EPT
Age before Beauty?
When you consider the twelve teams of the Proleague there is no denying they each have their own set of differences. From purely superficial elements which make up the team spectrum; the designs of their uniforms, the crazy antics of the mascots for which SKT1 and KTF Magicns have now become synonymous to the concieved levels of attractiveness attatched to players such as Kim Taekyong (Bisu[shield]) and Jin Yeongsu (Hwasin.) The Proleague is nothing if not a breeding ground for diversity.
One of the most crucial factors in the structure of a typical Starcraft team which has begun to become more noticable in recent years: as successive generations of potential bonjwas emerge to challenge those who have been present in the Starcraft scene since its inception is; the generational gap.
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~ SAviOr and XellOs at CJ Entus' Live Event ~
Teams like CJ Entus have strived to emphasize their potent mixture of 'Old vs New' (even going as far as to present Korean fans with an event titled 'Old vs New/Young' instead of the regular Pre-Proleague inter-team matches broadcast upon the OGN Channel earlier in the year.) With a front line of veteran players that includes the definition of world class Zerg control Ma Jaeyoon (SAviOr) - a player so beloved by foreign fans that even a piece of clothing signed by him fetched over $500 on ebay.) Along with seasoned professionals Byun Hyungtae (Berserker/Iris.) and Park Yeongmin (Much.) the CJ team has made a particular focus rest upon their balance between the percieved 'past' and the 'future' of progaming in South Korea.
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~ Two Generations of Zergs ~
As the leaders of Winners League, CJ Entus have proved that despite a lacklustre performance in the regular season of Proleague their deep roster which is comprised of a wide spread of ages and experiences has been an asset in this all-kill format. Veterans of the CJ team can be seen at live events mentoring the younger players. A perfect example of this student/teacher relationship between two players is SAviOr and EffOrt (Kim Jung Woo.) The sixteen year old zerg has experienced a run of success during proleague and has been ear marked as one of the next big zerg prospects (along with Shin Daegun - Hyvaa of eSTRO.) At Pro and Winners League Ma Jaeyoon has been seen giving him post-match feedback and the inevitable pat on the back for a victory. Likewise new recruits to teams such as SKT1 - the only team in the league with a player-coach in the form of OSL champion Choi Yun Sung (Iloveoov) who straddles the boundaries between teacher and an actively competitive facet of the team and a returned army veteran in the form of the Emperor himself - Lim Yohwan (SlayerS_`BoxeR`) can rely upon the support and knowledge of those who have gone before them.
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~ Bunkie - A new lease of liveliness for SKT1 ~
This symbiotic relationship between older and younger players appears to work both ways. As was demonstrated in a recent OSL commercial (Incruit Finals at COEX Mall in Seoul.) where Iloveoov was seen having his status as a mentor to up and coming Terran Jung Myung Hoon (By.Fantasy) come into question. This appeared to spur him on to get back into the game and reverse his apparent retirement. This fresh out look upon gaming has most clearly affected the T1 team. At the end of last season the were a ghost of their former selves - no longer a nursing ground of champions they wore hats and attended proleague as if it were some form of jail sentence.
However, April 2008 marked a turn around in the public image of the team. A bright new uniform, an unpredictable and much loved mascot in the form of Bunkie and players who finally once again expressed their emotions openly. Whether they were attatched to the crushing feeling of loss or the joy of winning. What made these changes all the more attractive to the Korean and foreign fans in terms of bringing back those who has drifted away from supporting T1 during their darkest days was the fact that regardless of age or status within the team, both veterans and rookies embraced the fresh image with gusto. Never was there a more obvious and remarkable illustration of team unity than the first time T1 did their signature dance and shocked the fans into loving them once again.
This is not to say that teams which do not adopt the same balance are destined to suffer a lack of success. There are several teams within the league who host only a small number of long-standing players with positive records and yet their purpose within the larger scheme of the Starcrafting community in South Korea is equally as vital and noticable.
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~ Red Sniper - Jin Yeongsu. ~
STX Soul is probably the most noted example of a team which is looking to the very fringes of the future in terms of Starcraft 1. Despite the fact that they have transfered three time OSL champion Park Seungjoon (JulyZerg) whose understanding of the art of Zerg is a highly valuable asset to any team. The inclusion of experienced players like Jin Yeongsu (Hwasin who is merely twenty years old himself) upon their A-team roster has still meant that their image as a team is one of youth and potential. STX Soul visibly appears to have the largest number of high school aged players promoted as part of their public image (aka through photo books and fan meetings.)
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~ By.BaBy: We Made's miniature baller. ~
Most other teams with the exception of We Made Fox (Who has promoted rookie fourteen year old Terran Jun Tae Yang(By.BaBy) to its highest tier.) have only graduated players older than sixteen to sit on the bench at Proleague and garner their first live game experiences. STX Soul's faith in these very young players was justified by a recent three kill instigated by Lee Shin Hyung (Bogus) at Winners League. This slightly different form of a breeding area for fresh talent only strives to increase the diversity of people able to achieve notority within the community and help train the next level of Starcraft players to tackle future tournaments.
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~ OSL Legend JulyZerg ~
So, what becomes of the veterans when the SC world is so focused upon looking to the future in many respects? In South Korea military service is compulsory for all those without a special exemption for ill-health or other conditions that physically or mentally prevent them from performing this duty. When Lim Yohwan, adored by Korean and foreign fans alike made the decision to begin his tour of work within the Air Force the true depth of his cultural impact was demonstrated.
The ACE Air Force Esporting team was formed around the concept of Lim Yohwan's time within the military institution. Although their results might not have quite lined up with expectations their necessity within the scene still played a vital role in making the team leagues what they are today. They allowed fans to watch a player developing both professionally and personally. Soldiers from across Seoul were witnessed at matches supporting the ACE team and showing that passion (and indeed gaming passion.) could still be considered a part of life even when daily behaviour was constrained by the rules of military service.
When the ACE team came under threat from a request via the government to cease its operation fans from the other teams (KTF Magicns etc.) were seen passing round petitions loaded with signatures that denied this sudden reversal of fortunes for the team. The players themselves rallied round and several adopted earlier military service that was absolutely necessary to swell the ranks of the team with seasoned star names.
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~ Reach and YellOw - brought back from the graveyard of 2v2. ~
One of the first to make this transition was Oh Yeong Jong (Anytime) from the Hwaseung OZ team. His choice was rapidly followed by a succession of high caliber veterans who could find a new lease of life where once some of them had been confined to 2v2 matches by their failure to keep up with the changing face of modern esports. Hong Jinho (YellOw) and Park Jeongseok (Reach) both returned from their 2v2 status to the team and thus continued their progaming lives in a new context. They have since been followed by Seo Jihoon (XellOs) and Park Taemin (GoRush) to form an evolved version of what once seemed like a doomed team as Lim Yohwan's departure loomed upon the horizon.
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~ Recent ACE converts Gorush and XellOs ~
Some argue that the ACE team is a graveyard for players who clung to the lifestyle of professional gamers for too long to stave off the responsibilities of 'real life.' The validity of this argument is impossible to analyse on a widespread level because it seeks to generalise the personal circumstances and attitudes towards living as a professional gamer. Instead of considering the individual aspirations of the gamers in question. Certain people only need to look within themselves to their ideas about gaming and wonder if they could give up something their formative years had been so pervasively shaped by and for which they held an all consuming desire to participate in (even at the expense of a 'conventional' daily life.)
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~ Veteran Woongjin player Free and his new(ish) companion ZerO ~
With the impending release of Starcraft 2 the Korean gaming scene will no doubt be forced to evolve once more to accomodate the changes surrounding the very foundation upon which it stands. This metamorphosis between different styles of game will hopefully run as smoothly as the division between old and new players has been resolved through co-operation, mentoring and sometimes the eventual transition into the ACE team.
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