EPT
Dove is a Former Professional Brood War player for the highly reputable team: SK-Telecom 1 who has now switched full time to SC2.![[image loading]](http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n211/gamegenex2/1-1.jpg)
Is there anything you wish to say to the mainly foreign SC2 audience who may not know you?
It’s natural that not a lot of people know me. I started gathering fans by streaming Brood War on Afreeca and Team Liquid, but I am a nobody in SC2. I’ve been putting in a lot of hours into SC2 and even though I am not popular like other streamers I will work hard to please and gain fans.
Did you have a background in gaming before playing Starcraft? When you picked up Starcraft as an amateur, were you naturally gifted with the game?
I played Diablo II six months before Starcraft was released. Starcraft was fun 6th, 7th grade back then when there were no professional teams. When I first picked up Starcraft as an amateur I sucked, I was really terrible at the game. My hands were really slow. I didn’t even get to practice that much because of studies. However one day all of a sudden my hands became a lot faster and I had a huge jump in skill.
How young were you when you first decided to pursue a career as a professional Starcraft player? How did your family react? How do they feel about your career now?
I first decided to become a professional gamer in my junior year of high school. I entered a small tournament where I crushed a pro named
Rhythm. That motivated me to enter a Courage Tournament, and there I met 
s2 and 
BeSt. I beat BeSt in the quarter finals and s2 in the finals to receive my pro gaming license. When I first suggested the idea of becoming a professional gamer to my parents, they were really against it, but I kept trying to convince them over and over again little by little. When I won the courage tournament, I dropped out of high school and joined SK-Telecom 1.
My parents were supportive when they saw that I was on TV.
In 2010 when I was quitting, I didn’t have notable achievement, I was not a break out player in the professional scene. At that point they went into “I told you so mode” and I got a lot of pressure to study from my parents. Streaming Brood War I constantly talked about this. 50 percent of it was pressure from my parents and the other 50 percent was me wanting to study.
Right now I don’t think they are proud of my decision to become a gamer.
It must have been a very emotional experience joining SK-Telecom 1, one of the biggest established teams in Brood War.
![[image loading]](http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n211/gamegenex2/1205492169_1.jpg)
When I first joined SKT1 in 2006, it was sort of unreal for me because there were all these famous players that I had saw on TV and now I was living with them.
Were
BeSt and s2 not progamers back then since you knocked them out of the courage tournament?They were online practice partners back then.
Did you meet
BoxeR?I met
BoxeR when he was still playing for SKT1, six months after I joined he would leave for the military and found the Air Force team ACE.Could you describe him?
BoxeR treated his teammates and junior’s really nice as a senior player should. He practiced really hard. I joined about one week apart from BeSt, and I remember going home on vacation with BeSt, and when we came back we saw BoxeR had been playing through vacation days. It really inspired me to work harder and be like BoxeR.You seem to be mentioning
BeSt a lot, could you describe him?I was close to
BeSt even when we were amateurs when we entered the 
Courage at the same time. We don’t really keep in touch now since I’ve retired. BeSt has a very cool personality, he’s definitely not a warm person.![[image loading]](http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n211/gamegenex2/DSCF1443.jpg)
Not warm?
시크 (Shee-Kuh), he doesn’t really care about trivial things. He isn’t the type of person to tangle himself up in relationships. He acts just the way he looks doesn’t he?
BeSt actually doesn’t work out. Amongst teammates his nickname is “horse”.Can you spill a secret? Who was the most hard working and who was the laziest in SKT1?
Midas and BoxeR were the hardest working, and I was the slacker.A lot of foreigners assume that Korean training houses are military boot camps, where you are forced to play Starcraft in 10+ hour sessions, with little breaks in between. What were the training conditions actually like, living in the SKT house?
The training regimes were pretty harsh, but at the same time we all knew that we were professionals. We knew we needed to put in the time and the long hours.
To be honest compared to what other teams were saying we had a very relaxed schedule and had more vacation teams than other teams.
When I first joined the team Coach Joo was the coach for SKT1, but when Coach Park replaced him my vacation days were cut and the practice schedule got a lot harder.
The dorm conditions were good, only 2 people in a room which was not what I had expected.
When I first entered with Coach Joo, everyone was together. The dorm was practically two houses put together, one side was the practice room and the other side was for food and sleep. When Coach Park joined the team, we moved to a training facility where the practice facilities were totally separate from the dormitories. Coach Park had wanted separation between work and home.
![[image loading]](http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n211/gamegenex2/2.jpg)
Were there moments where you thought about giving up?
There were a lot of times where I wanted to give up. In the Proleague Finals against MBC, I was matched up against
910[Ete] and Thezerg and I had been suffering from food poisoning. I wasn’t in my best condition and I didn’t play that well. I had made a critical mistake that cost me the game. And I think that’s why the team lost vs MBC. That was the one moment where I wanted to quit.What kept you going?
My parents were so against my decision to go professional in the beginning. I felt like I had to accomplish something so I could look them in the eyes.
What was your favorite single game that you played in BW? Who was it against and could you describe it?
Two games that stand in my mind:
One was my debut match against
ShinHwA and Dongrae back then when they were called unbeatable and I defeated them in my first televised match.My second game was vs ] [Min] [Gu] [ on Blitz in the MBC Survivor tournament.
Coach oov had devised a unique strategy: 8 barracks and then a command center. The point of this build was to tech to vessels fast. I was supposed to deny scouting from the ramp the entire game, but one zergling slipped through my scvs and my entire strategy was revealed putting me at a disadvantage.
I was able to win the game through good engagements. I felt proud because the build was unheard of at the time.
As a Terran player, which players did you admire the most?
Midas, BoxeR, Fantasy, Canata and Flash.If you had to pick one or two out of the bunch?
Fantasy and Flash because they both practice really hard and play really well.Flash is a God and God is imbalanced. I actually practiced with him.Could you describe
Flash? Why do you think he’s so dominant despite having relatively lower APM than other professional gamers?Flash just has a way to design the game before the game starts. He will plan all of his moves before and execute it flawlessly. He is a really nice person outside the game.![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/3yd5X.jpg)
What do you think about the Flashcot?
If I was
Flash I’d be pissed because the doll looks ugly. Korean people are really sensitive to body proportions, the Korean rule of thumb is that you look better if the head is smaller but they made the head massive.Why did you retire from Brood War?
I decided to retire because I wanted to study, and lack of performance/achievements as a professional gamer in SC1 was very disappointing.
How did you get into SC2?
Even when I was studying I felt like I had something missing. I missed that feeling Brood War gave me. I remember seeing SC2 and seeing all these players like
MMA who is a close friend of mine I used to play with who wasn’t even that good. It lit a competitive spark in me again.How long are you planning to play SC2?
I plan on playing for a year. I want to win any kind of competition to see if I have any hope at this game. The last tournament that I won was the courage tournament so long ago; I haven’t accomplished anything yet. So I want to win something. I want to put everything I have in this game for a year.
If I do not accomplish anything I’ll give up and focus on my career and my future.
Many former players are currently serving their military service requirement, playing other games, working as coaches/commentators for the scene, or are in non esport occupations. Do you have any thoughts on your former colleague’s decisions?
I don’t really care about it to be honest. I see people I used to know working on E-Sport or other jobs, so it’s kind of cool seeing former players doing things that are not pro gaming.
As a former professional player from an established team, you have a very unique perspective on the esport scene in Korea. What do you think of the burgeoning SC2 scene in Korea? Is it comparable to Brood War?
I first started talking about BW from development to the twilight years of the BW scene.
When I first strated streaming Brood War on Team Liquid, I had a foreigner ask me: “people still play this game?”
It was really shocking for me, because in Korea there is no real doubt that people still play Brood War. I thought to myself “Oh my God, I’ve been trapped from the rest of the world”. I thought I was the shit in Korea, but all this time there was this whole other world for Starcraft. I was shocked that there were BW fans outside Korea.
I think SC2 has a future: it’s exciting it’s getting a lot of development and media coverage. I watched the Blizzard Cup and Blizzcon and that was really cool. There’s a lot of infrastructure from Blizzard and tournaments are everywhere.
Outside Korea, SC2 has grown immensely popular over the past years. Many Korean players, most notably NaDa have joined foreigner teams for higher salaries and more opportunities to compete in events abroad. Do you see yourself possibly joining a foreigner team and/or competing in tournaments such as MLG/NASL/IEM/IPL. If you do join a team, would you be willing to live outside of Korea?
I think it’s natural that people do that because it’s a career. If you’re offered a higher salary of course you are going to accept it. If I were to go pro and get an offer from a foreign team, I would definitely be persuaded to accept that opportunity.
Of course I would love to go to tournaments around the world, because that’s part of being a professional: the busier the better.
However I think I would be a little hesitant about moving abroad. I am a little scared because I have never been outside of Korea. I don’t want to be alone without friends in a foreign culture and have to use a different language.
It is widely accepted that SC2 is an easy game and not as mechanically difficult as Brood War. For that same reason, many Brood War players/fans and even SC2 players believe it is too easy and makes the game less exciting/challenging. Do you share this notion? Do you find as much enjoyment playing SC2 as you did playing Brood War? What about watching?
The interface of SC2 definitely makes it easier for everybody. I don’t have to baby sit all of my units and buildings, and it’s a lot more user friendly. I don’t think it’s an easier game though. I was one of those people who thought SC2 would be so easy compared to BW. When I was first playing I was surprised by how fast paced the games were. There is a bigger emphasis on control and micro management.
When I first started Brood War I didn’t have a computer at home. I had to use a computer Hagwon, and there was SC installed on there. One time I was playing and there was this older guy who I was learning with. He told me he wanted to teach me something, there’s a seniority thing in Korea and I had to say okay. He didn’t teach me anything. He started playing and half an hour later he was still playing and I went home crying.
One thing about the original Starcraft: The mineral counters were white, but in the expansion the mineral counters were green. When Brood War first came out the old man whispered to me to keep it a secret so no one swarms to play the new expansion.
I don’t think it is fair for me to commentate on viewing and enjoying games, because I am a professional gamer. When I watch a replay I have to analyze and study it like a text book.
One thing I think about a lot, is after
MMA beat MVP in the GSL Finals at Blizzcon, MMA told me that he really does not regret his decision to become a pro gamer in SC2. A lot of feelings went through my head when I heard that. “He’s having so much success, despite being completely unknown back then.”![[image loading]](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2152/5807620450_a13f2a42e3_z.jpg)
You seem to be good friends with
MMA, what’s he like to you?MMA is just really nice and kind.Any stand out memories?
Back in the internal ranking games inside the SKT1 house, I crushed him 4-0 the first games.
MMA asked for a 30 minute break before continuing and I agreed. When the break was over he reversed the score to 4-4. He had been pumping himself up during the break, that is the kind of player he is.What do you think of Terran in SC2 compared to Brood War? Are there any particular concepts, such as the Orbital command or Tech Lab, that you find peculiar/interesting?
I would not recommend Terran to anyone starting the game. When I first got into SC2, people saying “Terran easy”, “Terran imbalanced” and I cannot agree with that. Beginning players should play Protoss or Zerg because Terran is extremely difficult to master.
I hate the add ons for barracks, it feels like such a hassle because whenever I build barracks I do a BW sim city without considering add ons, and then I remember and have to move all of them one space over.
People say I scan too much. It’s a BW habit because you would scan whenever you did not know what your opponent was doing, but in SC2 I use up so much energy I have no MULEs. MULE is a good mechanic that I like but I really hate warp in for Protoss, they such a cheap mechanic for their army.
Bionic seems to be noticeably stronger than mechanic, in all match ups, especially protoss. Is it difficult using marines and marauders in all match ups instead of just one? How do you feel about each matchup in general?
If you watched my stream in Brood War you know I like bionic army over mechanic army. I hate using mechanic. When I first saw SC2 and saw that I don’t have to play mechanic, and that I could use Bionic I was so happy and confident. But when I first started playing I didn’t realize how hard TvP would be. TvZ and TvT are difficult for me, but it’s mostly a learning problem. TvP always feels impossible for me because whenever it gets to maxed army vs maxed army I don’t know how to win. I have nightmares about being psi storm’d to oblivion.
What was your first game like?
It was a team game among friends in a PC Bang. I remember misclicking a lot because the mineral patches were so much smaller. Also I cannot get used to the vulture firing animation, going from the grenade to the strange flame thrower line. Marine firing animation is also different speed so that was something I had to get used to.
I remember one of my first games, I got zergling rushed and I didn’t know how to wall in SC2. I pulled my scvs and attacked like I would in SC1 and I was shocked at how bad they were. (60HP -> 45 HP).
How difficult is it to pick up new strategies and standard tactics for a new game? Which SC2 player(s) have you been studying to learn the game?
I’m still having a lot of trouble picking up new strategies. I don’t have a good feel for the game: I don’t know how many workers I need to saturate a base or when I am safe, or how to macro correctly or power up. I watched a couple
MMA replays but there aren’t a lot of replays of anybody out there so I have to watch whatever Terran games there are available.Favorite new unit?
The marauder.
Which new unit do you despise the most?
I hate the colossus and Templar because units clump up so much in SC2-
WAIT I CHANGE MY MIND. I hate the infestor the most. It’s a piece of shit. It needs to be removed from the game.
Many SC2 players know that Brood War players are gifted with fast hands, and many want to know: how do you become faster and increase your APM?
Some inherit aptitude factors into hand speed. I think anyone can improve hand speed though. I remember asking
Bisu how his hands were so fast and how he was so good at multitasking. Bisu says he uses an application called APM live that showed the current APM in game and that he would make a conscious effort to constantly keep it up above a certain number. When I first started professional gaming I was only at 200 APM, but now my average is around 400.You are currently team less and practicing on your own. How do you maintain a strong work ethic to keep practicing? What’s the main difference between the BW practice regime and SC2 practice regime?
I have plenty of motivation because I am not terribly young anymore. I am 23, I have given up a lot for professional gaming and I want to pursue this dream I dropped out of high school and didn’t go to college. This is what I want to do. That is where my motivation comes from. My strong work ethics come from living in a team house. The main difference between practicing in Brood War and practicing in SC2 is that in Brood War, whenever I lose I know why I lost and how I can improve. Whenever I lose in SC2 I have no idea how I lost and how I can improve or where to look.
With years of gaming experience on your hands, are there any tips you want to give to the young amateur players out there who wish to pursue pro gaming?
There are people who actually want to pursue a pro life outside of Korea? Wow.
As a senior with many years ahead of them, I want to say that a lot of foreigners talk about how bad and terrible conditions are for practice facilities in Korea for professional teams. If small stuff like that is going to deter you from pursuing your dream then don’t even try.
People like
Fantasy and Flash are ridiculously good because they put everything into it. If top level players are that good and putting in that much effort, you need to be motivated to practice and try three times harder than Flash and Fantasy. You need passion.You are going to be attempting to qualify for Code A in a short while, are you confident?
I don’t have high expectations because it’s been so little time since I first started playing. But I am confident though, I am playing a lot and my goal is to make it through prelims.
Closing thoughts?
I want to thank you for interviewing me, even though I am a nobody in SC2, I am very thankful for providing me with this opportunity. Thank you to rotinegg for helping translate and interview me for a long time. When I was streaming on Afreeca there was so many people and it was lively, now not a lot of people watch my stream, but I will do my best to get more viewers and fans. I will work hard in SC2.
Where can we follow and support Dove?
http://www.twitter.com/dove_kr
http://www.facebook.com/youdove
http://www.twitch.tv/in_dove
Favorite Korean artist/song? Favorite English artist/song?
Youhnha –내 남자친구를 부탁해 (Please Take Care Of My Boyfriend)
Beyonce
Journey – Open Arms
Girlfriend?
One of my older teammates introduced a girl to me when I was on SKT1 and we went out for 4 years. She is very pretty and beautiful, but I didn’t have time for her because I was a professional gamer. She waited for me for four years, but when I retired I was studying for college. She broke up with me last September and I am very sad about it.
(He’s single ladies!)
Care to say something to your audience in English?
Thanks for sharing with me. I’ll win many tournaments. I really appreciate to my fans and… one of my fans called me panti-terran but I never wear boxer underwear so it wasn’t underwear it was just…pants.
(Translated afterwards): BoxeR gave me my uniform when I left. I wasn’t sure what to call the pants, the lower half of the uniform so I called it underpants. I told my viewer that Boxer gave me underwear and they were shocked that BoxeR gave me his panties so they called me Panty Terran.
![[image loading]](http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n211/gamegenex2/P071105001_06502.jpg)
I want to offer a big thank you to rotinegg for devoting hours of time helping me translate and interview Dove. It was a conversation between friends and an amazing and unreal experience. rotinegg came up with a lot of these questions on the fly and had just such great Korean and English. Also shout out to Spica who despite being unable to translate recommended rotinegg in his place. You are also awesome.
Go watch In_Dove's stream! HE'S FEATURED! He answers questions from the chat and commentates if you ask him nicely!
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/ARUJ0.jpg)
