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The following is a translation of an article posted on PlayXP, source article can be found here. Credit to Rnjswodus for the translation.
"GSL needs more foreign players.
On May 13th Gretech (Gom) announced that they will be implementing player exchange program with the MLG. Players who perform well in the MLG will be seeded in the GSL and Korean GSL players will be granted with seeds for MLG.
This announcement is welcomed as the GSL is a take a great leap towards being truly global.
MLG launched in 2002 based on console games, have become the biggest pro-e-sports league in the North America. In last 2-3 years, Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL), Championship Gaming Series (CGS), and Electronic Sports World Cup (ESWC) have folded due to sponsorship/financial difficulties. However, MLG stood strong and recently have expanded by adding PC games. Without any doubt, MLG has surpassed CPL and became the best e-sports league in the North America.
Announcement of this exchange program has covered the headlines of many foreign e-sports communities and media, and some predict that this is indeed the biggest splash of 2011. All eyes are focused on this new exciting program, and such attention reassures the reputation of the GSL among SC2 fans.
Personally the reason why I am very excited about this program is because we get to watch more foreigners compete. Due to lack of foreign players, GSL was not truly “global” (translator: Many Koreans make fun of GSL time to time and suggest that the name should be KSL). After the recent Up/Down Matches, as LiquidJinro moved down to Code A, the only foreigner in Code S is LiquidHuk. Few months ago EGIdra left Korea and very recently LiquidHaypro left as well.
It is the player’s fault for not performing however; in order for GSL to become the best league in SC2 community we need more non-Korean players to compete. E-sports league around the world are selecting SC2, a game that was released just less than year ago, as one of their main events. This is just the beginning.
I have no intention to criticize BW, but in last couple years, WC3 has over shadowed Korean E-sports scene. Koreans were very proud to be the power house in e-sports but there is no doubt that eyes of the foreign fans were on Europe and China where WC3 was a huge hit. It is our chance to reclaim those fans through the GSL, and once again become the undisputed powerhouse of E-sports. That is why need more foreign players to compete in the GSL. If the GSL provides Code A & Code S seeds based on a players performance in other international leagues, more foreign players will be more interested in competing.
Of course there will be fewer spots for the Korean players but in order for GSL to evolve it is a small sacrifice that needs to take place. It may seem unfair for players who have qualified through Preliminary matches, but the fact that GSL takes place in Korea, there is a huge “home advantage” for the Korean players and I think that provides fair opportunity for both Korean and foreign players. We can also expand Code A in order to solve this problem.
On the other hand, Korean players will be able to play in more international tournaments. Since each leagues/tournaments have very different and unique rules and schedules, Korean players can participate in the tournaments that fit their schedule. Furthermore, teams can select players they see fit in certain tournaments/leagues in order to provide equal chance among team members.
Timing of this announcement was also great since GomTV had plans to change the format of GSL in the second half of the year. They were planning to increase the amount of time spent on GSTL and to encourage more foreign players to come and compete. There have been no announcements as of yet about any fundamental changes but now is the perfect time to discuss about providing seeds for foreign players or expanding Code A.
Many Korean fans say that GSL has failed compared to OSL or MSL. However, it does not mean that there is no foreign support. Recently right after GSL May Code S Semi-finals, NesTea was one of the trend topics on Twitter. To be a trend topic in Twitter which is used by more than 200 Million people is very difficult. Considering the time zone difference in North America and Europe, it is fascinating to witness enthusiastic support of foreign fans.
The point is, GSL is followed by all SC2 fans around the world and now is the time for GSL to reach the next level. In order for GSL to prosper, we need support of Blizzard, GomTV and more importantly the support of the fans now more than ever."
EDIT; the author of the article can be found on twitter @ssidaglez
feel free to tweet him to show our support!
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Most excited to hear that the format of GSL is changing and that we'll have more GSTL!
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edit; whoops quoted instead of edited T_T
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United States7481 Posts
On May 18 2011 03:04 StutteR wrote:
Most excited to hear that the format of GSL is changing and that we'll have more GSTL!
the big gstl announcement is scheduled to come out not tomorrow but the day after
anyway thanks for the translation, glad to see that people everywhere are in favor of more integration of the scenes
btw the author of the article is on twitter at @ssidaglez , i'm not sure how good his english is but i'm sure he would appreciate people tweeting him about the article.
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Hmm pretty interesting to read. So it's true they like foreigners in the tournament, but we'll have to see what happens to the system. I also liked where he explained diversifying a team. Putting players on certain foreign leagues for example. What is left is pretty much what wil happen with the GSTL. I guess it's going to take on a much more prominent role and will also allow for some foreigner integration? We'll have to see, but it will probably be really cool.
What I don't understand is the comments. I tried to read them with the chrome translator and it becomes really broken. But from what I could make out, there were a lot of comments about the foreign casters, doa and moletrap and a relay switch? I don't understand this maybe someone can explain. Do the koreans have access to this? Are they watching the english commentary? And what are they saying about it? And what does that have to do with anything?
I found that incredibly intriguing because there is no way for me to be able to put myself in the perspective of a Korean spectator. When thinking about global interaction that is really valuable to have a grip on.
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I dunno. I tend to agree with the SOTG hosts. Code A just isnt worth it. Opportunities are great, but the trade off between the month long Code A for a SHOT at MAYBE becoming Code S isnt worth the opportunity cost.
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On May 18 2011 03:34 legatus legionis wrote:
What I don't understand is the comments. I tried to read them with the chrome translator and it becomes really broken. But from what I could make out, there were a lot of comments about the foreign casters, doa and moletrap and a relay switch? I don't understand this maybe someone can explain. Do the koreans have access to this? Are they watching the english commentary? And what are they saying about it? And what does that have to do with anything?
I found that incredibly intriguing because there is no way for me to be able to put myself in the perspective of a Korean spectator. When thinking about global interaction that is really valuable to have a grip on.
- Many koreans living abroad that follow the SC2 scene watch the english stream, or at least that is true here in Toronto
- The comments on PlayXP from Korean spectators about Doa/Moletrap seem fairly similar to the comments from the foreign ones; some love them, some hate them, the nay-sayers argue that they aren't as good as Tastosis, the pro-trolls argue that they're better than Kelly. (in other words, more silly arguments attempting to validate one's personal feelings)
- Other comments mentioned that they believe the Doa/Moletrap combo are still suffering from some stage fright (as they're taking over for Tastosis) and will come around soon
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It's not worth it to compete in GSL for foreigners anymore.
MLG, NASL, TSL, team games (EG Masters Cup comes into mind), every day quick cups for cash > GSL.
Plus, in the MLG-GSL deal players get into Code A (1500 USD tourney) not S, just not worth it.
Idra and Incontrol give out pretty good arguments in the last SOTG.
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It's nice to know a Korean fan also wants to see foreigners. I love GSL and respect and admire the Koreans but every time a foreigner plays in Korea I get twice the excitement because I want to see the underdog make it. The world tournament was also very fun and competitive.
I get why idra doesn't want to go back but I also feel any pro foreigner would benefit from one month practising in Korea and competing against them, heck I would even go for the experience of living there.
This is a good program and no offence to MLG but I feel they get the best deal out of this because GSL is tougher and much more prestigious then them.
Starcraft 2 will be about Korea, EU&NA and China and I hope the event organizers keep talking and working with each other, it's much better then working against each other.
China will probably be bigger then Korea and EU&NA imo
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Personally I don't really mind not seeing foreigners in the GSL...but that's probably just me.
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United States7481 Posts
On May 18 2011 03:47 s.a.y wrote:
It's not worth it to compete in GSL for foreigners anymore.
MLG, NASL, TSL, team games (EG Masters Cup comes into mind), every day quick cups for cash > GSL.
Plus, in the MLG-GSL deal players get into Code A (1500 USD tourney) not S, just not worth it.
Idra and Incontrol give out pretty good arguments in the last SOTG.
well, after this first event the 1st place mlg will go straight into code S
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Out of curiosity, how many seeded players would be exchanged, and how long would these exchanges last for? Additionally, how would seeding affect whether they were competing in the Code A or Code S matches?
Additionally, as some have already stated, the competitions outside of Korea makes it ideal for a non-Korean to not even bother with the GSL, therefore I'm assuming the players will have the right to decline being exchanged over to Korea, therefore what will they do if a large number of players decline?
It's an interesting concept, but I potentially see it falling flat on its face if certain aspects aren't really addressed. Best of luck to the exchange program as well as players who do end up getting exchanged.
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It's pretty simple. As the prizes go up in the western scene, the prizes need to go up in GSL as well. The prize pool has barely changed since GSL1, with the main change being it is harder to get to the top tier winnings.
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On May 18 2011 03:51 Antoine wrote:Show nested quote +On May 18 2011 03:47 s.a.y wrote:
It's not worth it to compete in GSL for foreigners anymore.
MLG, NASL, TSL, team games (EG Masters Cup comes into mind), every day quick cups for cash > GSL.
Plus, in the MLG-GSL deal players get into Code A (1500 USD tourney) not S, just not worth it.
Idra and Incontrol give out pretty good arguments in the last SOTG. well, after this first event the 1st place mlg will go straight into code S
Do you have proof of this? Cuz if thats true then i guess most foreigners would accept the deal, didnt even Tyler say he might go if he got Code S?
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On May 18 2011 03:47 shell wrote:
It's nice to know a Korean fan also wants to see foreigners. I love GSL and respect and admire the Koreans but every time a foreigner plays in Korea I get twice the excitement because I want to see the underdog make it. The world tournament was also very fun and competitive.
I get why idra doesn't want to go back but I also feel any pro foreigner would benefit from one month practising in Korea and competing against them, heck I would even go for the experience of living there.
This is a good program and no offence to MLG but I feel they get the best deal out of this because GSL is tougher and much more prestigious then them.
Starcraft 2 will be about Korea, EU&NA and China and I hope the event organizers keep talking and working with each other, it's much better then working against each other.
China will probably be bigger then Korea and EU&NA imo
Maybe if you live in a team house like Liquid but in the foreigner house? I mean you'd just be laddering unless you had some other top pros with you (like if all 4 people took the invite from MLG).
I really see NA becoming the mecca for SC2 in the future. There's just more money out here these days. GSL might always be the premiere tournament, but as it is there's "easy" money to be made in NA. I think the more and more the Koreans come over to NA the better the foreigners are going to have to get to stay competitive (if they aren't already, I think there's a good case we're sort of equal).
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I think the biggest problem is the length of time each GSL season runs for. If Code A/S was one week, or even two max, more people would be willing to play in it (well Code A would still be debatable since you would have to either come back or stick around until the next season even if you made Code S). Just think, if the super tournament was one week long I'm sure players like Idra and White-Ra would definitely participate in it instead of turning down their invitation. It may be good for the spectators to pace out the event, but it is not so hot for the players and long-term that may have an effect on spectator numbers as well.
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On May 18 2011 03:51 Antoine wrote:Show nested quote +On May 18 2011 03:47 s.a.y wrote:
It's not worth it to compete in GSL for foreigners anymore.
MLG, NASL, TSL, team games (EG Masters Cup comes into mind), every day quick cups for cash > GSL.
Plus, in the MLG-GSL deal players get into Code A (1500 USD tourney) not S, just not worth it.
Idra and Incontrol give out pretty good arguments in the last SOTG. well, after this first event the 1st place mlg will go straight into code S
This is wonderful, and I'm hoping a lot of players will take up the chance, even just for one month, and for theirselves to experience such a different culture and to live and breath starcraft in its capital 
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On May 18 2011 03:47 s.a.y wrote:
It's not worth it to compete in GSL for foreigners anymore.
MLG, NASL, TSL, team games (EG Masters Cup comes into mind), every day quick cups for cash > GSL.
Plus, in the MLG-GSL deal players get into Code A (1500 USD tourney) not S, just not worth it.
Idra and Incontrol give out pretty good arguments in the last SOTG.
So which of those can foreigners competing in the GSL exchange program not participate in? MLG's won't happen before the month is up, NASL is online (and koreans seem to be doing well regardless of lag), TSL is also online (if there's another one) and EGMC is online along with the small cups. Other than previous obligations, (NASL casting for Incontrol & sometimes IdrA) family, (Tyler) or personal reasons I honestly don't see why people wouldn't go. o_o;
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I would rather see more koreans here in the west than foreigners in Korea. It's boring for both us fans and the players if they are playing Coded A and get knocked out early and then have nothing to do in a month except playing customs for the next season, and they wont earn any money during this time. While here in the west they could play a tourney every day to earn some money and then attend all the big events here.
I would assume the koreans doesn't have this opportunity, but do they know about this situation here? I'll bet they would be a bit jelly about all the small tourneys with price pool every day. ;P
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On May 18 2011 03:54 thirnaz wrote:Show nested quote +On May 18 2011 03:51 Antoine wrote:On May 18 2011 03:47 s.a.y wrote:
It's not worth it to compete in GSL for foreigners anymore.
MLG, NASL, TSL, team games (EG Masters Cup comes into mind), every day quick cups for cash > GSL.
Plus, in the MLG-GSL deal players get into Code A (1500 USD tourney) not S, just not worth it.
Idra and Incontrol give out pretty good arguments in the last SOTG. well, after this first event the 1st place mlg will go straight into code S Do you have proof of this? Cuz if thats true then i guess most foreigners would accept the deal, didnt even Tyler say he might go if he got Code S?
The entire format was recently announced:
http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=222580
Anyways, I'm eager to hear about the GSL and GSTL changes once they are announced.
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EPT
