[GSTL] A Foreigner's Guide and Experience

The Foreword

Without a doubt there will be a lot of MLG content post Columbus, so I wanted to spice things up and give the community a taste of what I experienced during my visit to Korea in the month of May. The GSL is a vastly different venue and definitely worth checking out. This was originally posted on Wellplayed.org but I wanted to share this with the TeamLiquid community too. GSTL was so much fun to attend and perhaps the other foreigners I met in the audience will see this too. A few sections have been revised with extra information and pictures added on as to not make an exact repost of the one I made on Wellplayed.org I figured General Starcraft may be best on Team Liquid- but was told Blogs would be more appropriate so it has been reposted here. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Firstly I want to say that I am a casual Starcraft 2 fan, I don't know everything about the game so apologies in advance if I mess anything up. However, I do enjoy playing and know enough about the scene much in part thanks to my brother and high school friends who are huge Starcraft 2 fans. So attending the GSL was motivated in large part by them and I had a great time. Furthermore I am not a professional photographer and use a simple point and shoot so forgive me if the pictures aren't of the best quality. Also it's a long read, about 3k words or so...

The Introduction

Breathtaking scenery at GyeongBokGung Palace

So I spent the last week and a bit in Korea - South, not North - visiting the sights, enjoying the cuisine and of course watching GSTL live at the Mok Dong GOMtv Studio. First of all, the instructions found at GOMtv's FAQ: http://www.gomtv.net/faq/view.gom?conid=60920 help a lot but encase you're like me and do not have a topographical GPS in your head, you might want to take note of the right turn you make. If you are worried about the right turn, make it at the intersection with the street sign that reads "Daehang Church" if you are walking from Sinjeong Station. You can also cross the street there instead of the cross walk which is a bit ways up. The area is quite nice, lots of small restaurants to grab a bite before the tournament to get some take out, and trust me - you will get hungry. There is a Popeyes and a couple pizza shops before you reach the studio if you want to grab some takeout. I find it harder to order a takeout stone bowl Bugolgi Bibimbap dinner but you may be bolder than I. The GSTL typically runs till 12 midnight and possibly even further depending on match length. The first half roughly wrapped up around 9:30 pm and then they take about 10 minutes for intermission. Usually every two or three games they took a short 2 minute break so you can return to the lobby to grab some free water/coffee, chat with the audience and stretch your legs. It's also the best time to drop by the caster's booth and have a chat if Doa (now Wolf) and Moletrap aren't still on the stream, talk to the players and perhaps get a photo or two. You will also want to be wary of the tournament's time constraints because if you are relying on the subway system, it stops running at 12, thus if you are staying somewhere farther you will need to leave early or make other arrangements for transportation. I personally do not speak or understand Korean so I decided not to risk confusing a taxi driver and dipped early.

Don't worry the sign is HUGE!

The studio as depicted in the FAQ is located at Yeongsang Highschool. Typically when my brother and I got there, we were already late by a bit due to traveling around Seoul in the afternoon. However, it's ok you can join the audience at any time, just be wary that you may not get a great seat. During the GSTL3, the event started at about 6:00 pm. If you are ever unsure of the times just check the schedule on the GOMtv website. The front gate is locked, if you are able you can squeeze through the bike lock on the last gate or you can simply walk around the fence to the other side where there is a guard post that allows cars to drive into the parking lot. That gate is fully open and remains open till the end of the event. Of course being a high school there are still plenty of kids there, so don't be put off by a group playing at the basketball net. You are at the right place, but if you're unsure there's is another large GSL banner above the doors into the school.

GSL Wall of Memories

Just go through the doors and walk up the staircase to the right. You'll hear loud music and announcer voices as you ascend the steps. The pictures and guide at the GOMtv FAQ make the rest of this self explanatory. But for a tad bit more information, that desk you see below the TV screen when you get to the top of the stairs is where you can enter the raffle. I had to provide my Name, Address, Email, Country and the Team I thought would win. I think it was for a shirt but I'm not completely sure. By entering the raffle you get a free Balloon Stix, that's right Stix not Sticks and its only one. As of this revision, I have not received any emails from GOMtv so I'm assuming I didn't win the raffle.

Can't go wrong with those souvenirs

You can also pick up your cheerful board there. There's a few stacks, just grab one as you go into the studio. They have plenty of various coloured markers for you to doodle with. I've included a few of mine below, I believe some of them were featured on the Korean stream, not sure if they made the English stream. I also want to thank the GOMtv staff for being incredibly helpful. Their English isn't fluent, but they'll do their best to help you out and address your questions. If there is one thing I've learnt from my trip to Korea. it is how polite and helpful people there are, and I'm Canadian. They may continue speaking to you in Korean despite you telling them you don't understand, but nevertheless they will go the extra mile to try and help. GOMtv girl (from the FAQ) helped me check for Jon the Translator several times and to fill out the form.

My cheerful for the first visit to GSL

My brother's cheerful for his friend Tootley

My brother's cheerful on the day of the finals

The Studio

Photography is permitted in the studio but you must turn off flash as a courtesy. Immediately after you walk in you'll run into the English Caster station. Doa (now Wolf) and Moletrap are great guys and easy to talk to. Just try not to troll them while they're casting by walking behind them. They are great with fan interaction and I was able to get an opportunity to speak with them both. Moletrap even peered over during a break to watch my brother hammer out his cheerful.

Moletrap is becoming quite AZN

They have several rows of seats and if it fills up the staff will put out an extra row or two of seats in the front. Though they are metal seats, each of them have a soft and comfy GOMtv cushion. And remember when TT1 flinched from the flames? I sat in row 2 on GSTL day 2 and row 3 on GSTL day 3 and each time I could feel the wave of heat every time they ignited those torches. I could only imagine how the Korean players felt when they had to come out with their teams and line up with the torches blazing behind them. It's also worth mentioning that they keep the studio cold, so each burst of heat from the flames was quite welcome.

Since I attended during the GSTL week, they had the huge player benches out. According to a foreigner who had been there awhile told me during the regular season they replace them with more screens for the audience. But what was surprising at the GSTL was how close the audience was situated to the players. I was definitely in awe when the first team filed into their seats, the very players I had heard so much about and watched on streams were literally right there.

They've got two cameras fixed on the active players at all times, a crane in the far back that swoops across the audience overhead and a mobile cameraman who shoots the teams, audience, cheerfuls and miscellaneous action. A note is that you don't have to be in the front rows to have your cheerful featured. Just wait for the mobile camera to look in the audience and the operator will get to you. Other optimum times to hold up your cheerfuls are at the start of a game especially when they announce the player names and whenever the crowd goes wild smashing their balloon stix and shout.

There is also free wifi in the studio if you require it, which I did to draw a Phoenix in one of the cheerfuls I made.

The Experience

I did not travel to Korea just to watch the GSL, so I did have other travel commitments and thus weighed in my inability to stay for the full event. However, I was able to make it out to good portions of day 2, 3 and 4 and for the time I was there, it was incredible. I never followed the GSL religiously, but I always heard from my brother which players won and which were good. However, in the end that's all they were to me - names. Thankfully that is no longer the truth and I'll be rooting extra loud whenever I watch GanZi, Keen, MMA and the multitude of other players that I now have more familiarity with.

So close!

MarineKing's personal banner

The lights were literally blinding

On day 2, I got there just as the second game started between MvP and Prime. The audience was quite scarce so despite arriving a tad late, we were able to get really good seats. To address a common question, yes there were quite a few girls there. I sat in row two and drew my cheerful for oGs inspired by MC's Dreamhack quote and I saw myself on the big screen a couple times so I can only assume I made it onto the Korean stream. One thing that I noticed was how the GSTL was very much like afterschool sports here in Canada. The teams were situated on their respective benches analysing, commenting on their teammate's play and of course cheering. Several of the aforementioned girl audience members were still in their respective school uniforms, so they probably just headed to the studio after classes. It may also be funny to some to learn that MakaPrime gingerly prances around with his teammates, just an observation of the comradery between them. When they were down to game 6, a lot more people started to arrive and by the time oGs team members had joined behind the audience to watch MarineKing's games, the seats were starting to near max capacity. The number of girls drastically rose, nearly matched that of the guys - I could only assume it was for NaDa. At the same time, StarTale also arrived with JulyZerg sitting down behind my brother. We turned around to say hi, talked a bit and were going to take a picture, but he had some other StarTale player sit on his lap so we decided it would be awkward. It reminded me of how someone photoshopped a tiny IdrA on iNcontrol's lap. In front of us sat Rainbow and his girlfriend, who as rumoured was very hot - so this is the confirmation! The game finished and MarineKing just utterly stopped playing, buried his face in his hands letting DongRaeGu pillage his base. A teammate went into his booth to get him out. Despite Prime losing, as they left a studio a trio of girls sniped them with a gift of Ferro Rocher chocolates.

July looks this way!

oGs legends right before the audience

As oGs and StarTale setup they had a break and I passed by MC on my way out. I honestly think he's one of the funniest players I met there. I asked him a few questions and granted his English is limited, but he took his time to think of comedic answers. I even asked him where HuK was as I really wanted to meet the Liquid members too. Foreigners represent right? I stayed until MC defeated Ace and called out his next opponent. As I watched MC do his typical taunt, his actions didn't seem as blatantly cocky as people had made it out to be in the past, especially as it was part of the GSTL. A lot of players like Ace did taunts or little dances. I really think it was all done in good fun and for the entertainment of the audience more than anything. The Korean audience laughed and applauded every time these exchanges happened and a cameraman was quick to dash in front of you to catch the action. And as of this revision, even MC has stated the entertainment factor of his trademark persona in the MLG interview conducted by TeamLiquid.

One thing my brother and I were definitely after were pictures with the players. This proved difficult on the part of timing since the team members have to return to being on the bench if they step out during breaks. So I was unable to get one with MC as he had to go play Ace when I tried. However, I was in the lobby when NaDa went into the player lounge and as he returned I took the opportunity to ask for a photo. Luckily for me he obliged. Another thing to note is due to the smaller venue and the local audience being used to the players, so there were no real line-ups to interact with the Korean pros. As a visitor I was able to talk to the players, casters and staff in a much more relaxed manner in-between matches.

Goddamn, Nada is tall!

Stunning production value

Wanted to sit inside one

Day 3 of GSTL was when I couldn't believe my eyes. Even as a casual fan, I was no stranger to BoxeR. It was the legend himself! The audience was definitely much more packed and it was awesome to see an entire row of GanZi's friends/fans sit front and center cheering for him. I spied Cella looking at the audience as GanZi rolled Choya. I gave him a thumbs up as a sign of support and he returned with two thumbs up. As we know, things got really tense when GuMiho beat GanZi and started turning the game against Alicia. At Alicia's retreat with his Archons and remaining forces the entire audience was on the edge of their seats and at that moment I realized that even though the casting we heard was in Korean and the majority of the audience and I spoke different languages, it didn't matter. As Starcraft fans, the audience unanimously understood that what was on the line and going to ensue.

After Alicia's defeat they called for break and almost everyone went outside. I was able to meet Cella and have a short talk with him, he thanked us for coming all this way to watch them play. Cella as many know speaks English very well and was very willing to help ask BoxeR to take a picture with us. Hamburger Thief fighting! It was a very unreal moment, I shook BoxeR's hand, took a picture and then exchanged the customary bow. I was so starstruck that the picture turned out blurry and at the end I couldn't even believe I shook his hand. MMA then proceeded to beat GuMiho and then sC in a very tense tiebreaker. The winning team usually hangs around a bit so I was able to meet BoxeR's girlfriend aka SlayerS_Jessica who helped me get another picture with BoxeR and a picture with MMA plus a chance to speak to him for a bit. I wished MMA luck at MLG and told him to try out a Denny's breakfast. I reminded him on Twitter when I sent him the picture we got and he responded with: "thx! but i didn't understand this mean make sure to try denny's breakfast" which HuK responded with laughter and a retweet. Jessica also knows English which helped out a lot. She is also very shy, but if you ask, you can get a picture with her! It was great to see how happy and relieved Cella was post game. That tie breaker must've worn more heavily on him than the rest of the audience. oGs arrived just around that time and I was able to get my picture with MC as he remembered I wasn't able to get a picture the day before.

Starstruck!

Hamburger Thief forever!

With the rising star

I decided to arrive slightly earlier on the final day and was lucky to even get a seat in the 4th row. The audience was definitely packed by the time the games started. Aside from getting a decent seat, I was also able to catch them doing rehearsals. You may be wondering what rehearsals, but they were preparing for the various formations they would take for each time in the event that that said team won the finals. It was very cool to learn the level of professionalism and production the GOMtv staff put into their work in person as you can see most of the staff at work in the studio. It was then that the fake Day[9] walked in with his trusty pal Notepad. Like many of the other foreigners in attendance we had hoped to get a chance to meet Artosis and Tasteless in person and when we heard Day[9] was going to Korea, hopes rose that he'd be attending the finals. I'm not sure how many pictures there are of fake Day[9] but I know GOMtv girl got one and I nabbed one too. Here it is!

Norwegian fans? But I'm not exactly sure

What made the finals even more exciting to watch were the freebies the teams were giving out. Both MvP and SlayerS gave out team t-shirts to the crowd almost everytime their player took a win. As you may recall the end score was tight so MvP ended up handing out several shirts. As the player won, came out of his booth to high five his team, the manager handed him a shirt to hand out to a lucky fan. To my recollection, SlayerS only gave out a single shirt. I asked SlayerS_Jessica why this was so on Twitter and found out that the SlayerS team shirts were specially made by EXR so they're more expensive and a limited product. EXR is a specialty sportswear company in Korea.

The event was so live! I couldn't believe that Frozen was doing such immaculate play as he was turning the tide for the team. I had never heard of the guy before and when he went in with his Phoenixes and Void Rays, the entire audience was won over quickly. By his second win I had rushed to draw a cheerful for him, but unfortunately he had lost by the time I finished it. It was then that they called a break and I saw him leave the studio in frustration. I decided to give him the cheerful in the lobby anyway and instantly he was much happier thanking me and gave me a hug to my surprise - I had always heard Korean pros didn't really emote much but things are definitely different in Starcraft 2. I was also lucky enough to get a picture with him too, hopefully the cheerful is clear enough for everyone.

Punny amirite?

Missing HuK =(

Finally found Jon on the last day!

The Verdict

There is definitely a difference in the level of excitement in watching a game on stream and that of a live viewing as many who attended MLG can attest to. The opportunity to attend one of these events is definitely hard to come by, but in my opinion it is very much worth it. Especially as GSL is held in Korea it may be more difficult however you can tie it into a vacation like a lot of the foreign audience members did. There is so much to see and do in Seoul, you can spend the morning and afternoon exploring the city then head off to a relaxing evening of live GSL. Unfortunately there have been new changes to the GSTL system otherwise I'd highly recommend visiting Seoul during the GSTL season. If I had come a week in advance, I would not have been able to meet BoxeR or the other legendary players. Though I'm still miffed that I missed out on T-ara's performance at the finals - which was FREE! If they ever announce SNSD or 4minute as a partner I'll hop on a plane and head back to Korea. My suggestion now is to look in ahead when the schedules are posted on GOMtv and look up when your favourite teams are playing on the Thursday and Fridays.

Good luck, the journey may be difficult but it's well worth it. At least drop by the studio to try their delicious water, though MC may have to beat you into submission in defense of Swedish water.

I doubt this thread will ever reach the eyes of the GOMtv staff or the players of the GSL but if it by chance it does I hope they'll know how thankful I am for the incredible experience. *Kamsamnida* I met another foreigner there from Sweden who attended a Starcraft Brood War studio event and told me he never got a chance to meet and speak to the players. At these events, the players come out of another room in the back and leave immediately after their games. At GSL, the players come in the way you came in, walk by you and are willing interact with you. GOMtv has really gone to an effort in making the players we love easily accessible. I would never have thought that I'd ever met BoxeR in person but now I have and the same goes for the other pros. The live GSL experience was simply the icing on the cake that was my trip to Seoul and I highly recommend people to make it if they have the opportunity. Thanks again GOMtv, you guys are awesome!

Congratulations you made it to the end! Well almost anyway. If you did read all my blabbering above then you have my sincere thanks. I enjoy travelling very much during my summers off from school and I love giving the various fandoms I'm a part of glimpses though my roaming reports. I hope to attend other Starcraft 2 events alongside my trips in the future and provide similar insights - perhaps a MLG, Dreamhack or another GSL (Sooyoung and Hyuna forever!). However, before I leave you - they say pictures are worth a thousand words, so I hope the 3k words didn't bore you cause here come several thousand more.

[GSTL] A Foreigner's Guide and Experience

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