EPTArtosis : A Pillar of the Community
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Dan “Artosis” Stemkoski is one of the most well-recognized names in the Starcraft Community. He is one of the most popular casters in the world, with a huge fanbase and is one-half of the “Casting Archon” with Nick “Tasteless” Plott. Many people recognize him from casting in the GSL, but his impact on the community reaches far more than just casting, from interviewing prolific members and players to bridging and fostering a connection between the Foreign and Korean Starcraft scenes.
In Brood War, Artosis was one of the top players in the USA, qualifying multiple times for WCG USA and leading the premier USA clan [Media] in multiple Clan Wars. While he was a top player, his greatest contribution to the scene was not as a player, but as one of the first foreigners that would pave the way for others in South Korea.
Artosis went to South Korea in 2008 and began to provide interviews for the foreign community with just a Sony Handycam and a passion to provide content to the community. Not many people would leave a familiar environment for something new and unexpected with a risk of failure. Years later, with foreigners clamoring at the chance to come to Korea, and an exploding scene that continues to grow, it seems that this risk paid off.
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In 2008, he was approached by the IEG Company to come to Korea and produce content for the international scene. Artosis jumped on the first chance he got, becoming one of the first foreigners in Korea and living in the eSTRO house in the beginning. Under a meager salary and poor conditions, Artosis began to provide content to the community with a small video camera and doing weekly recap shows to provide more information to the community.
The transition from the USA to South Korea was not as easy as many people believe, especially back in 2008 when there were few, if any, foreigners in Korea at the time. Living with the eSTRO team, one of the poorest sponsored teams, was an exceptionally difficult task for Artosis. Being a vegetarian, he limited to only eating eggs and seaweed for a period of time. During the first few months, he did not have a salary and was forced to save and conserve his money through various methods; from rooming with over ten other people to jumping over subway stalls in order to avoid paying the fee. It was not an easy life, but Artosis did not regret it for a second.
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*dramatization of subway hopping
“ Hahahah, the good old days. I don’t regret it a second. A wonderful experience. Mr. Hong’s IEG company and SCForALL.com gave me a stupendous chance, I did with it what I could, and it was totally worth it. “
While in Korea, Artosis began commentating more and more and would soon become one of the best foreign commentators in the world. Before he went to Korea, Artosis started and commentated his own tournament, Ascension, and soon began to take on more responsibilities as a caster. Headlining both the TSL 1 and TSL 2 in 2008/2009, multiple WCG events , and smaller regional events like e-Stars Seoul.
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With the beta release of Starcraft II, international attention flooded the community. Small tournaments sprung up overnight with prizes that would have been huge just six months before, YouTube became the ideal site to share commentaries and VODs, and an influx of new players pumped life into a slowly dying scene. Commentators like HDStarcraft and Husky became forerunners in Youtube Casting, community figures like Day9 exploded with popoularity, and interest was sparked in the Korean Scene. Many people wondered if the Koreans would take interest in the game, and if it would be just as popular as Brood War was.
Artosis became rose to prominence early in the beta, from taking part in podcasts like State of the Game to being Mothership-rushed by a Blizzard Employee. He began to post VODs of his play and cast exclusive replays of players like IdrA combatting the Koreans. However, many people wanted to know what was in store for both Artosis and his casting partner Nick.
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The GSL was announced and is considered to be one of the most groundbreaking announcements to hit the eSports world. The Global Starcraft League became the first major tournament entirely devoted to Starcraft II . While it is a primary a Korean Production, the GSL would be commentated by both Artosis and Tasteless. With a near unheard of prizepool at the time, and a rapidly improving production, many people believe that the GSL is the best Starcraft II League in the world.
With the surge in popularity from a combination of being a longstanding member within the community and being one of the primary casters of the GSL, Artosis began to spread his influence and knowledge into more and more areas. From qualifying for the first ever GSL, to casting at events like MLG and Dreamhack , to producing content like “Imbalanced!” , Artosis continues to be one of the most essential figures to the community.
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Artosis is, without a doubt, one of the most passionate members of the Starcraft Community. His contributions to the community is invaluable, and a great resource to the scene. He has given us countless interviews, casts, information, and is someone that will always be irreplaceable to the community. Whether it’s a passionate cast with tears in his eyes, or a simple tweet, almost everything he does drives the community forward in some way.
So Artosis, this is to you, cheers you sick nerd baller.
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Yes Artosis isn't perfect, but he is someone to be respected in the community. I combed through alot of interviews and whatnot. Major thanks to those sources, from Liquipedia to Gosutrolling and sites like SKGaming and TL itself. Have a good year everyone, and if Artosis reads this. I love you. <3
Edit: Links I used
http://gosutrolling.com/2010/12/gosutrolling-interviews-artosis/
http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=98466
http://www.readmore.de/index.php?cont=news&id=6881&page=1&update=true#comment_2248100
http://www.teamliquid.net/blogs/viewblog.php?topic_id=99348
http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/Artosis
http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/R1CH/CampfireStories/My First LAN by Artosis.mp3
Edit: Links I used
http://gosutrolling.com/2010/12/gosutrolling-interviews-artosis/
http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=98466
http://www.readmore.de/index.php?cont=news&id=6881&page=1&update=true#comment_2248100
http://www.teamliquid.net/blogs/viewblog.php?topic_id=99348
http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/Artosis
http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/R1CH/CampfireStories/My First LAN by Artosis.mp3
