Ketama)Djin(
Guest
Quelle: http://www.sk-gaming.com
Q: To kick off the interview, I must ask the questions, "Why Starcraft?" "When did you start?" and "Did you ever think it was going to evolve into such a big deal?"
Testie: Why Starcraft? Because it's the game my brother brought home after Warcraft, Descent 2, and Warcraft 2. I started, well, as soon as the game came out, I guess. I had no idea it would ever be this big. Plus, Blizzard rocks and makes some quality games. Now I play Starcraft because it's an amazingly balanced game with the perfect format and perfect balance.
Q: How long did it take you to hone your skills? Not everyone is as good as you, and many Starcraft gamers look up to you as the palyer to watch and get strategic info. from. How many hours of practice does it take to get to the level of playing you are currently at?
Testie: That’s a difficult question. It definitely takes over a year to even begin to get a very clear grasp on the game for most people I'd imagine. I was always considered very good though from when I started simply because I had a history in games. As for practice, I don't practice. Ever. I only did that for 2 tournaments in my history: WDT (World Dream Tour) and WCG 2004. Other than that I play solely for fun, and whatever has resulted was just from me playing and being passionate about the game. As for hours of practice, it takes a long time for a player to truly understand the game, I'd say most big names still don't really understand the game that well. Some people play more than me these days and still don't get better, so how many hours? I think it's different for everyone, and some people are incapable of getting better, sadly. It's tough to say, but one doesn't need to sacrifice their life for the game to be great at it. [One would] Just have to play it regularly for a while until it becomes built in you, then you can leave for months and come back and still be great.
Q: So you would say it is mostly based on one's mindset towards the game and how they grasp the main concepts as opposed to mass gaming and experience?
Testie: It's both. Mass gaming and experience are probably the most important part, but even with it, you see some of those guys on PGTour who go 300-300 with mass gaming; they just don't get better and they are definitely playing a lot. I do not think it's something everyone can do.
Q: You and ToT)Mondragon( are possibly one of the best two on two teams known in and outside of Korea, how does the game differ from one on one to two on two?
Testie: Well, obviously a lot of the greatest 1v1 players just outright suck at 2v2. They are still good at the game, but they do not take into effect all the strategies that are possible in 2v2 nor do they have any clue what is best in certain situations. It differs a lot in the fact that: you must always be aware and pretty much know what strategies are the best, and how to utilize you and your ally to the fullest while making sure you are both impenetrable at all times from any 2v1 attack force they can possibly muster. It's very beautiful, 2v2, it’s a perfect dance in harmony. It sounds crazy to say it like that, but that's the way I see it. And it's just has so many subtleties to it and is just as deep if not deeper than 1v1.
Q: Do you prefer two on two as opposed to one on one?
Testie: Depends on my mood. I enjoy both quite a bit, but perhaps the more the merrier?
Q: Ok well, now that we know a little about your feelings on the game and its two match types, lets talk a bit about you at WCG. Now we all know you were criticized for poor performances in earlier WCG qualifiers, but lately you have been shining. Since 2001, please, walk us through your experience as a Starcraft gamer trying to make it into the spotlight.
Testie: I never tried to make it into the spotlight, I just did. I'm not iloveoov, or boxer, but let's see. I never really took gaming seriously, and just went to the tourneys for fun mostly and because I knew I had a shot. I had never practiced until the only WCG I wanted to do well in, which was in 2004. In the years 2001 - 2003 I was just some kind of a punk kid who was an idiot and didn't even know gaming was as big as it was. I was just still having fun online with my friends winning any online tourney that was around. Though I never looked for additional info (and still don't) on tourneys. In 2004, I knew I was good enough to be a contender at WCG. I had played with so many professional gamers and knew I could take it away from them after intense practice. Which is what I did, and I got so good on the maps at that time that I was ripping through professional gamers by the end of my practice with relative ease. However, ForU also seemed to practice hard. As I had practiced a lot, and was cutting through my friends with relative ease, I really hit a wall when I came to him and I could see I was against a progamer who had practiced hard as well. All in all, 2004 was a great experience in San Francisco and I met a lot of memorable people.
Q: What inspired you to achieve your goal in 2004?
Testie: I guess my confidence and my results inspired me at that time, but then I got the flu, and I thought to myself "this is completely unfair… practice for 2 months to get the flu during this tournament." (Giom gave it to me, hence the reason I used rS.AllGiomsFault! in one game). I still managed to play well against ForU, at least. Through the rest of the games I was very sick and I was lucky I had an easy group. A harder group would have made things very annoying. I also met my love Janice at the WCG 2004 Toronto regionals, but we weren’t a couple then.
Q: In 2005 you won WCG Canada and went onto the best of 32 player single elimination in Singapore. How was this as opposed to WCG 2004 in San Francisco? Was the competition much stronger? Judging by Korean results this year, it seems that non-Koreans are catching up. Do you feel this is true?
Testie: No, I don't feel it's true at all. The Koreans this year looked as though they had not practiced at all past their own prelims. I think that ForU and Xellos having such an easy time last year (if you look at their games it was very easy) is the reason, not that non-Koreans are catching up. I am almost certain that they simply really didn't practice much and expected to breeze through it. Whether they had some bad days or not, they were uncharacteristically sloppy, and players like those when they practice intensely, unless having a very off day (for some scientific reason) are never sloppy. As for the competition (opposed to San Francisco), it was roughly the same. I didn't practice for this year other than about 100 games for the Canadian finals, and 100 games is really nothing considering there are four maps, nine match-ups on each, and I'm a random player. 100 games do not help much with getting the timing of the maps down, or the best builds. Back on topic, non-Koreans aren't catching up. There are a handful (literally) of non-Koreans that can compete, and the rest are still just dead weight comparatively.
Q: Now back to what you said about in WCG 2004 when you met with Giom (3rd place WCG 2003, former 1st place progamer in the world), Now, as a fellow friend, Canadian, and Starcraft player, would you ever want to be a progamer?
Testie: A part of me is definitely interested, but my life is established here. Playing as a progamer makes the game feel like work, sadly. When I practiced for WCG 2004 (as much as I do love and enjoy the game) it felt like work. After going to big tournaments constantly the smaller stuff feels less fun and important in comparison. After achieving greater heights, ones mind takes for granted the small beauty of the game. That's how I felt after WCG 2004; the game was much less interesting. Luckily, I found my passion for it again and still love the game as much now as I did before. All in all, I'm torn on that question. Professional gaming has its interests and benefits, but I have found a far greater love and a far greater promise here.
Q: Is it true your were once Korea bound for the Egosys POS Progaming team?
Testie: A friend was attempting to get me onto that (FakeSteve by name). I was thankful and thought about it, though I didn't take it very seriously as, at that time, I was passionless. They told me to practice some specific maps, and I didn't. I played their players; I lost some, I won some. I wouldn't come at the times they wanted me to, so I played very few games vs them, and in the end, I decided I would want to try again later when I was going to be more serious. (They were telling me to do this right as I had landed my job and was working every day of every week. Physical labour tires you out at the end of the day). I wanted to do it when my job was done in the spring, but I never got around to it and perhaps they had lost interest.
Q: Ok, onto Blizzcon. This was one of the first times some of the biggest names in progaming have played outside of Korea and you were one of the players invited to play with them. How did this make you feel, and how was the general experience playing against them (the progamers)? How were they off of the computers and face to face?
Testie: I was honoured to be chosen to play with them, really honoured. The night it happened I was, for the first time in my life, like excited about Starcraft outside of Starcraft! As for the experience playing against them, I got fairly manhandled. I had practiced a few builds with Mondragon, as he's the only one I could practice with, and we ended up choking and not even playing the right builds, or the way we had intended. Regardless, had we been playing right anyway, the progamers are monstrously good players whom I have the utmost respect for. Face to face they're all pretty normal guys. They acted like tourists while they were there, and tourists always act kind of silly. But hey, it was a great experience and an amazing trip. I can't complain about a free and awesome trip. The worst part of the trip though was when my girlfriend went nuts over Nada and Yellow; she finds them amazingly “hot”. Once while I was calling her, I handed the phone Yellow and to she screamed in his ear so loud that everyone within 30 feet of the phone could hear her. From that point on, everyone including the blizzard people teased me that I'd lose my girlfriend to Yellow if he ever visited Canada. My girlfriend is a nut.
Q: Now, although no non-Koreans managed to beat the progaming attendees (all top 20 KeSPa ranked players), you did not leave Anaheim unfulfilled. After a tough loss in the Team Liquid Tour (a tournament for the best non-Koreans) #2 semi-final, you took down the American progamer, Assem, at Blizzcon with a decisive score. How did this feel? Did it bring any closure to the tournament after being beat out first round by Reach?
Testie: Ah, it felt nice to take down Brian (Assem), but not because I normally orgasm after I win or anything. He got me in the last tourney and I couldn't allow a second loss to him one tourney after the other. Granted, he's an excellent player, but that'd actually bother me if I had lost that game.
Q: From offline gaming, to online gaming much has changed in the world of Starcraft. Now, for the first time ever, there is a highly competitive Starcraft Champions league being put on by ESL (creators of the world famous WC3L). The winner of this league is almost guarenteed sponsorships. Do you think ESL will continue the tradition of a Starcraft league? How has it been in SCCL so far? How did you come to the decision of leaving RSGaming for the league to play with ToT?
Testie: I do not know whether ESL will continue it or not. The SCCL has been kind of well, unprofessional so far. The teams have been less than professional, (including some of my own teammates, sadly. Hence why I wanted that one f** out of ToT, considering his idiotic actions during a clan war he didn't take part in.) If the rumours are true, the enforcement of the rules hasn't been all that great either, but I'm not really paying that much attention to it, I just play my games. The reason I chose ToT) over rS is because, although I like both teams quite a bit, I am fairly loyal to Mondragon. It is or was a better team skill-wise, but right now it seems kind of weaker as it's best are not around at all times. Still, Mondragon and I should win the rest of our 2v2 games, giving us a free 1-0 advantage, and Mondi and I are stacked for the 1v1 games. There are a few key players who can give us trouble in this league though. Mondi assured us that we’d do better in the playoffs.
Q: This brings me to my next question. You had mentioned about a player you wanted out for his reactions in a clan war he did not play in. Could you elaborate on the situation? (note: you may speak freely, but it will be edited . If anything you say will get you in trouble, just pass on the question, but drama is always good )
Testie: I wanted Strafe out. I have never liked his personality, or his attitude. After the last clan wars, and how ToT members reacted in some cases (i.e. the recent clan war with Sea), I did not want to be associated with idiots like Strafe. He's low. From his personality over the years, to everything I’ve seen him write or post: I have never liked him or his attitude. He's not funny, nor is he entertaining, nor was he ever very good. He brought nothing to the team except an a****le who liked to attempt to start s**t to entertain himself. Those types of people are some of the most annoying, idiotic, and tiresome people in the world and don't have a good bone in their body. I did not want to be associated with that nor did I want to be in a team that allowed that kind of behavior. When I wanted him kicked I also wanted a bit better behavior from the team. I thought if they valued my skills or me they'd make the right choice. If not, well as much as I love those guys, the attitude of the team changed from when I originally joined and it was not something I wanted to be a part of.
Q: Well your insights have surely been noted and this was a great interview. I would like to extend a major thank you to you and Janice (who has been waiting ever so patiently) for the time to chat with me today. Thanks a lot Nick, and good luck in your next competition!
Q: To kick off the interview, I must ask the questions, "Why Starcraft?" "When did you start?" and "Did you ever think it was going to evolve into such a big deal?"
Testie: Why Starcraft? Because it's the game my brother brought home after Warcraft, Descent 2, and Warcraft 2. I started, well, as soon as the game came out, I guess. I had no idea it would ever be this big. Plus, Blizzard rocks and makes some quality games. Now I play Starcraft because it's an amazingly balanced game with the perfect format and perfect balance.
Q: How long did it take you to hone your skills? Not everyone is as good as you, and many Starcraft gamers look up to you as the palyer to watch and get strategic info. from. How many hours of practice does it take to get to the level of playing you are currently at?
Testie: That’s a difficult question. It definitely takes over a year to even begin to get a very clear grasp on the game for most people I'd imagine. I was always considered very good though from when I started simply because I had a history in games. As for practice, I don't practice. Ever. I only did that for 2 tournaments in my history: WDT (World Dream Tour) and WCG 2004. Other than that I play solely for fun, and whatever has resulted was just from me playing and being passionate about the game. As for hours of practice, it takes a long time for a player to truly understand the game, I'd say most big names still don't really understand the game that well. Some people play more than me these days and still don't get better, so how many hours? I think it's different for everyone, and some people are incapable of getting better, sadly. It's tough to say, but one doesn't need to sacrifice their life for the game to be great at it. [One would] Just have to play it regularly for a while until it becomes built in you, then you can leave for months and come back and still be great.
Q: So you would say it is mostly based on one's mindset towards the game and how they grasp the main concepts as opposed to mass gaming and experience?
Testie: It's both. Mass gaming and experience are probably the most important part, but even with it, you see some of those guys on PGTour who go 300-300 with mass gaming; they just don't get better and they are definitely playing a lot. I do not think it's something everyone can do.
Q: You and ToT)Mondragon( are possibly one of the best two on two teams known in and outside of Korea, how does the game differ from one on one to two on two?
Testie: Well, obviously a lot of the greatest 1v1 players just outright suck at 2v2. They are still good at the game, but they do not take into effect all the strategies that are possible in 2v2 nor do they have any clue what is best in certain situations. It differs a lot in the fact that: you must always be aware and pretty much know what strategies are the best, and how to utilize you and your ally to the fullest while making sure you are both impenetrable at all times from any 2v1 attack force they can possibly muster. It's very beautiful, 2v2, it’s a perfect dance in harmony. It sounds crazy to say it like that, but that's the way I see it. And it's just has so many subtleties to it and is just as deep if not deeper than 1v1.
Q: Do you prefer two on two as opposed to one on one?
Testie: Depends on my mood. I enjoy both quite a bit, but perhaps the more the merrier?
Q: Ok well, now that we know a little about your feelings on the game and its two match types, lets talk a bit about you at WCG. Now we all know you were criticized for poor performances in earlier WCG qualifiers, but lately you have been shining. Since 2001, please, walk us through your experience as a Starcraft gamer trying to make it into the spotlight.
Testie: I never tried to make it into the spotlight, I just did. I'm not iloveoov, or boxer, but let's see. I never really took gaming seriously, and just went to the tourneys for fun mostly and because I knew I had a shot. I had never practiced until the only WCG I wanted to do well in, which was in 2004. In the years 2001 - 2003 I was just some kind of a punk kid who was an idiot and didn't even know gaming was as big as it was. I was just still having fun online with my friends winning any online tourney that was around. Though I never looked for additional info (and still don't) on tourneys. In 2004, I knew I was good enough to be a contender at WCG. I had played with so many professional gamers and knew I could take it away from them after intense practice. Which is what I did, and I got so good on the maps at that time that I was ripping through professional gamers by the end of my practice with relative ease. However, ForU also seemed to practice hard. As I had practiced a lot, and was cutting through my friends with relative ease, I really hit a wall when I came to him and I could see I was against a progamer who had practiced hard as well. All in all, 2004 was a great experience in San Francisco and I met a lot of memorable people.
Q: What inspired you to achieve your goal in 2004?
Testie: I guess my confidence and my results inspired me at that time, but then I got the flu, and I thought to myself "this is completely unfair… practice for 2 months to get the flu during this tournament." (Giom gave it to me, hence the reason I used rS.AllGiomsFault! in one game). I still managed to play well against ForU, at least. Through the rest of the games I was very sick and I was lucky I had an easy group. A harder group would have made things very annoying. I also met my love Janice at the WCG 2004 Toronto regionals, but we weren’t a couple then.
Q: In 2005 you won WCG Canada and went onto the best of 32 player single elimination in Singapore. How was this as opposed to WCG 2004 in San Francisco? Was the competition much stronger? Judging by Korean results this year, it seems that non-Koreans are catching up. Do you feel this is true?
Testie: No, I don't feel it's true at all. The Koreans this year looked as though they had not practiced at all past their own prelims. I think that ForU and Xellos having such an easy time last year (if you look at their games it was very easy) is the reason, not that non-Koreans are catching up. I am almost certain that they simply really didn't practice much and expected to breeze through it. Whether they had some bad days or not, they were uncharacteristically sloppy, and players like those when they practice intensely, unless having a very off day (for some scientific reason) are never sloppy. As for the competition (opposed to San Francisco), it was roughly the same. I didn't practice for this year other than about 100 games for the Canadian finals, and 100 games is really nothing considering there are four maps, nine match-ups on each, and I'm a random player. 100 games do not help much with getting the timing of the maps down, or the best builds. Back on topic, non-Koreans aren't catching up. There are a handful (literally) of non-Koreans that can compete, and the rest are still just dead weight comparatively.
Q: Now back to what you said about in WCG 2004 when you met with Giom (3rd place WCG 2003, former 1st place progamer in the world), Now, as a fellow friend, Canadian, and Starcraft player, would you ever want to be a progamer?
Testie: A part of me is definitely interested, but my life is established here. Playing as a progamer makes the game feel like work, sadly. When I practiced for WCG 2004 (as much as I do love and enjoy the game) it felt like work. After going to big tournaments constantly the smaller stuff feels less fun and important in comparison. After achieving greater heights, ones mind takes for granted the small beauty of the game. That's how I felt after WCG 2004; the game was much less interesting. Luckily, I found my passion for it again and still love the game as much now as I did before. All in all, I'm torn on that question. Professional gaming has its interests and benefits, but I have found a far greater love and a far greater promise here.
Q: Is it true your were once Korea bound for the Egosys POS Progaming team?
Testie: A friend was attempting to get me onto that (FakeSteve by name). I was thankful and thought about it, though I didn't take it very seriously as, at that time, I was passionless. They told me to practice some specific maps, and I didn't. I played their players; I lost some, I won some. I wouldn't come at the times they wanted me to, so I played very few games vs them, and in the end, I decided I would want to try again later when I was going to be more serious. (They were telling me to do this right as I had landed my job and was working every day of every week. Physical labour tires you out at the end of the day). I wanted to do it when my job was done in the spring, but I never got around to it and perhaps they had lost interest.
Q: Ok, onto Blizzcon. This was one of the first times some of the biggest names in progaming have played outside of Korea and you were one of the players invited to play with them. How did this make you feel, and how was the general experience playing against them (the progamers)? How were they off of the computers and face to face?
Testie: I was honoured to be chosen to play with them, really honoured. The night it happened I was, for the first time in my life, like excited about Starcraft outside of Starcraft! As for the experience playing against them, I got fairly manhandled. I had practiced a few builds with Mondragon, as he's the only one I could practice with, and we ended up choking and not even playing the right builds, or the way we had intended. Regardless, had we been playing right anyway, the progamers are monstrously good players whom I have the utmost respect for. Face to face they're all pretty normal guys. They acted like tourists while they were there, and tourists always act kind of silly. But hey, it was a great experience and an amazing trip. I can't complain about a free and awesome trip. The worst part of the trip though was when my girlfriend went nuts over Nada and Yellow; she finds them amazingly “hot”. Once while I was calling her, I handed the phone Yellow and to she screamed in his ear so loud that everyone within 30 feet of the phone could hear her. From that point on, everyone including the blizzard people teased me that I'd lose my girlfriend to Yellow if he ever visited Canada. My girlfriend is a nut.
Q: Now, although no non-Koreans managed to beat the progaming attendees (all top 20 KeSPa ranked players), you did not leave Anaheim unfulfilled. After a tough loss in the Team Liquid Tour (a tournament for the best non-Koreans) #2 semi-final, you took down the American progamer, Assem, at Blizzcon with a decisive score. How did this feel? Did it bring any closure to the tournament after being beat out first round by Reach?
Testie: Ah, it felt nice to take down Brian (Assem), but not because I normally orgasm after I win or anything. He got me in the last tourney and I couldn't allow a second loss to him one tourney after the other. Granted, he's an excellent player, but that'd actually bother me if I had lost that game.
Q: From offline gaming, to online gaming much has changed in the world of Starcraft. Now, for the first time ever, there is a highly competitive Starcraft Champions league being put on by ESL (creators of the world famous WC3L). The winner of this league is almost guarenteed sponsorships. Do you think ESL will continue the tradition of a Starcraft league? How has it been in SCCL so far? How did you come to the decision of leaving RSGaming for the league to play with ToT?
Testie: I do not know whether ESL will continue it or not. The SCCL has been kind of well, unprofessional so far. The teams have been less than professional, (including some of my own teammates, sadly. Hence why I wanted that one f** out of ToT, considering his idiotic actions during a clan war he didn't take part in.) If the rumours are true, the enforcement of the rules hasn't been all that great either, but I'm not really paying that much attention to it, I just play my games. The reason I chose ToT) over rS is because, although I like both teams quite a bit, I am fairly loyal to Mondragon. It is or was a better team skill-wise, but right now it seems kind of weaker as it's best are not around at all times. Still, Mondragon and I should win the rest of our 2v2 games, giving us a free 1-0 advantage, and Mondi and I are stacked for the 1v1 games. There are a few key players who can give us trouble in this league though. Mondi assured us that we’d do better in the playoffs.
Q: This brings me to my next question. You had mentioned about a player you wanted out for his reactions in a clan war he did not play in. Could you elaborate on the situation? (note: you may speak freely, but it will be edited . If anything you say will get you in trouble, just pass on the question, but drama is always good )
Testie: I wanted Strafe out. I have never liked his personality, or his attitude. After the last clan wars, and how ToT members reacted in some cases (i.e. the recent clan war with Sea), I did not want to be associated with idiots like Strafe. He's low. From his personality over the years, to everything I’ve seen him write or post: I have never liked him or his attitude. He's not funny, nor is he entertaining, nor was he ever very good. He brought nothing to the team except an a****le who liked to attempt to start s**t to entertain himself. Those types of people are some of the most annoying, idiotic, and tiresome people in the world and don't have a good bone in their body. I did not want to be associated with that nor did I want to be in a team that allowed that kind of behavior. When I wanted him kicked I also wanted a bit better behavior from the team. I thought if they valued my skills or me they'd make the right choice. If not, well as much as I love those guys, the attitude of the team changed from when I originally joined and it was not something I wanted to be a part of.
Q: Well your insights have surely been noted and this was a great interview. I would like to extend a major thank you to you and Janice (who has been waiting ever so patiently) for the time to chat with me today. Thanks a lot Nick, and good luck in your next competition!
sehr nice dass das jeder mit gekriegt hat
