[Interview] Nevergg

It is rare to find a female in the testosterone filled arena of e-sports. It's even rarer to find such a female who is willing to spend some time to talk to you. Fortunately I have found just such a person, and her name is Nevergg.

Pachi and I caught up with her on the 21st to find out more about what goes on in the life of the official Samsung fan club leader, and to see if we could perhaps find out a few secrets about our favourite progamers. Here is what she had to say:

All the pictures used in this interview come directly from Nevergg's photo album.

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Daigomi: First off Nevergg, thanks for giving us this interview, can you please give us your name, location, and occupation?

Nevergg: Sure, my name is Kez. I live in South Korea and I'm a teacher and part time photographer.

Daigomi: You have become something of the resident TL.net photographer, is photography something you've always been interested in the past, or have you only started doing it recently?

Nevergg: I've been following progaming since last October, but I only started taking (decent) photographs since the GSI final. I don't have any formal training, but I have had an interest in photography for a few years now on a casual basis.

Daigomi: You say you've only been taking decent photographs since the GSI finals, does this mean there are some indecent photographs taken before this time?

Nevergg: Unfortunately until the GSI I only had a digital camera - I did the best I could, but the lighting conditions at Coex worked against me so there are some awful old photos on my site for people to point and laugh at if they like ^^;

Pachi: What type of camera are you using and how did you end up with it?

Nevergg: I use a Nikon D40X with a (heavy) macro lens. My friend who is in a camera club helped me choose the combination best suited to the type of photography I focus on. I'm hoping to invest in something even nicer in the future though.

Daigomi: You say you got interested in starcraft in october, what sparked your interest in Starcraft?

Nevergg: I happened to catch an episode of Real Story Progamer (The KOR series.) on Arirang. I was interested in the different nature of the way video games are played here in Korea and it led me to research esports here online.

Pachi: How have you found the starcraft community, korean and foreign? Are you currently interested in any other esports communities?

Nevergg: The Korean community varies depending upon the events you attend. The vast majority of the supporters who attend matches are friendly and open towards the presence of a foreigner. The online community in Korea is very closely knit and you see the same faces upon a regular basis supporting their favourite teams. As for the foreign community I was somewhat daunted at first, but now I've gotten to know alot of people on tl.net I've found that in terms of devotion and a welcoming nature the two different communities are very similar. I'm also active in the Kart Rider community through my work for Nexon and I'm hoping to expand into Sudden Attack by the end of the year.

Daigomi: Do you have any specific players or teams that you try to support on a regular basis?

Nevergg: I'm mostly known over here as Samsung Khan's resident foreign fan/photographer. I always try to attend their matches at proleague and I own a site for them. Aside from Khan I enjoy going to MBC and SKT1 matches because the atmosphere is always energetic and unpredictable. As for individual players; my favourite is Lee Sungeun.

Pachi: Being an eligible female, have any of the progamers taken a fancy to you?

Nevergg: Hahaha! The first time I met Kim Changhee (go.go) from OGN he wrote 'p.s. pretty' on the signature he gave to me. I'm far too focused on my photography to notice anything except the matches though these days.

+ Show Spoiler [Game results] +

Pachi: Are you sad that he didn't make osl tonight?

Nevergg: -_- a bit

Daigomi: I'm a go.go fan as well

Daigomi: Have you spoken to Kim Changhee since then?

Nevergg: No comment.

Pachi: Has any of your relationships with progamers gone outside of an event? Have you talked to or met any of them privately?

Nevergg: Haha! No comment!

GTR-2-Go: Well do you know of any progamers who have relationships with males/females which go to the point where they get married?

Nevergg: I know some of the players have girlfriends, but I think the only major marriages I know of are related to the coaches. The SC side of things largely remains separate from the gamer's personal lives.

Daigomi: Interesting. Back to your photography, are there any players that you specifically enjoy photographing?

Nevergg: Well the obvious answer is Lee Sungeun seen as I've recently done a one-on-one photoshoot with him at COEX. However, I love taking photographs of rookie players. Oh Jeongho from KTF is a particular favourite of mine because of his energy. I also enjoy shooting Kim Dong gun and Lee Yunyeol.

+ Show Spoiler [Player photos] +

Lee Sungeon

Oh Jeongho

Kim Dong Gun

Lee Yunyeol

Daigomi: Many TL users are interested in Korea, could you perhaps tell us a little bit more about how it is to live and work there?

Nevergg: Living where I do currently I've had a real small town experience. Day to day life in my town is very relaxed compared to Seoul. I've found the people are mostly very hospitable and often go out of their way to help me.

Nevergg: It's easy to get by here with a minimal understanding of Korean, but I believe learning as much of the language as you can definitely enhances the human and cultural element of living here as well as going to e-sports events.

Daigomi: Idra mentions that Korean food is quite different and takes some time getting used to, did you find this?

Nevergg: It's definitely different from my diet back in England. Alot of the dishes are pretty spicy, but there's also a wonderful range of ingredients and ways to eat. Korean meals are very social things and alot of the restaurants stay open beyond 4am so there's plenty of time to sample and get used to the new types of food.

Daigomi: Isn't it very expensive eating out in Korea?

Nevergg: It depends on where you go. You can eat a whole bbq style meal for about $3 in local restaurants. It's actually cheaper to eat out than it is to cook for yourself at times.

Pachi: Are you any good at cooking?

Nevergg: I used to be, but now I don't have the time or the energy to prepare anything more than a sandwich sadly.

Daigomi: Does this mean you work hard as a teacher?

Nevergg: I try ^^

Kennigit: You teach students English in Korea. Have you ever used progaming examples or terminology in your lessons?

Nevergg: Haha, I actually have. Alot of my students (even the girls) are Starcraft fans and it's easier for them to relate to both me and the English language structures I introduce in class if I apply them to something they find interesting.

Pachi: Have you met other teamliquid.net posters at events? How was it?

Nevergg: I've met Lilsusie, Tasteless, PuertoRican and Rekrul at a few events. It was really nice to chat to other foreigners experiencing esports in Korea and find out about their opinions on the scene at the moment.

Pachi: Often progamers mention presents from their fans, what kind of gifts have you given progamers? Underwear perhaps?

Nevergg: I used to buy hot packs and snacks for the Khan players on a regular basis. Now I generally leave the gift giving to the Korean fans - they're incredibly generous towards the players and fanclubs often give group presents to specific teams or players.

GTR-2-Go: Is there any reason why teams tag their food? Is it because others can 'steal' them?

Nevergg: I know it's the fans who are usually responsible for labeling the bottles and boxes - I've also seen them write messages on snack boxes for the players. I used to think it was possibly a copyright issue of some kind, but now I think it's a way of the fans identifying themselves as actively supporting their teams and promoting their image.

+ Show Spoiler [Example] +

Pachi: As a foreigner who regulars the events, you must be well known now within the community. Are progaming teams now prepared for nevergg and her camera and has anyone ever recognised you by reputation?

Nevergg: Some of the teams haven't actually seen me at a live event yet. I find the general first reaction is confusion, but by now - after nearly 8 months of being present at live events most of those who have seen me there either as a fan or working are used to me. Now I'm taking photographs instead of holding up fansigns I don't tend to be noticed as often and I try to be discreet and polite at all times.

Daigomi: Ok, before we wrap this up, I’ve got two final questions on SC for you.

Daigomi: Question 1: Is there any one professional game that you can specifically remember, and what makes this game stand out?

Nevergg: MSL S4 FBH vs Hwasin. I remember these games clearly because even as a Sungeun fan I honestly believed he wasn't capable of coming back from what looked like a definite loss to take a game against Hwasin.

Nevergg: It was the first time I genuinely felt a sense of two gamers really testing each other and fighting as hard as they were capable of. The ceremonies they used against each other were also very understated, but spoke volumes about the atmosphere of the event and how tense the Hero Centre felt on that day.

Nevergg: That was a very tough choice - Ruby vs Boxer was also good.

Daigomi: And for my last question: Who is the most attractive progamer according to Nevergg??

Nevergg: Julyzerg.

Daigomi: Hahaha! Well on that big note, I think we'll end the interview, thanks for spending some time with us Nevergg, and I hope to hear more from you soon!

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I hope you all enjoyed this interview! Show your support for Nevergg by commenting on her photos, they're absolutely amazing. Here’s a small collection of some of my favourite photos from Nevergg’s recent albums:

+ Show Spoiler [Photos] +

And a final picture for our beloved Last Romantic:

+ Show Spoiler [Last Romantic] +

[Interview] Nevergg

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