The International 6: Everyone is a fan at heart

It’s been over a month since Kris and I attended the latest iteration of the biggest event in Dota 2 -The International 6. For one week, we were at the beating, bleeding heart of the game that we have spent thousands of hours playing, watching, learning, and loving. For most of the world, it was just another week, another stream on Twitch. Another event for gamers to make small talk about for a while. For us, it was a week that we’ve been dreaming about for years – a true nerdy dream come true.

From the moment that Kris and I first realized that we could attend TI6 and booked our tickets, I honestly had trouble processing that we were ACTUALLY GOING TO TI. For weeks, I caught myself thinking ‘Only 3 months until you’re going to TI’. It’s tough to describe in words what it felt like to even contemplate going to go and see players that I had been following for years.

With about a week to go, this hype elevated to another level. The crew head of GosuGamers (a gaming site that I have written for since last year) asked me to be the official interviewer for the site for the event. I was given press access to the whole event (meaning I went for free, and quickly sold my pre-bought tickets), and details about the press day that would happen the weekend before TI itself. I was actually going to meet the players. Talk to them. Try not to make jokes that were too bad.

Yeah, that’s a calm face. Totally. 

Before we knew it, the press day was upon us. A Saturday morning and early afternoon spent conversing about the game I love with the players I may or may not have significant feelings for. Or, to be more precise, to spend an hour too scared shitless and nervous to actually talk to anyone, before proceeding to actually be an effective(ish) interviewer for the rest of the time. I managed to interview AdmiralBulldog (a favourite player of Kris and I), Raven, GeNeral, Shadow, Ohaiyo, and the entire team of Escape Gaming, which was split up into two videos (qojqva and syNdereN and Khezu, Yapz0r and Era). I was incredibly nervous for most of the time, shown by my repeated head-bobbing (I look like my neck isn’t quite working properly).

Just chillin’ with the Admiral.

The face of a happy fangirl.

Despite my nerves, this day was arguably my favourite day of the entire tournament. Sure, we would see some sick plays and meet the community over the course of the following week. But in terms of level of dream achievement, I don’t think it got better than the press day for me. I was in Seattle, interviewing players, and writing pieces and doing videos about them. I have never felt more legitimate in the eSports world yet. Kris even dipped her toe into eSports journalism, writing a well-received piece on the cosplayers of TI6.

TI6 cosplay was incredible. Neither of these costumes were judged good enough to win.

While the press day may have been the high point in terms of personal legitimacy, the rest of TI certainly made my inner fanboy happy on an almost continuous basis. From being able to easily look from the screen where the action was taking place to their agonizing faces in the team booths, to obtaining piles of merchandise, to new heroes (yes, more than one!) being revealed and teased, to the overall high production value of the event, I almost constantly had a smile on my face more prominent than the pain in my neck from looking up at the screen for hours at a time.

Our view of teh action for the week.

Where the magic happened.

What I was struck by most at the main event was the community. Even though we were sitting with press, everyone seemed to just be there for the love of the game itself. Sure, they would feverishly write pieces during the action, but when there was a crucial play, bad decision, or upset, there would not be a person in Key Arena not watching. Some of my favourite moments were just sitting with some of the friends we made, talking about our lives, Dota, and how we were hoping to get one of the rare drops that occurred only for people in the stadium. The entirety of Key Arena was a true community, united in its love for Dota 2.

This sense of community extended to the players and personalities themselves. There were constant photo sessions, where us plebs could meet and take a photo with our favourite members of the community, from players to casters to hosts. We ony managed to get to one of these sessions, with Troels ‘syNdereN’ Nielsen.

Kris and Troels.

Troels plays for Escape Gaming, and he is the player that got me interested in Dota 2. I played Dota 1 back in high school, but left it behind me when I went to university. After a couple of years, I found out about Dota 2, and was playing it casually. Then I discovered Troels’ stream of the game. I watched him whenever I could, and loved that I could watch and learn from one of the best in the world. It helps that he was funny and, as I would discover on the press day and autograph session, an incredibly nice, warm guy. Only that kind of person would agree to the glorious photo that is the header image of this piece.

yelloweverybodythisispurgewithtwofansfromafar

 

Even outside of the assigned sessions, personalities were all very approachable. You could walk up to them while they were wandering the arena, and if they were free, they would happily talk to you and share some of their time. It warmed my heart that even though they were famous in the community, they didn’t see themselves as above everyone else. They earnestly thanked you for any kind words or stories you would share. They offered of themselves, both in time and energy.

Two beautiful ladies and a shlub in pink pants.

From interviewing to watching to prowling the arena looking to snag a photo with someone you know and love, TI6 was truly a dream weekend. Kris and I saw some of the best Dota 2 we’ve ever seen. We made friends that we will hopefully keep in touch with for years to come (even though I am terrible at social media). We met our idols. All in all, TI6 was a week of happiness that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. Can we go back yet?

A Good Few Days

I have neglected you, dear readers, and for that I apologize. I bring much news! The time between my last post and this has been filled with positive events for Kris and I. I have covered my first Esports event, successfully applied for a Dota 2 magazine, played some Ultimate, and taken another step towards that opaque concept known as adulthood.

The news of which I am arguably most proud is my coverage of the recent HearthStone Seoul Cup World Invitational. The tournament hosted 8 of the top HearthStone players from around the world in two days of single-elimination competition. A few days before the tournament, an expansion was released for HearthStone, resulting in some crazy, fresh strategies to be showcased at the tournament.

While I did enjoy watching the games immensely, my most significant moments lay just outside of the arena. I managed to secure interviews with StrifeCro and Reynad, two prominent personalities in the HearthStone scene. Reynad is a name that I have known for a while, but never explored deeply enough to have a personal opinion on. He deeply impressed me with his knowledge of the game, and love for both HearthStone and Esports in general. I gained immense respect for him in our short conversation. I have long been a fan of StrifeCro, and he lived up to my every expectation as a kind, soft-spoken gentleman. I even managed to get his signature and a picture with him. My inner fanboy was bursting with glee.

I transcribed these interviews and turned them into features for GosuGamers. The StrifeCro interview even managed to reach the front page of the HearthStone subreddit! I was happy that my hard work and overcoming my shy nature paid off. I believe that my interview with Reynad will be even more popular, but it has yet to be released.

My other major Esports-related success came from the Dota 2 sphere. A few weeks ago, I responded to a post on reddit calling for Dota 2 writers to put together a magazine about Dota 2. There were apparently over 240 applicants. I was one of the 6% who were judged as worthy. I am working on my first piece for the first issue, and I hope to live up to the faith that has been placed in me.

After a busy few days of writing and teaching, I was happy to enjoy a long weekend. Kris and I spent most of Thursday and Friday relaxing, catching up with friends, and doing some Ultimate practice. It felt good to throw a disc again, and the practice would prove necessary. On Saturday, we had a chilled picnic for a friend’s birthday. Nothing went too out of hand, because we all had Ultimate the next day.

Sunday came around, and with it our first games of Ultimate for several weeks. We played three games, and had played some of the best Ultimate that we have all season. However, our team’s play was let down by small mistakes being punished by the opponents, and we lost all three of the games. Our team was a little downhearted, but we all enjoyed the day despite the losses.

This morning, I received word that I have been accepted for a credit card. Whilst this might not seem like that big of a deal, I was genuinely worried that I would be rejected due to the part-time nature of my job. I am glad Korea thinks me responsible enough for a credit card. I’m not sure I would trust me. When the card arrives, I will be finally be able to book plane tickets to Seattle for the holiday that Kris and I plan to take in August. As August is drawing ever closer, every day that we can have to complete the American visa application process may prove to be necessary.

So, all told, a good few days indeed. I am making my way in Esports slowly but surely, I am making sure I don’t turn into a pudgey doughball, and things are coming together for the big trip in August. I will strive to blog more regularly, and let you all know how things are going as they happen, and not all in one go like this. Here’s hoping that the majority of my updates are as positive as this one!

 

One Month in Wonju: Achievements and Goals

Kris and I have now spent one entire month living in the lovely, pokey town of Wonju. In our time here, we’ve done a bunch of stuff that I am proud of. On the other side of the coin, there are a whole lot of things that I would like to get done in the remainder of our time here, however long or short that may be. Here are five goals that I feel are most necessary to aim for in the coming months, and five achievements that Kris and I have made, in no particular order.

Goals

1.) I need to be far more pro-active in the mornings. Now that I have a more flexible job (see the achievements below), I need to make more effective use of my time. Whilst playing games is great and all, I need to start doing it on stream and creating content.

2.) I want to be able to play one more point of Ultimate Frisbee between each rest point. Currently I feel that my fitness levels are limiting my play, and I am sick and tired of feeling this way.

.3.) I should probably wear pants more around the house in the mornings.

4.) I want to find at least one paying Esports writing job, be it a once-off article or a recurring contract, in the next 4 months. Gotta start somewhere.

5.) I want to keep enjoying life as much as I have in the last month!

Achievements

1.) Kris and I (almost entirely Kris) organised an Ultimate Frisbee team in Wonju, and successfully got most of the team to our first week of games.

2.) Kris and I both managed to renew our ARCs, so we can legally stay in Korea for another year. The details may be written in permanent marker, but apparently they’re legit!

3.) I managed to secure myself a great, flexible part-time job. It gives me time to write, and lessens my time with kindergarten children. My sanity is closer to normal levels than it was last year.

4.) Kris and I have extensively cut down on the amount of cold drink (soda for my American readers) that we drink. It was largely an unconscious decision, as buying soda just never settled into our Wonju shopping routine. However, when we noticed this, we decided that this is a good thing and haven’t bought cold drink for our house since. We might have a can or two when out and about though, but nowhere near the three 1.5-litre bottles that we were drinking every week.

5.) I have begun writing for GosuGamers.net with regularity again. During the move, I wasn’t able to write a piece for them for weeks. Now, I’ve done two this week already. I want to write more in order to get more exposure, but it’s a step in the right direction.

Overall, it’s been a stellar month. Whether it’s because we’re not nearly as overwhelmed by the newness that governed our teaching experiences last year, whether we’re part of a better community, or maybe because we’re honestly just enjoying ourselves more readily, Kris and I have had a good time of it in our first month in Wonju. Here’s to many more!

Spreading the Ink

For most of my life, writing has been something that has just happened, that has always been there with me. From my first, one-syllable pieces when I could barely hold a pen, to fledgling short stories and poems in high school, to this blog post right now, putting words onto paper in a mostly logical and flowing manner has always been something I did for enjoyment, for myself. Today, that changed. I wrote my first article for GosuGamers.net.

It wasn’t delivering major, world-shattering news that needed to be put to the masses or society would collapse. It was just a little piece telling the lovely patrons to the site that an exciting tournament of DotA2 would soon be starting. Nevertheless, I felt an immense sense of pride and accomplishment when my current mentor from GosuGamers pressed the button, and my article, something that I had written, popped up on the front page of the site. I had contributed to something larger than myself.

This is the first step in a new direction that I am taking for myself. Next year, I hope to teach only part-time, and supplement my income through freelance writing or editing jobs. Having recently been told about Freelancer.com, a most intriguing platform that helps freelancers of all trades meet up with potential projects where their talent can be utilized, I am testing the waters to see whether this could be a viable option for me for the future. I am trying to net a few small jobs, build up my reputation on the site and my skills in the writing field at the same time.

While the GosuGamers article may not be the first time my work has been published online (with a short story I wrote forming part of a digital anthology called The Collective, available here), it does mark a step in the direction of more lucrative writing, and possibly even supporting myself by doing so. This causes me to stop and wonder: could I write for a living?

My heart says that I could. Hell, there are a host of people that put pen (or the digital equivalent) to paper (or the digital equivalent) and money happens to end up in their bank account because people like their work. My mind then reminds me of the much larger host of other people desperately flogging their creative wares to no avail or profit, and I feel more reserved and conflicted at the idea, but no less keen to walk the path, even if it is only for a little while.

So, I flex my fingers and carefully tread the next brick on the yellow road of writing. Will I walk long enough to reach the Emerald City of self-sufficiency and self-actualisation? Is that even where this road goes? I know not. But I am going to enjoy the view along the way.