CSL - Dream Come True Pt. 3

CSL – Dream Come True Pt. 3

Link to Part 1 here: CSL – Dream Come True Pt. 1
Link to Part 2 here: CSL – Dream Come True Pt. 2

Okay, so time to briefly go over what we did after the event, reflect on my thoughts about CSL in general, and give out some shoutouts at the very end.

Post Event

I think we just ate some catered food at the venue and then went back to the hotel. Our hotel room ended up having like 30 people crammed in a tiny place, with a lot of the Aarhus and Washington players in there with us. It was really loud and noisy, and I was exhausted and tired, and eventually everyone went to bed and so did we.

Man was our room packed

On Sunday we got up and proceeded to meet up with Aarhus and HwangPo/Gom from Washington (who were crazy and knew everything about me and watch my stream all the time, they were super stalker mode and knew literally about EVERY single one of my stream sessions, like the times where I accidentally woke up my mom or w/e, but they were both really nice and it was cool to hang out with them). We all went to get some Mr. Pizza since TwentyOneJ was so obsessed the entire event about getting it.

Mr. Pizza ended up being delicious!

We all felt bad later after Aarhus left because we realized, being the poor college students we normally are, that we didn’t pay for them which we really should have. F**k I still feel really bad about that. Aarhus if you’re reading this, we definitely owe you a dinner next time we see each other!

Next we sort of split up, TwentyOneJ, Fan, and ArcaneFox went to North Hollywood or something to go shop for diamonds (this is the diamond story) where he ended up just buying diamond purified water for $50 since everything else was too expensive haha. Actually he was trolling but he had us all fooled haha.

The rest of us, including most of Aarhus and HwangPo/Gom decided to just go on a long walk. We spotted the Hollywood sign from near our hotel and decided to just walk towards it. We had fun talking, looking at all the crazy ass houses in the area, and seeing some other cool stuff like creepy Dr. Phil and Paramount Pictures.

Outside Paramount Pictures entrace. From left to right: Thorminator, Defex, me, HwangPo, Gom, Abstinence, DayaL, Heshla, with Hjalte taking picture

It was a great ~3 hour walk and the perfect idea to let the Danes explore a bit of the States and soak up some much needed sunshine. Their flight was in the early evening so they had to leave after that, so we said our goodbyes at the hotel and proceeded to head to the venue. It was definitely a huge pleasure meeting Aarhus and we really hope to be able to meet them again in the future, and hopefully CSL will be able to provide us with the opportunity once again to see our international friends

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We went to the venue and pretty much hung out, sat and watched the LoL finals with Megumi (Tricia) and Michelle, one of the LoL casters. It was quite entertaining watching LoL actually, the crowd got really loud and enthusiastic and that kind of stuff in general makes me really excited as well, even though I didn’t know any of the heroes or anything. We wanted to get Korean BBQ with Tricia and Michelle so we stuck out the entire grand finals and I ended up actually cheering a lot for Texas A&M after hearing about their underdog story (they had 1 very solid player and 1 GOLD player (equivalent of like diamond in SC2 or something) vs Irvine’s three extremely solid players) and how much they trained versus Irvine’s nonchalant-ness. Everlasting Kun is A BEAST. Definitely became a big fan of him after watching him destroy and lead his team to victory. Their practice definitely showed, as their teamwork was far superior to Irvine’s. A win well deserved.

After that (it was like 10:30 already so we were STARVING) we went to go get Korean BBQ, and Tricia brought us to an AMAZING place that was cheap and AMAZINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG. So freaking good, I wanted to explode in my mouth. Throughout the whole event Tricia was just awesome, she made us some delicious bear packs, took me to go get some hot tea with honey since my throat / voice were so destroyed from the previous day, and then took us to that delicious Korean BBQ place. She’s a genuinely awesome/friendly person, it was great getting to know her more at this event.

Well after that we said our goodbyes, went back to the hotel, got some sleep and returned home the next day. I remember during the flight back and the BART ride back feeling exactly how I felt after returning from MLG Anaheim. It was very surreal. The entire event was a blur, our team bonded so much, and I hope things like this can continue to happen. I got back and started checking Facebook like crazy, looking at all the awesome photos people took (check out their work, seriously! Part 2 has a lot of their work). And since then I’ve had trouble focusing on school. Hence why I am writing this write now haha, putting off studying for a midterm and writing an essay. CSL has just been in my head way too much in the past two weeks and I need to get it out of my system I think.

Reflection on CSL

CSL has really made a dream come true. Many, in fact. I know DayaL has always dreamed on playing on the big stage with thousands watching. He goes to pretty much every MLG and is always trying to improve. For me, CSL means a lot. I have never won anything on this scale before. It was always “decent” performances but never a solid win. I was always on the lower end club volleyball teams, and we were always placed in the lowest divisions and still couldn’t win (I think maybe once we won a tournament, but I’m not sure really). My highschool team was good enough to make playoffs, only to get knocked out first round. In Starcraft it’s the same thing. But finally, finally I have experienced what it’s like to win. And it’s a feeling I want to continue having. I hope I can continue to push myself and keep improving. I’ve always been second place. My older brother was always better than me in videogames and I would always get second. But now I know I can win, I can achieve first place, and I want it more than ever.

Lol I used to be a sick volleyballer. I’m 6’1” . . . lol

CSL has made so many things possible. When I first met Mona back when I was in highschool, I had barely even heard of CSL before until she told me about it. When I joined CSL last year, I didn’t think it’d be something so big. Every year it is growing bigger and bigger, it has expanded to the rest of the globe, and is bringing people and players together that would never have the opportunity to meet otherwise. It is completely due to CSL that I had the awesome pleasure of meeting people from Aarhus and Washington. I think things are optimistic too, things will continue improving, CSL will continue growing bigger and better. I really can’t wait for the time that the grand finals becomes more than 4 teams, it becomes 8, 16, even 32. It would be a weekend long “March Madness” type event just like the real one. Maybe this won’t be in the near future, but I firmly believe that this is where CSL is headed. CSL is the next stepping stone to the development of eSports and making it legitimized.

What makes traditional sports so successful and accessible is the thriving collegiate scene. It makes transitions to a professional level a lot easier. People can continue to be in school, and if they discover that they have what it takes to become a pro, then that is the next step. If not, well they have completed school and still have a bright future in front of them. With this critical in-between step, potential top players are given the ability to chase after their dreams, while at the same time having a safety net in case things go wrong. This will give many more people the opportunity to pursue their dreams.

UC Berkeley vs Stanford CSL Match last year. We won 3-2 WOOT F’ you Stanfurd!!! Jk <3

There’s talk about adding eSports to the Olympics. I can envision it in the future for sure. eSports is growing so quickly that it is inevitable. Sooner or later colleges will start having official teams, do recruitment processes, support their teams (aside from just $20 / year funding that our club eSports at Berkeley gets LOL) and be proud of them. This is the bright side of things.

And yet there is also so much to be yearned for. Like I already mentioned, our school only gives us $20 a year in funding. They don’t even seem to be proud to be the home to the world champions in Starcraft. It took us A LOT of pleading and utilization of connections in order to even get an article in the school newspaper (and it’s not even a feature article, being beaten by articles on the front page such as “Nowhere left to park!”). I tweeted them and emailed them multiple times a week, and never got a response. I’ve emailed newspapers and news stations around the area, again, no response. I definitely do feel a little disappointed in the lack of attention that something as amazing as CSL gets. At least things in Europe look a little better – Aarhus was able to get in the national newspaper, and even snag a segment on national television. And here we are, in the USA, struggling to even get a 600 word article in our school’s newspaper (By comparison, my blog is ending up being over 10,000 words lol).

Makes me so sad that I fall onto my bed

And it’s not just traditional media. Even in eSports, CSL went by relatively unnoticed compared to most of the other tournaments out there. No coverage on TL, not even a link on the front page of Liquipedia for “Ongoing events.” There is SO much potential to get some awesome coverage on this event, and I’m glad NASL at least stepped in and helped production-wise. I know a lot of people will say, “ah well, it’s crappy players against crappy players, why would I want to watch that?” or “I don’t even know the schools, why would I have any interest in watching them?” Well think about the NCAA. It’s perhaps not the highest level of play compared to the professionals, but NCAA is still incredibly popular. Why? There are STORYLINES to everything, there are upcoming players that people like to follow, and the games are still JUST as entertaining. Sometimes a lower skill level can bring about even more entertaining games. There’s no reason not to cover collegiate eSports as well. Think about if no media outlet covered NCAA, then obviously no one would care about NCAA. But as soon as a site like TeamLiquid does coverage of a league like CSL, people will start caring. And come on, CSL is the second biggest Starcraft team league in the world, only smaller than Proleague which is a YEAR LONG league!

We did at least end up getting an article in DailyCal, so thanks everyone who helped us get that

Take this for example. When I was watching the LoL finals, I had no interest in what was going on initially. I know almost nothing about LoL, I didn’t know anything about the heroes, or the schools, or whatever. But as soon as I started hearing the storyline, I saw the exciting gameplay (regardless if it was lower level, it was still extremely entertaining), and the cheers of the enthusiastic audience, I was just as excited about the game as anyone else. I was surprised as I found myself cheering wildly (despite an extremely sore throat and lost voice) for Texas A&M during the matches. I think everyone could find themselves more passionate about CSL – if only they had the opportunity to be exposed to it.

I HAVE NO IDEA WHATS GOING ON BUT ITS SIIIIIIIIICKKKKKKKKKK!!!!

So, that is my plead to eSports coverage out there. I think there is huge potential in CSL, and it will only continue to grow. I think about the day there’s a Big Game between Stanford and Berkeley in Starcraft and it has just as many millions of viewers as the normal Big Game. There’s definitely innate value in covering something like CSL. Despite a lower skill level, or not as many big names or whatever excuse you may have – I think it is something that a lot of people will enjoy.

In summary – there’s a lot of good things in store for the future of eSports and CSL, and there’s still a lot of work to be done. I eagerly await the future

Finally, as captain of the team, I would like to give some shoutouts to my awesome teammates, whose hard work made all of this possible.

Andrew – Just gotta give you massive, massive thanks for helping manage our schedules and stuff this semester. I don’t know what we would have done without you. The messed up schedules of everyone, (Fan I’m looking at you!), especially over winter break, must have been a gigantic headache. But somehow you managed to solve everything and always make sure everyone could play. Also you definitely had the best facial reactions in every single picture XD. Huge thanks Andrew!

Alan – Ohhhh Abstinence. You bring a lot of color to the team, and you being a freshman is exciting. You have a lot of potential, especially with so much time you have to improve. Your nerves are an issue that will get better with more experience playing high pressure games. Even though you’re actually like legit diamond in HotS, I think you’ll do great if you continue to focus. But we’re still always going to rat on you for losing all three of your last three crucial games in this CSL season XD. <3

Richard & Luke – I didn’t really know you guys tremendously well before this season, but it’s been awesome having you guys on the team. Your consistency is unparalleled, and extremely welcome after our bad experiences with finding a solid 2v2 team last season. Richard you’re such a troll, stop trolling so hard! I have to say that I didn’t believe you when you first wrote in the FB group earlier in the year that you guys were gosu, but you ended up proving me very wrong, and for that I am very glad. And Luke, I appreciate the fact that you’re white. Not having enough Asians makes you a weak team, but having too many Asians (Chunnam) makes you too rigid and inflexible. Having you on the team provides just the right amount of diversity for us to pwn :D. Can’t wait to see you guys continue to dominate 2v2 in HotS!

Fan – You are such a beast in both DotA and in Starcraft 2. I know you have the potential to go pro in either of them. You focused a lot towards the end of the season and even uninstalled DotA to practice for CSL, which I know is a huge thing to do for you. I appreciate it a lot, and cannot wait to play more with you in next year’s season of CSL. I’m also extremely glad you’re enjoying HotS, and hopefully you keep that passion for Starcraft and help us once again to the top of CSL!

Hyunjae – Your constant confidence is always nice to have around. You never think you’re going to lose, and it’s actually a huge benefit to the team (especially since I worry so much about every single game that I’m going to play, regardless of who I’m playing). Your personality always makes me laugh, and it was nice sharing a bed with you

Your suggestion to eat Mr. Pizza actually ended up being an amazing one haha. I hope you continue to focus on Starcraft, as you’re consistently a very strong player, and I think you just need that tiny push to make you an unbeatable player. You’ve already got the right attitude. Just stop playing so much DotA! 

David – I’ve known you for two years now and I am very sad that you’ll be leaving us next year when you graduate. You truly were an incredible asset to the team, going undefeated 7-0 in this entire season of CSL, even when playing cross server from China with 210+ ms ping. Your hard work was a key contributor to our victory this season, and losing you is a huge loss to the team. Regardless, I’m glad you’re going to still be in the Bay Area, and hope you can visit every so often to give the team some great advice, encouragement, and training, and hope you can achieve your dreams both in your career and in Starcraft

I know you’ll do amazing!

Other shoutouts –
Shuochen: For winning your 2v2 match against University of Western Ontario. I was SUPER scared for that match, but you clutched and came through for us.
Kawaii and Team Washington: It was great meeting you guys, and you guys helped drastically in helping us prepare for Chunnam. Your help was invaluable!
Aarhus: We fking loved you guys. Hope to see you guys at a CSL event soon!
Robbie: For your prediction and support of our team. You even became a “poser” for Berkeley by buying/wearing one of our shirts! For this, and your amazing photos, many <3s. Our team loves you 
Tricia: For being such a nice awesome woot!!
Carlton: Thanks for taking such awesome photos, it’s always great seeing you at every event! See you soon

Mona, Duran, and rest of CSL team: Thank you guys for putting on such an amazing season of CSL, and I’m so excited for the next seasons of CSL! You guys rock.
Froadac: For supporting us and smartphone tethering so we could scout Chunnam LOL!
Tifa: For getting us IPL Interview and helping us get some DailyCal articles!
Sean Day[9]: Thanks for continuing to support CSL, I know you’re a busy guy but it was so great that you decided to come help out CSL. Didn’t get to talk to you much over the weekend but I hope we can in the future!
Loser777: Thanks for supporting us! It was great meeting you and your cheerful was hilarious

Michelle: For answering all my dumb questions about what was going on in the LoL finals!
NASL Crew: Thanks for helping the production of the event!
Itsjustatank, Silverfire, ktsalz: For letting me use your great pictures! Everyone check out their work in Part 2 of this blog!

THANK YOU EVERYONE who supported us and cheered us on! See you guys next year  We’ll fight harder than ever. GO BEARS!

CSL - Dream Come True Pt. 3

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Ongoing

Upcoming