EPTOriginal: http://www.fomos.kr/board/board.php?mode=read&keyno=136357&db=issue
![[image loading]](http://img1.cache.netease.com/game/starcraft2/news/201310/80.jpg)
Recently, a Korean journalist met Stork near the Samsung teamhouse. When the journalist told Stork that the interview topic would be 'Truth after drinking', Stork said, "I'm a really good drinker." The journalist and Stork went to a soju bar; even though they did not drink a lot, Stork spoke straightforwardly as always, and told us about issues that we did not understand.
1) Young progamers aren’t like what they were before; they even scolded me
Q: In the past, you were interviewed at your peak; nowadays does it feel rusty to be interviewed?
A: Even though I left my position at the top, I still have a desire to win tournaments, so it doesn’t matter. I have already been at many finals, and I still want to enter more, so I cannot retire. But this time I advanced from Code B and met Yoda, and was frustrated again. (laughs)
Q: Recently you entered the individual leagues again after 2 years, were you excited to return to the booth?
A: A bit (laughs). I don’t actually know when the fans stopped coming to see my matches; it was a bit lonely. But when I played Yoda, a fan came in a dinosaur suit. I was amazed and yet overwhelmed by feelings.
Q: Nowadays the players you meet in tournaments are all your juniors now, but you still fight. Even if it is not for the fans, you must be feeling different nowadays?
A: Yes. But recently a few players have become too disrespectful. In matches, even if you use barcode IDs you can still be recognized. But in a match, a player actually badmouthed me. Of course it does not feel good to get badmouthed. So I asked my teammates who he was, and they told me he was a rookie from a certain team. I was very mad so I demanded him to explain why he badmouthed me: “I am Stork, I am older, I am more experienced, don’t say I am cashing out on my seniority, at least have some respect whether it is offline or online”. But he dared to say, “So what?” I met him later, and talked about that incident again. He actually said that aren’t you very annoying, remembering about this all the time, so I got mad again. Young players have many disrespectful actions like this; it shocks me every time. At least I did not do it when I was young.
Q: Really? That really shocks me. It’s true in your team as well, when Juni and Jangbi left, you are the only one left who is over 25 years old. Does it feel sad?
A: I don’t care about these minor things because I am blood type A. I like to go to the convenience store myself, I don’t like to order my juniors around or make fun of them. They aren't afraid of me anyway so I don't feel very comfortable.
Q: Seems like you have a lot of problems. Why don’t you tell us all about it?
A: Turn isn’t young in the team, and there aren’t any problems. Apart from this, as a player myself I can understand all my teammates’ problems. Turn has times when he wants to relax, and I should not ask about that. Reality is very obedient, RorO doesn’t chat much at all. Even though Shine always says inappropriate things, he will explain to me afterwards. But the even younger players are giving me trouble. Even if I scold them, when I leave they can laugh immediately. It’s true that from a teammate’s standpoint, no one can scold anyone else, but as a team captain and the senior member, there are things that I must scold about, and there has to be a person to take charge. Maybe I am not good at leading yet. But it’s good that everyone is very obedient. (laughs)
Q: Shouldn’t that be the job of coach Odin?
A: Odin is a coach, he can’t deal with all these sentimental issues, and both Jangbi and Juni left. It’s so bad! (laughs)
Q: But you have been captain for so long already, wouldn’t you feel that your juniors will always listen to you?
A: When I started being a captain I was very happy. The juniors I don’t know. But when I don’t like it, I will tell them immediately, but the juniors never seem to reflect on their mistakes. But as I just said, they’re pretty obedient now, so there’s nothing more to say.
![[image loading]](http://img1.cache.netease.com/game/starcraft2/news/201310/80b.jpg)
2) I was once so addicted to World of Warcraft that I tasted the bitterness of failure
Q: It’s been nice talking about SC2, but there is a lot of undisclosed history, including the one time you almost lost your marshall-cap.
A: Ah. In 2006, just as the rumours said, I was addicted to World of Warcraft. (laughs) To be honest I started playing in 2005; I went to PC Bang with the Warcraft 3 players on my team, and I started getting addicted there. And then in 2006, I played with the other SC players, but only I got overly addicted. I ran to PC Bang whenever my practice time finished. But I was still no. 1 in my team, so I did not realize how bad it was, until I disappointed my fans. I think of so many things when I start talking about my history… (laughs)
Q: When it comes to signature styles, Stork used Reaver-Carrier (T/N not sure here) while Bisu used Corsair DT. But it’s disappointing that your rivalry has ended.
A: Really? I am a fan of creating new openings. Both Reaver-Carrier and Corsair-DT are basic build orders. I know that Corsair-DT was invented by Bisu, but before him, Pusan already used this strategy against Savior. It was unfortunate that he failed. Bisu and Pusan are teammates, so I suppose they shared the strategy. Reaver-Carrier was a pre-existing opening that I use depending on the situation.
Q: But Stork’s Reaver-Carrier also had times when it was badly beaten. I am talking about the finals with Flash.
A: 2008 Bacchus OSL? I don’t even want to remember that place. I remember I cried that day. Originally I thought Flash would use a BBS build on Katrina, so I used a counter build that went fast 3rd Nexus, but I lost horribly. I often make excuses for myself so my fans didn’t let me explain. (laughs)
![[image loading]](http://img1.cache.netease.com/game/starcraft2/news/201310/80a.jpg)
Stork in Proleague
3) Loves to emulate Liquid`HerO in SC2; horrible memories of the terrible SPL results
Q: Let’s return to SC2, your ‘bland’ style has disappeared gradually. It seems very different from in SC1
A: In SC2 I want to emulate Liquid`HerO’s style. I was originally an aggressive player who liked to create all sorts of strategies. The standard strategies already exist, so if I invent some variations, I will have my own style, just like HerO. Actually in practice I just attack constantly, and lose like there is no tomorrow. But in SC2 Protoss is required to defend first, so maybe that is why I lose.
Q: Your SPL results are the worst in TaekBangLeeSsang. Maybe it is because as you said, your transition period was longer.
A: Now that I think of it, even when I could not win championships in SC1, I did not do too badly. In SC2 it started out like that as well, but then I started a very long losing streak. Anyway since Bisu has retired, I will eventually overtake him in the most wins category. (laughs)
Q: After seeing Bisu’s retirement, many fans are doubting whether Stork is about to retire.
A: I also thought of retiring. Every season after the transition to SC2 I worry about it. When I was a teenager I played this game because I had fun, after I turned 20 I started experiencing many problems and could not focus completely on Starcraft. But even so, I want to fight till the last moment.
Q: Your SPL results this season must be your worst failure in your career.
A: This SPL really went badly for me. Even though it was hard, I did not think about resting. I would go into the booth, and then I always lost, and when you lose a lot you want to take a rest. But the head coach always made me play, and so the results looked worse and worse. It’s not only this problem, many personal problems affected me and I even went to see a psychiatrist, it was tough. I won’t disclose the specifics. (laughs)
4) It’s the player’s responsibility for retiring; strongly against Afreeca streaming
Q: Your form hasn’t returned yet, but Jangbi already retired; it must be a huge blow. Are you under a lot of pressure to perform better than in last season?
A: I don’t think I can boast about our team’s success after Jangbi retired. He was that important of a player. We don’t need to discuss my results; my confidence has dropped a lot and even the players that I want to learn from have retired. I feel both disappointed and burdened.
Q: So why did the good players retire?
A: If e-Sports would become like other sports it would be nice, but it has not. Maybe it is because the players e-Sports are very young, so they need time to adapt to change. They have not fully considered the situation so more and more people are retiring.
On October 31 2013 02:42 OpticalShot wrote:
I feel like these doubly-translated threads are baits for the direct translators to come out and clarify... well I'm baited.
Here's the original Korean text and my direct translation for the streaming part.
+ Show Spoiler [Original Korean] +
- Still, many retired progamers are interacting with their fans via their personal streams. [These streamers/streams] are quite popular, are you perhaps jealous of them?
▶ My view on those personal streams is very negative. It's sad to see them embarrass themselves in their broadcasts. Besides, even those associated with the matchfixing scandal are streaming, and that makes it even harder to view the streams in a positive light. I take great personal pride in being a progamer. Fans don't come one by one, they come by the tens of thousands to cheer [for the progamers/teams]. For those fans, the core motivation behind their loyalty is the player's skill. Some of the [ex-progamer] streamers shatter those images while broadcasting, and [even do things that show] they treat the fans as money [and nothing more]. All of these guys were perfectly fine before [when I met them / was with them in eSports stadiums/competitions]. That's why it's so disappointing to see these guys turn [into what I described above] just for money. Streaming for [enjoyment of the game, etc.] is fine, but I hope they don't stream for the sole purpose of making money. Of course, not all streamers are like that.
I feel like these doubly-translated threads are baits for the direct translators to come out and clarify... well I'm baited.
Here's the original Korean text and my direct translation for the streaming part.
+ Show Spoiler [Original Korean] +
- 그래도 은퇴한 선수들은 개인방송을 통해서 팬들을 찾고 있잖아요. 인기가 장난이 아니던데, 부럽지는 않아요?
▶ 저는 개인방송에 대해서 굉장히 부정적이거든요. 방송에서 망가지는 모습을 보니까 안타까워요. 조작 사건과 관련된 선수도 방송을 하잖아요. 그러니 더더욱 개인방송에 대해 좋은 인상을 받기가 어렵죠. 저는 프로게이머로서의 프라이드가 강해요. 관중들이 한 둘씩 오는 것이 아니라 몇 만 명씩 와서 환호를 하잖아요. 그런 팬들이 좋아했던 것은 궁극적으로 그 선수의 플레이잖아요. 개인방송을 하는 사람들 중에 일부는 그런 환상을 모두 깨는 동시에, 팬들을 돈으로 보는 행동을 해요. 분명히 대회장에서 보면 정말 멀쩡했거든요. 그런데 돈을 위해 그렇게까지 변한다는 점이 무척 아쉬워요. 순수한 의도면 모를까 돈을 위한 방송은 하지 않았으면 좋겠어요. 물론 안 그런 선수들도 있지만요.
▶ 저는 개인방송에 대해서 굉장히 부정적이거든요. 방송에서 망가지는 모습을 보니까 안타까워요. 조작 사건과 관련된 선수도 방송을 하잖아요. 그러니 더더욱 개인방송에 대해 좋은 인상을 받기가 어렵죠. 저는 프로게이머로서의 프라이드가 강해요. 관중들이 한 둘씩 오는 것이 아니라 몇 만 명씩 와서 환호를 하잖아요. 그런 팬들이 좋아했던 것은 궁극적으로 그 선수의 플레이잖아요. 개인방송을 하는 사람들 중에 일부는 그런 환상을 모두 깨는 동시에, 팬들을 돈으로 보는 행동을 해요. 분명히 대회장에서 보면 정말 멀쩡했거든요. 그런데 돈을 위해 그렇게까지 변한다는 점이 무척 아쉬워요. 순수한 의도면 모를까 돈을 위한 방송은 하지 않았으면 좋겠어요. 물론 안 그런 선수들도 있지만요.
- Still, many retired progamers are interacting with their fans via their personal streams. [These streamers/streams] are quite popular, are you perhaps jealous of them?
▶ My view on those personal streams is very negative. It's sad to see them embarrass themselves in their broadcasts. Besides, even those associated with the matchfixing scandal are streaming, and that makes it even harder to view the streams in a positive light. I take great personal pride in being a progamer. Fans don't come one by one, they come by the tens of thousands to cheer [for the progamers/teams]. For those fans, the core motivation behind their loyalty is the player's skill. Some of the [ex-progamer] streamers shatter those images while broadcasting, and [even do things that show] they treat the fans as money [and nothing more]. All of these guys were perfectly fine before [when I met them / was with them in eSports stadiums/competitions]. That's why it's so disappointing to see these guys turn [into what I described above] just for money. Streaming for [enjoyment of the game, etc.] is fine, but I hope they don't stream for the sole purpose of making money. Of course, not all streamers are like that.
Q: People say that if Stork also became an Afreeca streamer, SC1 tournaments might become popular again.
A: Many fans have also been asking me whether I would play Sonic StarLeague. But I am still playing normally as a progamer.
Q: After entering the SC2 era, fans [...] (T/N don’t know what this means). What is wrong with SC2?
A: SC1 was fun because every game was different, and it depended on your performance that game. On the contrary, in SC2 each game looks the same. Just turtle till 200 supply and fight. When in a disadvantage, if you could not harass your opponent, you would lose straight-on as well. Maybe that is why even if your favourite team lost, you did not think the opponents played particularly well. But this is all in the standpoint of the viewer. For the progamers, both SC1 and SC2 are meaningful. They have to work hard and prepare for all the competitions and prove themselves with results.
Q: You said that SC2 was fun, but it still has not become mainstream.
A: Even if I say this, the public will still not be interested in SC2. So I think it’s the fault of the players. There are also other reasons, but not attracting views is the fault of the players. There is not enough showmanship. SKT has made much effort in providing entertainment, but other teams do not even think about it. Players must let other people understand that this game is entertaining to watch. No fan is obliged to watch or play SC2, but they will be interested in certain players. These players play well to attract fans, but because not every match can be epic on its own right, players must also entertain the audience. Before, there were many players who would perform ceremonies, but nowadays it is only PartinG. I wanted to enter Code S to help entertain, but then I got eliminated. (laughs)
![[image loading]](http://img1.cache.netease.com/game/starcraft2/news/201310/80c.jpg)
Once comrades, now retired Protoss. Bisu (left) Jangbi (right)
5) TaekBangLeeSsang are actually good friends; at least I win more when against Bisu
Q: I must ask fiercer questions; you were more forthcoming in previous interviews.
A: I already told you a lot of secrets. I must be more careful now. (laughs) I am always very careful with what to say during interviews or public events. Before I transitioned to SC2, someone told me that. He told me I would send me to overseas tournaments, so I should not say irresponsible things during interviews. But when I actually transitioned he didn’t send me overseas, so I am not very happy.
Q: After transitioning to SC2, even TaekBangLeeSsang do not meet each other very often any more.
A: Conversation with players from other teams was already restricted after the match fixing scandal. I did not contact them individually, but when Flash, Bisu and Jaedong play in a tournament together, we get to meet all day, so we are still great friends. When we meet we talk about the things happening in the teams, but nothing special.
Q: If in SC2, TaekBangLeeSsang were in 1 team, it would be so great. How would the results look like?
A: Of course the results would be bad. At least we would need to have Jangbi and Fantasy. Apart from me and Bisu we are all playing well. To be honest I thought I would play better than Jaedong and Bisu this season. But Jaedong paid a lot of effort, you cannot deny him that. I never played Bisu but I won more games than him, so I am satisfied already. (laughs)
Q: Now Stork is a name that is both hated and loved by fans. Not only can that be seen from your new nicknames, but you also get dissed when you lose. You must have many feelings about this.
A: I don’t care about the people who scold me. I won’t become sad because someone said I grew fat. I just said it, but I went to the psychiatrist and took medicine, which is the main reason why I grew fat. Now I am exercising a lot; I exercised before coming, so that is why I can drink here. The only problem is when I put on clothes.
![[image loading]](http://img1.cache.netease.com/game/starcraft2/news/201310/80d.jpg)
TaekBangLeeSsang in SC2 (from left, Bisu, Stork, Jaedong, Flash)
6) Progamers must plan their future; eSports cannot protect your future
Q: Fans are uncertain about SC2’s future, but the players are worrying even more. Say something to your juniors.
A: Progamers have a particularly bad problem; when we meet everyone asks, what should I do. Everyone is nocturnal, only meeting people after 12 am when practice ends. This life starts early and we lack social survival skills. But that is not the fault of the players but rather that of the teams. Teams must be well developed before everyone lives well. You may have a lot of money, but you don’t even know how and where to spend it. You may have holidays, but you don’t know what to do, so you end up playing Starcraft anyway. Outsiders look at you as a useless person. So you must meet more people. It doesn’t only have to be women; you can learn a lot about society just meeting more people. After you make money, you will want to open a business, but what business? Basically, if you cannot become Flash, you have to look further.
Q: If you are willing to work hard, there is future in other areas, don’t you think so?
A: Teams cannot protect your future; as a progamer, while it is important to try your best in your career, you cannot throw your entire life into it. If it were like other sports it is simple to do other things, but not with eSports. I said before, eSports does not yet have the same qualities of traditional sports. You must prepare for yourself. I want to be a progamer until I am 29, but when Odin talks about conscription, I waver too. But of course, I am not only a progamer, I must also prepare well for my future.
Q: So according to you, who has done the best at preparing for their future?
A: Of course it is CloudTemplar (LOL player), who doesn’t respond to me. (laughs) We even did a fomos interview together. This player has great vision, and when you see him on TV you hope he performs well. When this sort of player performs well, the public will look on progamers more kindly. I thought before that he is well suited to television; now he has found his own road and I hope he will live well in the future.
Q: What about SC2 players? Is there anyone who is your role model?
A: It has to be Jaedong. Liquid`HerO and PartinG are also good. Before I advanced from the qualifiers, I played many other games. But these 3 players are very hardworking in SC2. Some of my team’s players are also like that. When you see these players, you know SC2 will not fail.
Q: About your teammates, when such a talent as Grape switches to LOL, do you feel disappointed?
A: If Grape had continued playing SC2, he would be better than everyone else. He is a very hardworking person. He doesn’t even own a phone. He is that focused on training. His style is also very suited to SC2. Disappointment aside, I hear he is doing very well. Maybe if I was a few years younger I wouldn’t be thinking about a phone either, I don’t know if I would play well. (laughs)
Q: Looking back at 10 years of progaming, what are your future goals?
A: I have been playing for 9 years now, and in the team for 10. Back then IntoTheRain and Boxer were my heroes. Now I don’t go and learn from anyone anymore. Even though I did not achieve as much as they did, but if the road to the top is shorter, so the path down will become longer and wider. Maybe that is why I want to find my own style. This way, I can become an acclaimed player in SC2 as well.
![[image loading]](http://img1.cache.netease.com/game/starcraft2/news/201310/80f.jpg)
JuNi left the team and seemed to retire 
![[image loading]](http://www.gamereplays.org/community/uploads/post-14673-1190868925.jpg)
