You think you take competitive gaming seriously?

Shalafi

Shalafi

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Not as serious as this, lol.

EG = Evil Geniuses, a professional gaming team, they all moved together in a house to practice for the games they play. Basically they wanted to all live in a house together so they could follow a strict practice regiment and simulate the LAN environment by having a network of computers all next to each other.

That's pretty damn hardcore. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WXvLj5TCKw This video shows a walkthru of their lair, it's fuckin nice actually.

BTW this isn't exactly new, Koreans have been doing it for years, which is why they dominate hardcore at some of those RTS games.
 
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I thought EG has been doing this for a while now? Anyway it's too bad Idra isn't what he used to be.
 
This is pretty common practice and you see it all over the Starcraft scene. You have houses for clans that practice against each other instead of playing on ladder to hone their skills. For example off the top of my head there's EG, Team Liquid, Slayers and etc that all do the same thing. It's definitely an interesting life and not exactly a bad one if you ask me. :p
 
RoboticPotPie said:
I thought EG has been doing this for a while now? Anyway it's too bad Idra isn't what he used to be.
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You mean... other than winning IEM Guangzhou, taking 4th at MLG Orlando (defeating Boxer, Anypro, and frickin Bomber consecutively on the way), and he's actually about to play SelecT for the grand final of the Asus ROG Stars Invitational here in like half an hour after crushing Sjow in round 1 and WhiteRa in round 2. He only dropped one game to Sjow and 3-0'd WhiteRa.

Yeah, he sucks pretty bad these days :p

In all fairness, he hadn't done anything for a long while up until this last month or so and he did some incredibly stupid crap during his slump. It got to where I was actively rooting against him simply because he was acting like a five year old.

Seems to have cleaned up his act significantly here recently though, and it's showing in his play.
 
i think its crazy how its effective even for starcraft players when its a mainly 1v1 game. i would have expected the benefit of a gaming house to help counterstrike or league of legends players on their teamwork but i guess it helps 1v1 players too
 
when CAL and CPL were in their haydays, this was a common occurrence with the top ranked teams. They made enough money to justify it.
 
How geeky are they? ... Do they break free and gang bang that chick from time to time? Or are they so hardcore, they don't even realize they have penises?
 
Sent said:
Don't they all get a salary? So I don't get any hate.
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I can't really criticize what they are doing at the moment, I'm just not sure how "Professional Starcraft 2 Player" looks when they will one day have to get a non-gaming job.

Though if they somehow manage to make money their whole life playing video games, more power to them.
 
they moved to the eg lair a couple month ago. they are probably the best foreign sc2 team.

having fun playing a game you love for money, not so bad.
 
Can't watch the video as I'm at work, but holy crap.

I love video games -- but even I have my limits, after 2 or 3 days of solid gaming I feel like a worthless fat piece of shit. Sure it's fun but so is a night on the town and so is getting naked and doing freaky shit with girls.

Moving into a house with a bunch of other guys to play video games? Nah I'll pass. I like walking around in my underwear too much, and I also like living on my own so I can bring home girls and bang them like a whore flavored tambourine.
 
GishForever said:
I can't really criticize what they are doing at the moment, I'm just not sure how "Professional Starcraft 2 Player" looks when they will one day have to get a non-gaming job.

Though if they somehow manage to make money their whole life playing video games, more power to them.
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The professional gaming scene hasn't been around long enough to be able to tell how long they can hang with the young guys, but I have no reason to suspect that they couldn't last until 40-50 years old. About the oldest high level pro player is WhiteRa, and he's only 30. Probably about 90% of them are in their 20s. It sounds pathetic or odd or whatever, but these guys make good money in a fledgling industry, and it's only going to grow as they get older.

RoboticPotPie said:
I thought EG has been doing this for a while now? Anyway it's too bad Idra isn't what he used to be.
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Yeah, he's only going to Korea to compete in GSL Code A with serious aspirations (after the format change) of qualifying for Code S through the up and down matches.
 
krameriffic said:
The professional gaming scene hasn't been around long enough to be able to tell how long they can hang with the young guys, but I have no reason to suspect that they couldn't last until 40-50 years old. About the oldest high level pro player is WhiteRa, and he's only 30. Probably about 90% of them are in their 20s. It sounds pathetic or odd or whatever, but these guys make good money in a fledgling industry, and it's only going to grow as they get older.



Yeah, he's only going to Korea to compete in GSL Code A with serious aspirations (after the format change) of qualifying for Code S through the up and down matches.
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I am not real sure in SC/RTS games but in FPS it has already been pretty clear that 25 is about as old as you can be. All the people older than that seem to be on their way down hill. Past 30 I am surprised if any can hang in the tournaments. Fatality was completely dominant at his youngest and he would go learn and crush people in new games as he got older it became harder and harder, it took him longer to get up to speed. In PK he did no start to over take voo till about half way through that game and in Q4 he was finally to old to compete with the younger faster guys. Now he could go on for a long time as a second rate player that just fills the brackets but rarely or never gets to the top but there is not much money in that.

But people who say there is no future just do not have open minds. Fatality is still raking in money off of gaming and will continue to do so for a long time. You just need to accept when you get to old and start planning for that. We know lots of killer athletes that are bankrupt but we also know lots that evolved to commentators, couches, advisors to gaming companies and so on. If you love to do something so much you can make money off of it if other people like it too. You just need to be creative and open minded. Sometimes it means picking up a new skill like say learning to map or code then going to work for a gaming company to help them design games that will work for competition or even just be balanced in pub play.

Oh and back in the days of fatality his house was full of pro players practicing pretty much all the time. And he also knew that you cant play all the time so working out was part of the routine and socializing etc... But if they made enough money they would not have 1 house they would have 1 per person like pro athletes and just meet every day to practice =]
 
Being a pro gamer is about as viable a career as being a musician.
 
Idra won quite a bit of money this weekend and could win 2,000 more tomorrow. 8k? In one weekend isn't bad. Add this to his IEM china and the money he is likely to win at MLG providence with his high seeding and the money from their sponsors. Its pretty impressive.

I don't think money is a problem for the top pro sc2 players.


I don't know what people are expecting but from his recent results he has been one of the best zergs in the world.

Chess is competitive gaming and so is golf. I think the EG house is in better shape than most of the golfers though...

The best, or second best, SC2 player is also one of the oldest. Who knows how old some one can be and still play a game. Logic says you should be able to play for quite some time. It probably has a lot to do with the amount of free time and getting into the game and getting burnt out. They have to have the time to pick up the game and play for a few years while they are getting better. You have to be pretty young when you get started.
 
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rudy said:
I am not real sure in SC/RTS games but in FPS it has already been pretty clear that 25 is about as old as you can be. All the people older than that seem to be on their way down hill. Past 30 I am surprised if any can hang in the tournaments. Fatality was completely dominant at his youngest and he would go learn and crush people in new games as he got older it became harder and harder, it took him longer to get up to speed. In PK he did no start to over take voo till about half way through that game and in Q4 he was finally to old to compete with the younger faster guys. Now he could go on for a long time as a second rate player that just fills the brackets but rarely or never gets to the top but there is not much money in that.

But people who say there is no future just do not have open minds. Fatality is still raking in money off of gaming and will continue to do so for a long time. You just need to accept when you get to old and start planning for that. We know lots of killer athletes that are bankrupt but we also know lots that evolved to commentators, couches, advisors to gaming companies and so on. If you love to do something so much you can make money off of it if other people like it too. You just need to be creative and open minded. Sometimes it means picking up a new skill like say learning to map or code then going to work for a gaming company to help them design games that will work for competition or even just be balanced in pub play.

Oh and back in the days of fatality his house was full of pro players practicing pretty much all the time. And he also knew that you cant play all the time so working out was part of the routine and socializing etc... But if they made enough money they would not have 1 house they would have 1 per person like pro athletes and just meet every day to practice =]
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And to add to that, this is where I point out that Nestea has won over $220,000 in prize money in the last year. And he's 28 or 29, I forget which, and Boxer is still turning in some really great tournament performances at age 31.

SC2 is proving that the older guys can still hang with the younger kids.

And as for guys who start as competitive gamers and then make something out of it after they get out of the actual competition, look to dudes like Marcus Graham that have turned it into a full on career through almost nothing but pure willpower.
 
Not so sure I would want to play video games for a living... it's one thing to enjoy a hobby, but trying to turn it into a career is potential nightmare material. I've seen youtube videos of starcraft korean pros, it's just phenomenal how fast their fingers move... and they have to practice like 12 hours a day to keep it like that, no days off, just constant endless training. Wow!
 
you guys are bullshitting yourselves if you think competitive gaming is a real job. at best it might be like the NBA, a fucking good job if you can get it, if you are one of the 450 lucky/good enough to get in. everyone else is just bullshitting themselves. The other major difference from the NBA and gaming is that there are not billions of dollars being spent on competitive gamers. If someone says they are a competitive gamer then there is only one question to ask. How much money did you net last year? That helps to put a context on what they are doing. Winning one or two contests is not going to amount to shit.
 
Mopower said:
I'm sure Monster compensates her nicely. Looks like they pay for everything else in the house.
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She's Incontrol's girlfriend. They met on their college debate team. She's been showing up to every major tournament he competed in since SC2 came out, more or less. I think she missed one when she was competing in Miss America.
 
jiminator said:
you guys are bullshitting yourselves if you think competitive gaming is a real job. at best it might be like the NBA, a fucking good job if you can get it, if you are one of the 450 lucky/good enough to get in. everyone else is just bullshitting themselves. The other major difference from the NBA and gaming is that there are not billions of dollars being spent on competitive gamers. If someone says they are a competitive gamer then there is only one question to ask. How much money did you net last year? That helps to put a context on what they are doing. Winning one or two contests is not going to amount to shit.
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250,000 dollar contract isnt too shabby imo.
 
100inch said:
Idra won quite a bit of money this weekend and could win 2,000 more tomorrow. 8k? In one weekend isn't bad. Add this to his IEM china and the money he is likely to win at MLG providence with his high seeding and the money from their sponsors. Its pretty impressive.

I don't think money is a problem for the top pro sc2 players.


I don't know what people are expecting but from his recent results he has been one of the best zergs in the world.

Chess is competitive gaming and so is golf. I think the EG house is in better shape than most of the golfers though...

The best, or second best, SC2 player is also one of the oldest. Who knows how old some one can be and still play a game. Logic says you should be able to play for quite some time. It probably has a lot to do with the amount of free time and getting into the game and getting burnt out. They have to have the time to pick up the game and play for a few years while they are getting better. You have to be pretty young when you get started.
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I have no idea what you just said.
 
rudy said:
I am not real sure in SC/RTS games but in FPS it has already been pretty clear that 25 is about as old as you can be. All the people older than that seem to be on their way down hill. Past 30 I am surprised if any can hang in the tournaments. Fatality was completely dominant at his youngest and he would go learn and crush people in new games as he got older it became harder and harder, it took him longer to get up to speed. In PK he did no start to over take voo till about half way through that game and in Q4 he was finally to old to compete with the younger faster guys. Now he could go on for a long time as a second rate player that just fills the brackets but rarely or never gets to the top but there is not much money in that.

But people who say there is no future just do not have open minds. Fatality is still raking in money off of gaming and will continue to do so for a long time. You just need to accept when you get to old and start planning for that. We know lots of killer athletes that are bankrupt but we also know lots that evolved to commentators, couches, advisors to gaming companies and so on. If you love to do something so much you can make money off of it if other people like it too. You just need to be creative and open minded. Sometimes it means picking up a new skill like say learning to map or code then going to work for a gaming company to help them design games that will work for competition or even just be balanced in pub play.

Oh and back in the days of fatality his house was full of pro players practicing pretty much all the time. And he also knew that you cant play all the time so working out was part of the routine and socializing etc... But if they made enough money they would not have 1 house they would have 1 per person like pro athletes and just meet every day to practice =]
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I think he moved on to pro poker or something...
 
jiminator said:
for how many people exactly? I'd be a joke for the nba
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in LoL, they are playing for a 5 million dollar prize pool, teams are guaranteed to get $250k each with the grand winner getting a million dollars I believe.

So that's $50k apiece, above the average wage in the US.

Not bad for a year's work, and that's not counting the money they earn from streaming on www.own3d.tv and their sponsors.
 
I never understand professional gaming. Nothing against the guys who do it, if they can make money doing it, awesome for them, I sure as hell couldn't play games that long every day and wouldn't want to either, but if that's what they enjoy and get paid for it and enjoy it, good for them.

The bit I dont understand is for it to be "professional", enough other people actually have to be interested in it enough to care about these guys and watch it. That's the bit I dont get. :p

That said I dont understand why people watch golf either, lol. At least watching physical sports like basketball or football (aussie rules, not that girly stuff ;)) it gets your blood flowing and you can really get into the passion of it, passive games like video games I just watch a video and best case scenario am just thinking "why am I watching this instead of playing it myself?" and worse case falling asleep after 2 minutes :p
 
cameraman can't shoot worth shit, makes it hard to watch,
 
jadams said:
for nerds who play too many video games they sure find enough time to goto the gym..... maybe its all the monster they're hopped on?
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Incontrol's been a powerlifter since, I think high school? I forget. I know he's been asked about it in at least one interview before. At the very least college. He's been doing it for years. He's said before his max when he was still competing and iirc it was up near 600 pounds.

And actually... quite a lot of professional gamers spend a fair amount of time at the gym. You have to counterbalance all that time spent at the PC with something.

I dunno, being professional at something doesn't mean that's all you do. Football players get an offseason. Yeah, they keep going to the gym, at least to an extent, but they still find plenty of time to do other things.

Gaming doesn't have to be any different.
 
Most of these people make significantly more money than you do, just saying. Someone like Idra is making $200k a year salary, not including winnings. Some Korean players are making $600k+ in SK. You can hate on their lifestyle and say it's for losers, but at the end of the day, they love what they do, and they are payed pretty well for doing it. Most of these guys are married or have extremely good looking girlfriends, quit acting like they're somehow sub-human for playing games. These people are not social-shut ins. They're basically B-list professional athletes.

I follow professional Starcraft, it's a very intense game at that level of play. It takes the passion and talent just as much an any professional sport does. If I was that good at games, I'd do it. These houses are to build a solid training environment, makes perfect sense.
 
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