Huk’s Rebirth into Code S

Chris “Huk” Loranger was once the epitome of hardwork and dedication. This no-name figure (in terms of competitive gaming background) played his ass off in the beta and alongside his pesky probe, became one of the most prolific players before the release of Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty. After the launch, he continued this momentum and garnered a 1^st place spot (besting Kiwikaki in the finals) at the 1st  Major League Gaming (Dallas) tournament to feature SC2 back in 2010. Not content with being one of the best “Foreigner” players, he joined forces with Team Liquid and packed his bags to Korea, where he would with compete and train with the Old Generations team (RIP) to become a world class champion.

Huk's Trademark Heart

Legion of fans would support Huk along the way, as his marathon streaming sessions were fueling the foreigner audience with the intense competition that is the Korean ladder They cheered when he fought hard in Code S, and cried when he won Dreamhack Winter 2011. Besides a little air of ignorance (Top 3 Control anyone?) he was the foreigner Protoss sweetheart. But then it all suddenly changed when he abruptly joined Evil Geniuses (All about them Benjamin’s). Even though he had signed a contract that is rumored to be one of the highest in progaming, his performance started to become lackluster. The Canadian Protoss soon became more known as a “12 year old girl” (Due to his lack of grammar skills on his twitter account) than the hardest working foreigner. His gameplay was also affected too, as his ultra-aggressive and micro-based style was slowly becoming absolute as everyone else around him changed with the times. I was never the biggest fan of the man, but his downfall was something that I could sympathize with his fans. 

This past GSL season though, he did something that surprised everyone, and probably EG management as well, as he qualified this season of Code S. Going through an Up and Down group that consisted Fantasy, Flying, Nestea, and  Finale. Things were looking good for Mr. Loranger until his Code S group was revealed, and he certainly got the short end of the stick in this regard. This group consisted of  the current GSL champion Sniper, and two of the most skilled terrans on the planet, Bomber and Gumiho, this certainly could be called the “Group of Death,” or the "Group of Huk's demise."

I will not give any false allusion of a Cinderalla Story here, this past Thursday Huk got smashed in his games. Doing these aggressive mass gateway builds that have not been popular since early 2011, his opponents did circles around him (Gumiho literally did with his Marines on their 2^nd game). The only game he won is where Sniper went down a ramp and lost his army to Huk’s continued all-in aggression, an amateur to move say the least. The Canadian Protoss, maybe a bit intimidated by his groupmates, showed risky and unsolid play, that by nature either makes someone look brilliant or awfully bad, and for the EG player that day, the latter is the one that fitted the bill. Let’s hope he can come back strong, for the foreigner fans and Canadian faithful.

On a side note, I was extremely happy to see Bomber and Gumiho advance, who are probably two of the most fun players to watch on the entire planet. Their skill is so evident in their play, as they are literally everywhere in the games, and not afraid to go to the late game, where people seem to think the other two races have a massive advantage (they kind of do, or their mechanics are easier to manage late game than Terrans), but these two guys show that they can hang. I hope they can go far in this GSL.

The Auadicty of Quentin Tarantino

Within my generation, and people slightly older than me (early 20s- to mid 30s), Quentin Tarantino is no doubt one of the most well known director in Hollywood. The creator of movies like Jackie Brown and Reservoir Dogs, Tarantino's movies are stylized and invoke a sense of rudeness that peolpe will feel extremley positive or negative about.  His latest creation is Django Unchained, a homage for his love of Spagheti Westerns but with the modern twist of having a black main character played by Jamie Foxx, who in the movie is a slave. It has garnered commercial and academic success as people have taken a liken to Tarantino's vision.

I, for one though, am not a huge fan Tarantino's work. I enjoy Hong Kong cinema immensely, Johnny To is my favorite director of all time, and while Tarantino hides no fact that he takes inspiration from Asian cinema, but if you watch the source material, you realize he uses them more than just inspiration. At least for me, I find his work nothing spectatcular, and with his recent film Django, it seems like he has brought some sort of critical thought about race relationships in the States,  but is this really the case?

This video from a friend on Facebook shows an interview done with Tarantino, on the British public channel  C4,  where he boasts how proud he is of his work, encouraging thoughtful discourse on all sides of the aisle. This excellent post on blackfeminists.org just show how much Quentin really knows very little about Black history, or any history in fact.  One of the finer points in the blog:

"To add insult to injury, he goes on to messianically assert that the primary aim of the movie was to give ‘black American males a western hero that could actually be empowering.’ Forget historical facts like the Stono and Nat Turner slave rebellions."

The post is short but hits effectively on some of the talking points, like his portrayal of African American characters, in his previous films, have been less than constructive.

Just watch the 1st few minutes of the interview (yes it is that apparent), and see how conceited the man is. Maybe he knows a few things about making movies, but in every other field, he seems to be lacking any inkling of knowledge. 

Happy New Year!

I started this blog a few months ago with all intentions to stay consistent with blog posts and improve my writing skills, but sickness in my family has forced me to assume duties and responsibilities that no one person should ever tackle single handily. With a new year (And my grandmother's health improving 10 fold), and a new mind set, I plan to make use of my time and improve myself as a person and all of the people around me.

So cheers and let may 2013 be the best year yet for everyone, and here is a Marvel/Peanuts mash up picture that is sure to bring a smile to your face.

The MLG MVP Starcraft 2 Invitational

Major League Gaming, who promised the community that they were going to put their KESPA partnership to “good use,” delivered something interesting this weekend, The MVP Starcraft 2 Invitational. 1^st of all, KESPA refers to the federation that controls all the Starcraft teams and players in South Korea, they are a tight organization that abides by strict rules in terms of exposure of their players. It is important to note that these teams are well funded by large corporations in South Korea, like Samsung Electronics, and have a lot of money to throw around. In the past, they were basically a xenophobic organization, doing nothing to accommodate their overseas fans, but in the last couple of years they have open their boundaries and brought the “foreigner” angle into the discussion. In one of their bigger movies, they partnered with Major League Gaming, North America’s largest tournament organizer, and stated their interest to send their players to the states for competitions and exhibitions.

This MVP (M meaning MLG and P meaning Proleague, or KESPA) Starcraft 2 Invitational was one of their bigger expenditures, in terms of this MLG-KESPA partnership, as it brought the clash of two separate communities, MLG vs KESPA. The KESPA players play amongst their teammates and secret IDs on the ladder, so their activity is unknown, but the “MLG” side, or everyone else, has hundreds of videos that show their training and have countless of VODs showing their performances in tournaments. This is a battle of the known versus the unknown, if you will. Also, these KESPA pros have just recently switched full time to Starcraft 2 within the past 6-8 months, while the MLG players have been playing since release, 2 years. It was going to be a clash for all the marbles, and to see if those raw skills and mechanics these Brood War pros have will translate into success into a new but a slightly similar game.

The catch of this is very enticing to any long time Starcraft fan. Legends like Stork, Flash, Bisu, Fantasy, and Jaedong will go against players like Huk, Idra, Sheth, Crank, and Thorzain. West versus East, Elephants versus non-elephants (Read this article for the reference), it was what people wanted to see since the release of Wings of Liberty.

But the reality kicked in.

The thing that went wrong for this MLG event,  at least for me and countless people on Reddit, was that it was going to be an online tournament, meaning it will be played cross-server with 3 different regions, Asia, North America, and Europe. This is a huge problem because it will not deliver the best gameplay by both parties in a particular match because of lag problems. The distance among each person’s connection is a huge hindrance as it will be a big boon to the players and a detraction to the viewer. Everyone loses out excepts for MLG (A bit of foreshadowing).

While other online tournaments do due this and are successful, North American Star League, but then MLG announces it will be a Paper-view tournament, meaning to watch it you have to pay 10 Dollars for the matches. Hey, this is done in sports like Boxing and Wrestling and those PPV packages are much more than what MLG is talking about, and for the hours of entertainment it will provide it is a good deal. The catch though that this is an ONLINE TOURNAMENT, and for people to pay money for online matches is just ridiculous. We are not even able to see the best quality of matches, and they expect to pay for it? I might be grasping here, but if it was the same structure of their Arenas, where the players fly in New York and play the tournament at the MLG offices, than I would have no problem with paying that fee, but this is something else. Players like Scarlett even dropped their participation in the tournament, seeing that cross-server play is something that she does not want to deal, having her less than sub-par Canadian internet.

Also 1^st place prize is 10,000 dollars, a good piece of change but this is the only cash out. 2^nd place gets seeding in a future MLG tournament and 0.00 America dollars, this is bad for E-Sports (I know this is a cliché saying). Top heavy, or one heavy, prize pools are not good to support professional players. Excuse my political wording but it is better for a Socialist system, where all performers get money, while the top people get just a little bit more. This encourages longevity within pros and keeps them motivated to perform, Most gamers have very little income and prize money needs to be doled out to keep them going, or else we lose out on players.

Also there is so much hype that is lost in an online tournament, it is just that live feeling that is showed just enhances the experience.  Maybe it is due to the fact that there is so many online tournaments and just an over saturation of games, so that this invitational will just be another face in the crowd. A sad thing to say considering the theoretical hype around the matches, Flash vs Idra (!), but in its 1^st weekend of matches, I think it will be.

The best thing about this partnership, Leta's Back flip in Anaheim

Why Watch E-Sports?

I have encountered a handful of people in my life that asked me “Why do you watch people play video games.” Some are more curious while others are more judgmental (“What a waste of time, etc), but the 1^st time someone brought it up, it did make me ponder the question “What would be a well-articulated response?”

This triggered my memory palace for a bit, a couples years ago I remember watching some sort of Cable News Show, something on CNN if remembered half-correctly, and the discussion was about Soccer and American Football, and how come the latter is so popular in the US of A, but just a rejected afterthought in every other country. One of the guests chimed in and said that it is a simple answer actually:

1)      American Football is strong at the High School and College level in terms of participation

2)      Not everyone that plays will be a professional player when leaving school

3)      Those people who played instead will be the solid viewing base when they are older

It is a cycle that has carried through for most of the last century. It does quite make sense if you think about it, and when you compare this culture to the soccer culture in other countries, for most young people soccer is the game to play, and see how in the end popularity of something is cultivated over time.  People care about stuff that they have a deep connection too.

So when deliberated with that question of “Why E-sports?” I thought of this answer a bit, and just said, video games is my sport. NFL, MLG, NHL, etc these consists the top pros of their respected sports, just like how Brood War scene in South Korea is the top league of their respected game, and I want to watch the best players go at it. These “E-athletes” (Grubby’s term for professional gamers) work just as hard as any “Traditional” athelete, maybe even harder since they are not limited by physical exhaustion and should command the respect of their craft. While this idea is still new and not exactly a social norm, it still has the merit of any high-level competition.

Xenzor from Reddit posts this picture, that relates to my thoughts on this subject, from the recent WCS (World Championship Series) Europe Continental Finals. 

Boy Check Your Time

I'm not just drinking to forget you.

It's what I do to pass the time.

Because I'm proud I say I left you but we both know that isn't right.

I found my solace on this glass here.

A remedy that's conquered sleep,

I read your words they make me sick dear.

I just hang my head and weep.

Check your time boy,Check your time.

You're running to cocaine and cheap wine.

You say it's the life boy you say it's your life

Check your time boy, check your time

I thought I'd be fine on my own here.

But with you gone things weren't the same.

Women they came women they left dear.

When we made love I called your name.

Check your time boy, check your time. 

You're running on cocaine and cheap wine.

You say it's the life boy you say it's your life

Check your time boy, check your time.

The lyrics of this song really hit home with me because just this last summer, I met up with one of my old friends from High School, who I haven't seen in years, who is on a course self-destruction. Using hard drugs and getting wasted every day, there are only a few reasons that should warrant that behavior, and usually that involves a  having a chronic or fatal illness. A broken heart is nothing life threatening. 

Westbound Train, man I love this band. I think it is the epitome of soul and ska: laid back rhythms  smooth hornlines, solid yet groovy bass lines, and fronted by an amazing voice (Obi!).

From Romania and Back

It is no secret that drama and scandal are the cornerstones of attention. Shakespeare knew this, so did Joseph Pulitzer, and those pesky and resourceful editors on TMZ definitely know about this. It only makes sense that the Starcraft scene would abide to this fact as well.

Just in the last 24 hours, the scene experienced a big shocker. Vera Lynn, who broke grounds as a female gamer by earning a spot in the “Grandmaster” league, the top 200 players on a server, or where all the Professionals are ranked, and even beating accomplished players like Sjow and Ziktomi in showmatches. An inspiration for her fellow women gamers, she gained much notoriety as that “Irish Girl GM Zerg.” She even streamed replay analysis and ladder games, proving her skills and contributing back to the community. This allowed to her to be part of popular instructional sites, like sixpoolgaming.com and Z33k.com, and offer others her wisdom that allowed a simple computer nerdling to achieve Grandmaster on arguably the 2^nd hardest Bnet server in the world.

While gaming in general is certainly not as male dominated as it once was, women are now a huge part of the MMO market,  professional and competitive gaming no doubt still is a man’s world. It is very rare for women to break into the top S-class of these titles, let it be Halo, Quake, Brood War, or even League of Legends. There are a few women who were able to give the upper echelon of competition a run for their money, like Colagirl in Warcraft III or Tossgirl in Brood War (How appropriate for them to be named “girl).

The Face of Female Brood War in South Korea, and so much prettier than Vera Lynn, See Below

They dominated their counterparts in female only leagues and tournaments. While they never won any major tournaments involving the men, they still could smash 99% of the playing populations of their respected games. Vera Lynn was going to carry that banner in this new age. Sure, she was a bit smug, feisty, and disingenuous towards beating “the boys”, but c’mon, she had the skills to back it up. Right?  (Okay it is a bit extreme to say that she is the only female gamer doing work in SC2 as it is simply not the truth, but the sake of argumentation, please go along with it).

Well that’s where the Disney movie plot takes a nosedive.

In an investigatory piece by KawaiiRice of Light E-sports, he compiles a list of reasons that show this Vera Lynn character, who now is pretty well known for her skills and her gender, that shows she is a fraud.

The bottom line here is that she never played in those tournament games, showmatches, and even the ladder game. It was the skills of a Romanian zerg player named DeathAngel, who is quite solid but not one of the top dawgs in Europe. This op-ed piece byMr. Rice is beautifully articulated and definitely proves beyond the shadow of doubt her guiltiness. The most damning pieces of evidence include-

1)      Different stream set up when she is replay casting compared to when she was supposedly “laddering”

2)      Same exact hot keys and APM spam as older replays of DeathAngel

3)      Pop ups from Windows that were in Romanian

E-Sport Detectives KawaiiRice and Desrow. Picture from Reddit.

Unless this Irish lady has roots in Eastern Europe, the 3^rd fact is just one people in the criminal world call “Bad Luck.”

So all of this promise and potential are just a series of lies, just straight up. Both parties have come to admit that this little agreement was happening so there is nothing to dispute here, but there are few interesting points that were brought up in the fallout of this reveal.

1)      DeathAngel says that Girl’s get so much attention, just due to the fact they are a Girl.

      While, yes this may be true, but this is kind of pointing out the obvious. I mean, probably since the dawn of time. Guys want girls who share their hobbies, especially gaming.

2)      How far is someone willing to go along with a lie?

After being outed, her 1^st line of her public statement is:

“First of all, I'm glad I got caught and I can finally end this…”

So how long were you going to do this stunt than??? After reading this news, I went along and found some interviews with this Vera character, and watched a bit of her time on the Yegwen show, a Polish personality. She goes onto this show and brags about beating Dragon on stream and “embarrassing” him in front of his viewers. Citing her middle school logic of “you got beat by a girl,” and laughing as the Korean terran is squirming on his camera. She was so proud of this moment as she even showed her mum (mom) her victory. Sigh, it is quite a mindblowing procedure to look back before she was outed, and just see how much fun she was having being that “bad ass bitch.”

The look of, "Hey, I fooled a lot of people on the internet."

Vera insists her goals were pure and just wanted to “Promote in E-sports,”  but in no reality I see this having any positive effects in the scene. This just sets back female gamers so much and creates that much of more skeptical viewing audience, as people are making up storylines and characters just to have their share of E-fame.

I heard once a great quote about police officers, and in went along the lines of:“ The Police will always catch the bad guys because while the Police can make many mistakes, a criminal needs to make only one mistake to be caught.”

Now I only wish I could remember where it was from…

3)      The scene is hard to break in, even for solid players, unless you have some sort of gimmick (gimmick not in a bad way, just meaning something that is not associated with actual gameplay)

DeathAngel is a pretty good player, I remember reading about his Code A qualifier adventures when he was in Korea about a year ago. He has won online tournaments here and there, but is not a “popular” player by any means. He will not get any invites to a Dreamhack or a showmatch. After the accusations, he said himself that he went along with this con because he wanted to play against good people, and through this other vehicle, or person, he wanted to break the hypocrisy and expose how hard it is to be respected.

I honestly agree with his statements, but this whole scam is just something that affected too many things and people, and got quite out of hand. But, hey, I am sure everyone knows DeathAngel ‘s name now, just like how they know Spades. At least infamy is some sort of fame.

People should support Scarlett, she is the real deal, and why people got excited over some Irish lady being a ladder warrior, is beyond me.