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NeverGG
United Kingdom5399 Posts
I know alot of people are curious about proteam activities that aren't shown on camera (like the things from Real Story Progamer.) so here is an index explaining how each team gives their fan meetings after matches.
The usual proceedure for fan meetings is:
~ Only the winning team gives one. The losing team usually leaves immediately. (I have seen Khan and MBC stop briefly to allow photos and present giving though.)
~ Fan meetings happen after interviews and photos are done backstage for Fifo and Fomos etc. (Usually about a 30 minute wait after the end of proleague.)
~ Fan meets come in two types:
~ Formally organized by fan club - these include Q&A sessions, games, prizes etc.
~ Mingle/Informal fan meetings - players stand round and their respective fans can go chat to them casually and give presents or take photos.
Who gives what type:
Lecaf Oz: Informal.
KTF Magicns: Formal.
Samsung Khan: Informal.
MBC Heroes: Combination.
OGN: Informal.
Hanbit: Informal.
We Made Fox: Formal (sometimes combination.)
STX: Varies between no fan meet/informal and short greetings. (The only team who doesn't give regular fan meetings due to their coaches.)
Estro: Informal (now with added Spaghetti!)
CJ Entus: Informal.
Ace: Formal.
SKT1: Sometimes formal, sometimes informal, sometimes short, sometimes long. It's like the lotto.
Overview:
Lecaf OZ:
Lecaf OZ have changed their meet style recently - now they're more liable to come outside at the two venues and mingle with the fans. I finally had the chance to attend one of their fan meetings a couple of weeks ago and one of the coaches was even playing tag with some of the fans.
KTF Magicns:
KTF fan meets are possibly the most well organized. Their fanclub staff are highly professional and imaginative. They organize games for the fans to play with the players, prizes including the MVP card for the players and the location of both meets is always comfortable for both players and fans (outside at Yongsan and in a courtyard at LOOX)
The KTF fan meets can last for up to an hour and are always a fun and varied experience. The coaches also address the fans and the atmosphere is always enjoyable.
KTF handing round the ACE petition:
Samsung Khan:
Khan's fan meets are very informal - they vary in length and always include players simply mingling with their fans outside. The coaches are present, but remain in the background for the most part keeping an eye on things. The atmosphere is very casual and the players are easy to approach.
MBC Heroes:
At COEX’s old MBC Hero Centre the Heroes team used to give a type of combination meet with a session for Q&A and even a free hugs section (Where I cheekily got to hug Bisu.) There’s also been dancing and other general randomness at past meets. Then players would sit around on the benches or stand at the front to chat to their fans. (I haven’t attended their fan meetings this season, but I doubt the format has changed significantly.)
[edit]
2008 fan meetings are a bit less formal. Players will sit or stand around with their fans and fans often take them off for smaller meetings in the same area. (I'm usually part of the small group for Jeong Yeongchul/Thezerg where we're currently having english lesson time with him led by me and we chat about gaming.)
OGN:
OGN gives the same style of informal fan meeting as Khan. Players mingle freely with fans and take photos for their mobile phones etc. The atmosphere is once again very relaxed and the players stand with their respective groups of fans who can approach them without waiting.
Hanbit Stars:
I’ve only been to one Hanbit fan meeting, but it was very informal. This was possibly due to the smaller scale of the meeting. The players took a while to relax, but once they did they happily took photos with their fans and chatted for around 30 minutes.
Wemade Fox:
We Made’s fan meetings are also usually fanclub organized and employ the combination style to a lesser degree than the Heroes team. The team gives a Q&A session to the fans and then there is time for present giving and photos.
STX Soul:
STX is seen as the last team to actively deny fan meetings and indeed most forms of fan contact. It was not until recently where fan protests and a general attitude of mass depression in the Korean fan community for STX when faced with the excellent fan meetings organized by some other teams that STX’s attitude towards fans began to gradually change. Coaches are now allowing meets under certain conditions (often related to winning scores.) and it is rumored than Hwasin recently brought out bottles of soda for the fans. STX is currently the only team who asks fans not to give presents or letters.
Estro:
eSTRO have an similar style to OGN and Samsung - they tend towards very informal meets where the players will line up outside the venue and the fans can then go and pick the players they want to chat to and take them to sit down nearby or just stand around in small groups.
CJ Entus:
CJ Entus also follow the informal rule - there's one small difference though. Getting anywhere near MJY involves getting through a large crowd.
Ace:
Due to the military nature of the team Ace's fan meetings are always line up. They're also always accompanied by a wall of Boxer fans a mile thick. Getting photos of them in the future is going to be a personal challenge.
SKT1:
SKT1 fan meetings are about as unpredictable as the weather. I've been to ones where they line up, make brief comments, get presents and then disappear within 15 minutes and ones where they've sat inside with clusters of their fans taking photos and chatting for almost an hour. Sadly - they never bring Bunkie.
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interesting
i don't really like this part of korean e-sports though
i mean, i do respect the players for their skill in the game and there are also some players i would call myself a fan of
but fan meetings? duh, kinda silly 
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is awesome32282 Posts
Very interesting. Good read : ]
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NeverGG
United Kingdom5399 Posts
On June 15 2008 09:35 snowbird wrote:interesting i don't really like this part of korean e-sports though i mean, i do respect the players for their skill in the game and there are also some players i would call myself a fan of but fan meetings? duh, kinda silly
How so? - it's the only time fans get to have any kind of contact with the players (for signatures/presents and positive messages that help the gamers in some ways.) Remember alot of these girls (and boys.) are highschoolers who often really idolize these people. They don't have the kind of access we might be used to at times. I totally disagree with your assessment of them being 'silly'. That sounds so dismissive (sp?) To some fans they are the highlight of their month. Especially if they live outside of Seoul and travel in especially to see their favourite team play.
Whereas alot of the foreign fans are interested solely in the gaming side of esports (and there's nothing wrong with that.) the Korean fans are often far more into the whole experience of meeting your heroes and watching them play.
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Thanks, nevergg, for the inside look...
I don't really understand why each team would NOT want to do fan meetings, though... I mean, it's good for the team's image and also helps build the fanbase and also lets the players feel good meeting their fans and getting presents...
Maybe you've never been to an ACE fan meet since they never win... -_-;
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Hm, I'm not at all surprised by OGN's lack of a formal setup for their meetings. Chalrenge would refuse to have it any other way, I feel. It's interesting as always, how even the fan meetings give an insight into how each team operates - > MBC's seem to carry the ability of being unpredictable, OGN and Khan are fairly welcoming and relaxed, etc.
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why, oh why, are you so awesome?
thanks a tooooooon
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On June 15 2008 09:41 nevergg wrote:Show nested quote +On June 15 2008 09:35 snowbird wrote:interesting i don't really like this part of korean e-sports though i mean, i do respect the players for their skill in the game and there are also some players i would call myself a fan of but fan meetings? duh, kinda silly How so? - it's the only time fans get to have any kind of contact with the players (for signatures/presents and positive messages that help the gamers in some ways.) Remember alot of these girls (and boys.) are highschoolers who often really idolize these people. They don't have the kind of access we might be used to at times. I totally disagree with your assessment of them being 'silly'. That sounds so dismissive (sp?) To some fans they are the highlight of their month. Especially if they live outside of Seoul and travel in especially to see their favourite team play. Whereas alot of the foreign fans are interested solely in the gaming side of esports (and there's nothing wrong with that.) the Korean fans are often far more into the whole experience of meeting your heroes and watching them play.
well, i agree.
it's what teens do. i idolized kurt cobain when i was a teen, and there's nothing wrong with that. it's just the mentality you have at that age.
but that doesn't make it any less silly.
especially considering that many of the fans (especially the girls i guess) don't even know the game good enough to judge the players by their skills. in the end it's about looks, cuteness factor, the players being 'famous' (making them more attractive), and other reasons.
my guess is that many girls choose to idolize progamers because they are far more 'accessible' than for example movie stars or singers. but it just seems very random and therefore silly to me.
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Is there a reason behind STX denying fan contact? I don't really see how it could adversely affect the players' performances.
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^ wondering that as well.
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does fan meetings only happen after proleague matches?
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What is the ACE petition about?
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Always appreciate your photos and blogs, please keep them up.
Poor e-stro, their fans must be pretty frustrated this season.
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why is stx so restrictive?
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A combination of both sounds like the best. I want to see some STX fan meets. Gotta have some pictures. =D
Many thanks.
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NeverGG
United Kingdom5399 Posts
Regarding STX: The Coaches gave the following reasons - it negatively affects players practice time and performance. They denied gifts because they had no time to use them (aka food) and didn't want the girls wasting their money on things that would not be used. However, the fans wanted to make their own choices about how to spend their money. The situation appears to be changing now to reflect the much more open fan communication the other teams share thankfully.
Fan meetings always occur after proleague, but individual players have also given fan meets after MSL/OSL wins depending upon time and their schedules. Also during the break between seasons teams often have large scale fan events like the CJ meet, WeMadeFox meet and the Khan exercise meet.
The ACE petition was to stop them from disbanding. I saw it go round several fan meets and it was also advertised on the doors at Yongsan.
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Spenguin
Australia3316 Posts
Awesome behind the scenes blog 10/5
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