picked up some of his styles and ways of playing the game, and my styles and tactics have become more varied. I learnt many things in the finals of the World Championship, and so I do not feel any regret just because I lost the finals.
How do you think it would turn out if you were to play MVP again?
I think I can win now, but we would only know after we have played. (Laughing) I would always think that I would win, but so far I've always lost.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/5dbcC.jpg)
Some people are saying you are the successor of YellOw in Starcraft 2.
When I first started hearing that I was the successor of YellOw, I thought it was quite intriguing. I always thought of YellOw as a perpetual runner-up, and I never thought I would become his successor. It's strange and interesting at the same time.
On the same day that you got the runner up for the GSL World Championship, YellOw got the runner up as well with KT Rolster.
Seeing YellOw get second place gave me some comfort. He's given me an example to follow as a senior.
If I remember rightly, you said before you wanted to meet YellOw?
He is my favourite player, and also my senior. I want to hear some of his advice, such as how to overcome being the perpetual runner up. He must have suffered quite a bit during those days as well.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/XPlGM.jpg)
Who are your rivals in the game?
Whenever I see a Terran playing really well, I would get envious and jealous. Up till now, MVP is my rival. I have a score to settle with him. Having lost two finals to him, I want to beat him at least twice to even the score. I am the type of person who can remember grudges really well.
Is there anyone who is hard to face other than MVP?
I think most of the other players will think the same way as I do. For Protoss, that person would be MC. For Zerg, it's Nestea. Both of them are the strongest players, and they have both won the tournament before.
The Prime team still doesn't have any sponsors, and the players do not earn a salary. Don't you feel it is kind of tough on the players?
Most Starcraft 2 teams do not have sponsors, and for now, it might be a tougher time for us. After a while though, I guess things will naturally sort themselves out. The team takes care of us really well so we can concentrate of practising.
Do you eat fried chicken from sabasaba frequently?
Probably once every fortnight. We usually eat it when we get together for meals, and since they do not have delivery services, we would go to the shop to eat it.
Where does the prize money that you got previously go to?
I gave them all to my parents because they are the ones in charge of managing the finances. The money that I spend is from my allowance, and they do not impose any upper limit on the allowance that I take. I mainly only spend money when treating my teammates or my friends to meals. Recently, I've been spending more money than my peers. I do not really like shopping. I prefer buying cheaper stuff, and I am quite thrifty in this regard. I also tend to be quite calculative when I am buying stuff.
I suppose your desire to win a tournament probably surpasses the other players around you?
I've been in the most number of finals in Starcraft 2 GSL, but I've never been the champion, and this fuels the desire even more.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/swQVm.jpg)
What goals do you have for yourself in 2011?
I want to stop being the perpetual runner up in the GSL tournaments. I also want to have the chance to take part and win overseas tournaments such as BlizzCon. Actually, I really want to go to BlizzCon because not only do I get to take part in the tournament, I also get to have a holiday and tour the place. It's killing two birds with one stone. I have experienced how it is like to take a plane when I went from my old home to Seoul, and I really want to have the chance to go overseas and have a holiday.
What is your ultimate aim as a professional gamer?
I want to be the best player, and also the most popular player. I want to be someone that other players will recognise, just like the current Flash in Starcraft 1.
What do you wish for eSports to become in the future in relation to Starcraft 2?
The tournaments should be interesting, and there should be interaction and communication with the fans. I hope there are more tournaments overseas and more activities with the foreign players. That should make it very interesting.
Do you have many fans cheering for you?
There are many fans cheering for me, and I am very grateful to them. The more people cheering at the competition, the better I play, and the more hardworking I become.
Any last words?
I am always getting 2nd place in tournaments, causing my fans to be sad, but instead of putting me down, these 2nd place finishes make me even more hardworking, so everyone can rest assured. The cheering and support of the fans really helps me a lot.
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That is the end of the interview. Hope you enjoy it
