Core Gaming Official Launch

Core is a semi-professional gaming community comprised of 300 registered members who play SC2, DOTA2, and LoL. The ‘Core of Core’ originated from an SC2 arcade game called Aeon of Storms.

Core Gaming is a limited liability company owned in part by CorePRO Design LLC and has distributed equity amongst our management figures. Justin (me) owns the majority.

Core is financed by its sponsors: CorePRO Design LLC, FundSponge , and Cellaflora. CorePRO is a company I started last month with a few buddies of mine to consolidate our consulting services under one company – this also serves as the conduit whereby management funnels personal funds into Core Gaming. FundSponge is a company run by Jason ([Core]PeaSea) that assists groups, both large and small, with fundraising by setting up their own amazon.com stores. FundSponge provides both monetary and technical assistance to Core. Cellaflora is our current primary sponsor. They are a professional software firm that provides monetary assistance to Core.

All of our servers, websites, graphics, and video production are fully funded through August 2014. All of our players have contracts through November 1st, 2013 with contract renegotiations scheduled for mid-October. We do have personal assets set aside to fund players through August 2014, though ideally we would want to get enough external funding to where management does not have to use their own money. The salaries we provide will be supplemental income and not primary income for our players. Roughly 60% of the funds used for compensation are set aside for merit-based pay.

No. At this stage, Core managers are prohibited from profiting from Core Gaming. All money that funnels into Core goes directly to the players and the web infrastructure. Managers will, however, be reimbursed for expenses directly related to their line of work, but not for labor or services rendered. For example, if our video producer needs to purchase a licensed template for an upcoming tournament, Core will purchase the license on his behalf, but will not pay him to produce the video.

Our managers are professional individuals who have full-time occupations outside of Core Gaming. We love eSports and especially Starcraft II. This has always been a passion that we wanted to pursue and we finally hit a critical point where our interests aligned and we saw an opportunity to support a team. We love our community and our players, and we enjoy every minute that we get to help Core grow.

Core has one roster with a cap of 18 players. We currently have 12 players with 6 of them receiving a monthly salary. However, all players are treated equally whether they are salaried or not. All players sign the same contracts, with the only difference being who receives a salary and who does not. Of course, non-salaried players receive more lenient time allocations. As for selection, Core uses a combination of Power Rankings and the Core Challenger Series (CCS). The power rankings (scroll down) are tabulated by management up until the point of signing and have 6 primary categories: Tournament performance, ladder activity, major wins, worth ethic, attitude, and stream. Players receive points in each of these categories. Points are reassessed on a weekly basis after each player submits a brief weekly summary of his or her SC2 activity and performance. These points are then added to the player’s performance during the CCS. The CCS is a two week round robin tournament that takes place from October 12th and October 26th. Players receive points based on where they finish in this tournament and these points are added to the points from their power rankings. Per roster availability, those spots are filled by the players with the highest point totals. Interested? Apply here

Core actually has two websites. One website is our public face, www.coreprogaming.com which is dedicated to the professional teams and our sponsors. Our second website is our private community website, which supports our active forums, files, replays, arcade games, mock economy, tournaments, rankings, and statistics. This website is open for any person to join. Content on this site is strictly moderated. Go to www.coreprogaming.com and click the “Join/Login” button to join the community website.

Yes, Core has an active private TeamSpeak server for its members. To access the teamspeak, join the Core community and an email will be sent to you with the server information.

All players receive custom stream overlays and graphics upon request. All players are eligible to receive gear on an as-needed basis. For example, Edge needed a new mic, so we bought him one. OneTrickPony needed a webcam, so we bought him one. JonSnow needed a new mouse, so we bought him one. Sonic needed a headset, so we bought him one. Etc etc.. Salaried players get first priority for gear allocations, but non-salaried players also receive gear on an as needed basis. Core also has a private players area which, among other things, houses our career center. We have a robust network of companies that provide part-time, work-from-home job opportunities. These jobs are posted in the players area if players would like a chance to supplement their income by completing computer-related work in the comfort of their home. We also provide players with resume assistance, scholarship application assistance, and job placement assistance. What do we mean by this? If a player is interested, say, in computer engineering. We will arrange a contact between that player and a recruiter, have an expert review their resume, assist them with any cover letters or documentation, and then the rest is up to them. We do not promise players careers or jobs, but we do our best to provide them with any support they need outside of Starcraft.

All players are paid by the 1st of every month. They submit a PayPal request directly to Core Gaming and receive payment that same day. All players have been paid for August and September already.

No.

Core is primarily a merit-based performance team. We cover tournament entry fees on a case-by-case basis. Twice per month, Core hosts a ‘CoreHouse’ tournament, which is a round robin between Core players (both salaried and not salaried). Prize pools range from $25-100 depending on funding for that month. Players receive their prize money immediately following the conclusion of the CoreHouse. There are also other built-in incentives. For example, every time a player hits top 5 GM, they receive $25. This is valid once per month. Starting in mid-September, we will host a monthly $100-200 show match between two Core players or one Core player and another player. With the new contracts on November 1st, base salaries will be relatively modest, with most extra funding going towards merit pay. All Core players, salaried or not, are eligible for merit pay. Starting November 1st, we look to expand the merit pool to total $300-500 per month. Nothing you can buy a car with, but some nice extra cash on the side.

Per our budget, we will send all qualified players (both salaried and non-salaried) to intra-country premier tournaments. In other words, we do not yet have the funds to fly a European or Korean player to the U.S for them to play in a tournament. On a quarterly basis, we do, however, have the funds to fly one or two players from New York to Los Angeles and provide them with accommodations for a premier tournament. We will take travel on a case by case basis, but will definitely guarantee local travel to be subsidized. For example, if you live in Maryland and there is a LAN in New York that you qualified for, we will coach bus you there and pay for your hotel and food.

Yup! Which ones? That’s for the players to decide.

Yes. Players have 100% open access to all management figures, including myself. This includes skype, email, and phone with a guaranteed response to all inquiries within 5 hours. We are all partners working together to make Core the best it can be and I see no reason why we all should not be treated fairly and given the respect we deserve.

Yes. This team is under development and in the try-out stages, but is not relevant to discuss in this Starcraft II thread. We will make a post in the League forums once the team is ready to launch.

Yes. Apply Here.

“My experience with Core has been great so far. The management is an extremely professional and passionate group that has some awesome plans for the future. The players on the team are also very passionate and together we are going to have one of the best rosters in NA.”

“I really like Core because of the team itself and our managers give me the motivation and help I need to improve my play style. Also, I really like having the teamspeak and skype, it’s really helpful to keep up the communication and to get to know all the players.”

“Core Gaming has really surprised me. There is so much positive energy from management who try their best to make the players feel comfortable.”

“Core gaming has given me the opportunity to reach my potential through their trusting and supportive staff, and professional outlook.”

“Team Core has a mature environment full of people who can be relaxed and serious when needed to be. They have been reasonable and professional about my recruitment process. The managers listen to us players and act upon it with a response that improves the team.”

“I enjoy all the players and management. It's been a fun experience so far and my headset is legit.”

“I really enjoy working with the Core Gaming Team Management. They have done a tremendous job in giving exposure and bringing business to my site. They have really given me faith in what the eSports community can do for my site. I can't wait to see what new opportunities might come up to benefit us both in the future.”

“I'm really happy being able to play for Core, I will improve much faster with players here. Playing for them will be a great experience!”

“I've been in Core gaming since the beginning of the sc2 roster. I helped negotiations with our CEO and the setup of Core gaming in terms of producing a roster. All of our players were paid upfront the day they decided to join the pro team and sign our contracts, even before all the logistics of the team were fully worked out. I can personally vouch for the legitimacy and devotion of Core gaming and all its players. We now have a strong roster and hope to help our players grow and achieve greater feats and hope we provide all the support necessary for these players.”