So recently I have been thinking about my place in the world... and I've decided to go all in on SC2. I've never been successful academically or socially, and im not very attractive, but im good at gaming because its all ive ever done for the past 12 years or so of my life (im 20 atm). I've decided to quit my job so i get more time to train. I think i've got what it takes and from interviews ive gathered that i need to train a ton to become a better gamer so i've decided to go all or nothing or die tryin (hence the title)
I've quit my job at tesco night shift which gives me much more time to train, atm I am a pretty good master league zerg and have been massing games to get as good as possible asap so i can starthopefully succeeding in life. This is pretty much all I have left
Not sure why im making this, just kinda wanted other peoples opinions etc. Anyone got any training advice? atm i am just massing games on the ladder and analysing my own replays for 10 hours a day
gonna document my chronicles here if anyone has any interest
wish me luck
-Andy
edit: If anyone wants to hit me up for some custom games, you can find me on battle.net: my char code is AndyPandyPie.314
good luck lad, really inspires me to see a man with such a moulded vision when you are eating apertifs with Gregory Idra Fields in Atlantis gimme a call x
If you are thru with all of that, make sure you have a training schedule and method. You may want to get some tips from some long time progamers if you can get a whole on them.
For training advice, there are several threads on people want to go pro and in them there are alot of tips. You may want to use the search function to excavate those thread. One important is keep healthy, dont play untill 4AM, diet on take-out pizza etc. You need practice like you are on a full-time job. Dont play non-stop, take time to go out, eat your meals on time, take a nap when you are tired etc...
Good luck fellow zerg ! I highly recommend you compete in weekly cups such as Go4SC2s or Zotac Cups. you will meet some strong opponents and it will increase your reputation
People are going to tell you that you're doing a mistake, but remember, you will only have been doing a mistake if it doesn't work out. If you succeed, you will have confidence that you can do something if you put your mind to it and will become a progamer, if you fail, however, you will probably end up losing even more confidence and possibly drown in hopelessness. Remember, all of it depends on you. It's your turn now to accomplish something.
Good luck man. I'm a ~mid master league zerg too. I wouldn't advise just laddering for 10 hours straight as practise; I used to spend most of my practise time laddering and I found that eventually I just hit a wall where more ladder games wasn't really helping me (or even improving my ladder point score). It's better to target specific maps and match ups 1 at a time and focus on them with a practise partner. Having said that if you want to practise ZvZ some time I'll probably be up for it (I'm planning on playing a lot over summer when I finish my exams at the end of this week) I'm Moose.746 on the EU server.
Analysing your replays is always good, but sometimes discussing problems with other players or watching the replays of other players can be beneficial too as it gives you a different perspective on certain things.
Wow... almost sounds like a troll (not successful anywhere, not handsome, living with your parents, etc), but still gonna answer.
1/good luck, I respect people who know what they want and fight for it 2/maybe, think carefully about your future. Mainly, think about a plan B. For instance, you may decide that if you haven't succeeded in progaming 1 year from now, you go back to work/school/real life. Real life has actually a lot to offer, event to people who don't graduate from MIT/are super handsome etc etc. Actually, there are quite a few semi pro gamers who DO have a real life/a school degree/etc.
What I just said mostly comes from professional poker. Where its much easier to succeed than in SC2...
On May 31 2011 22:00 snexwang wrote: You ought to at least be studying something (even just self learning) and working a part-time/casual job. You'd still have plenty of time for SC.
I assume that you have another acc since the one you mentioned has no games played for like a week. And I wish you good luck since if you dont try this, you'll always wonder what had happend if you did. As other have said before, make a schedule for your day to keep yourself in line when playing and not. I think you can steal one from proteams if you search around a bit and then modify it to work as your own.
On May 31 2011 22:00 snexwang wrote: You ought to at least be studying something (even just self learning) and working a part-time/casual job. You'd still have plenty of time for SC.
You're only 20. Don't throw your life away.
I agree, until you are able to actually support yourself by playing SC2 It wouldn't hurt to have a part time job or be studying something in case things go sideways, either way best of luck!
I think you're fucked to be honest. 'I'm bad at everything so I've decided to enter a highly competitive environment where only the best can succeed.' Sorry to be harsh, but I think you're just trying to escape from reality by giving yourself a ridiculous ultimatum. If you can get a prohouse to let you live and train with them, that's a good experience. If you just quitting your job so you can play games all day, that's irresponsible.
Yes, in order to play with the best people need to be able to train all day hardcore... but in order to become a practice partner or get room and board, prohouses just want to see you have potential. You don't have to destroy your life doing some dumb all-in strategy
On June 01 2011 01:13 Chef wrote: I think you're fucked to be honest. 'I'm bad at everything so I've decided to enter a highly competitive environment where only the best can succeed.' Sorry to be harsh, but I think you're just trying to escape from reality by giving yourself a ridiculous ultimatum. If you can get a prohouse to let you live and train with them, that's a good experience. If you just quitting your job so you can play games all day, that's irresponsible.
This.
To make a living as a progamer, you have to be truly world-class. To make a good living in a normal job you just need to have a few working brain cells, show up to work on time, and shower everyday.
Progaming isn't something to do if you feel you're untalented and can't succeed at anything else. If you think you really have the calling, good luck to you. But since you said it's your "last resort" and you "don't have anything else" than it sounds like a terrible idea. You should work on putting together a good life first, then worry about things like getting good at gaming.
Keep in mind OP, most progamers still have jobs. If you've got potential apply to a clan and start from there. I think by admitting ur not the best at academics doesn't mean anything. Hell I think the majority of us here are not good at academics. Its about perseverance.
Whatever decision you choose. Good luck and remember to stick through with it. You don't just succeed in life. You have to work for it.
On June 01 2011 01:13 Chef wrote: I think you're fucked to be honest. 'I'm bad at everything so I've decided to enter a highly competitive environment where only the best can succeed.' Sorry to be harsh, but I think you're just trying to escape from reality by giving yourself a ridiculous ultimatum. If you can get a prohouse to let you live and train with them, that's a good experience. If you just quitting your job so you can play games all day, that's irresponsible.
Yes, in order to play with the best people need to be able to train all day hardcore... but in order to become a practice partner or get room and board, prohouses just want to see you have potential. You don't have to destroy your life doing some dumb all-in strategy
OP I'm sorry but I completely agree with this person. It's going to take a long time to succeed (on the offchance that you do) and you will need a fallback unless you want to be a total dick and mooch of your parents for 2+ years. I suggest you find a job that pays at least a little and game on the off hours otherwise you'll either get really sick of sc2 or your parents will kick you out.
I play BW but from what i heard masters is only equivalent to about D+. Which basically isn't that good and anyone can reach it with some effort. Unless you show some natural potential in becoming much better than everyone i don't see a reason to pursue this. There's already tons of better people trying to pro's, it's too crowded already. I know people in GM who only play like 2 hours a day if that, and they arn't even close to considering becoming professional. Even if you could reach that kind of level from 10 hours a day, imo it would not be that impressive or much of a show of natural potential.
There are two kinds of all-ins in the game - one that you plan to do and prepare for specifically (and those often times work), and one that you do when you're so far behind and it's the last desperate attempt to do claw out a win (and those very rarely end up working).
Your all-in on becoming a SC2 progamer looks a lot like the latter. It really doesn't look like you have a solid ground to commit yourself to such a goal. But good luck either way!
I strongly discourage you from doing this since I once thought about going pro on SC2, but it's just not worth it. I bet you that you will go back to your old job and live comfortably just like everyone else rather than hit a wall later and become a beggar on a street. I'm 1000+ Master League Zerg player, and I have to say that my skills are laughable compared to pros.
To be honest, I think you'd have a whole lot better chance of succeeding if you were able to perform well at academics.
There are two reasons:
A) Clearly, you have to be intelligent in order to excel at starcraft. This doesn't necessarily mean "book smart", but I gather that the most successful players have quick, creative minds which would allow them to do well in other areas and careers if they were not so passionate about gaming.
B) If you can succeed in academics, you show that you can work hard on something you don't enjoy in order to achieve future goals. For tournaments like GSL, you might have players refining the same TvT build for 30 straight games against the same practice partner before a big match. Do you think that would always (or ever) be fun?
The false sense of accomplishment that follows you telling us about your unrealistically high targets is a hindrance, avoid telling others what you're going for and you're a step closer to succeeding.
In my opinion he should go for it. He is only 20. He can take a year off of school or work and try to succeed in something he truly loves. Heck, yea he is most likely to fail but at least he is trying and anyways if it doesn't work out in a year he can always go back to work or school. One year is not the end of the world. But if you can't make it in a year I would recommend to go to school or work.
If anything, just go for it, train smart, train hard. Your 20, life is fine after 2 years of doing nothing. Alot of people fuck up their lives and are not perfect. Just make sure that if you fuck up(may happen) that you can study something to get a decent job.
It would be better if you had some experience beforehand and not just decide this on a whim.
If you had any experience with iccup, you would know that this game is hard. However it's a bit too late to test your skills given your situation. I would aim for rank 1 masters and go on from there to secure yourself on a team and hopefully some sponsorship opportunities.
On June 01 2011 03:24 Puosu wrote: The false sense of accomplishment that follows you telling us about your unrealistically high targets is a hindrance, avoid telling others what you're going for and you're a step closer to succeeding.
On June 01 2011 03:24 Puosu wrote: The false sense of accomplishment that follows you telling us about your unrealistically high targets is a hindrance, avoid telling others what you're going for and you're a step closer to succeeding.
On May 31 2011 20:16 Maliris wrote: So recently I have been thinking about my place in the world... and I've decided to go all in on SC2. I've never been successful academically or socially, and im not very attractive, but im good at gaming because its all ive ever done for the past 12 years or so of my life (im 20 atm). I've decided to quit my job so i get more time to train. I think i've got what it takes and from interviews ive gathered that i need to train a ton to become a better gamer so i've decided to go all or nothing or die tryin (hence the title)
I've quit my job at tesco night shift which gives me much more time to train, atm I am a pretty good master league zerg and have been massing games to get as good as possible asap so i can starthopefully succeeding in life. This is pretty much all I have left
Not sure why im making this, just kinda wanted other peoples opinions etc. Anyone got any training advice? atm i am just massing games on the ladder and analysing my own replays for 10 hours a day
gonna document my chronicles here if anyone has any interest
wish me luck
-Andy
edit: If anyone wants to hit me up for some custom games, you can find me on battle.net: my char code is AndyPandyPie.314
This is a really bad idea. Trust me.
What you just said would have the same effect on me as if you had said that you were thinking of getting a rope, making a noose and fastening it to your bedroom ceiling. I mean this is just wrong, I urge you very strongly to rethink this.
I think Naz once said that if you have the talent, you should be able to achieve something even if you have a job or a part time job, you can then consider going pro after you've had some initial succeed.
I agree with Chef, you are just being irresponsible.
On June 01 2011 03:24 Puosu wrote: The false sense of accomplishment that follows you telling us about your unrealistically high targets is a hindrance, avoid telling others what you're going for and you're a step closer to succeeding.
Perfect
It's from a TED talk.
And for the record, I completely agree.
I remember watching that same talk and its helped me so much in the past year of my life.
There are so many "Hey guys I'm going pro" blogs with the same slightly varied advice and well-wishes that someone should make an official thread for these.
Go search up some of the other blogs, read the advice people have posted. Then think about what you are doing again.
Full time SC2 player is no easy task, but if you're truly passionate about it, I'm sure you'll find your place in the esports community! Best of luck to you .
i hope you realize that someone with an average full-time job lives more comfortably than 99% of all progamers. even if you were the europe #1 grandmaster zerg i'd still advise you to be very cautious and keep your job, and you are nowhere close to that yet.
Hey I have been checking out this topic at least once a week sense the start of this thread.
I am just really interested how things has gone for you I have tried getting in touch with you but I just can't seem to make it. Your character is not findable, and I really have no other way to contact you Andy. Does anyone know how his attempt to become pro has gone? Maybe he goes under another name at this time.
Forgot to add that you also are banned from TL talk about a hard guy to get a hold off!
If none knows I am sorry for bumping this thread, just wish I knew it inspired me so much
As a general rule of thumb, people who open blogs like this end up getting frustrated after a month or two, end up failing at their goal, and stop trying. It's the sad truth.
On June 01 2011 03:24 Puosu wrote: The false sense of accomplishment that follows you telling us about your unrealistically high targets is a hindrance, avoid telling others what you're going for and you're a step closer to succeeding.
Perfect
It's from a TED talk.
And for the record, I completely agree.
I'm glad this blog got bumped because I am now able to add that beautiful statement into my mind.
Let's make a banner and a mascot for it and have a parade around New York.
Someone should compile a post of all the "goin pro" thread\blogs. You'd think people would stop doing it, because this line of thought is the wrong way to go haha. If you have to try to get good enough to go pro, it's probably not gonna happen. I bet the list would be in the 100's
On December 23 2011 04:46 Waste wrote: Hey I have been checking out this topic at least once a week sense the start of this thread.
I am just really interested how things has gone for you I have tried getting in touch with you but I just can't seem to make it. Your character is not findable, and I really have no other way to contact you Andy. Does anyone know how his attempt to become pro has gone? Maybe he goes under another name at this time.
Forgot to add that you also are banned from TL talk about a hard guy to get a hold off!
If none knows I am sorry for bumping this thread, just wish I knew it inspired me so much
his name and character code are in the op
in season 5, he played 140 games and only made rank 50 masters
On December 23 2011 11:37 sh4w wrote: Someone should compile a post of all the "goin pro" thread\blogs. You'd think people would stop doing it, because this line of thought is the wrong way to go haha. If you have to try to get good enough to go pro, it's probably not gonna happen. I bet the list would be in the 100's
I think you should work on your self esteem to get a deeper sense of where you stand in life. Compete in weekly cups, try to catch a pro for some games. You can decide to quit your job instantly, but you cant decide to be pro enough to be sponsored. The sc2 scene is highly competetive and I dont know any Pro who has just decided to be good. They are good because it is in them, they played the game and became way better than avarange hardcore gamers. Of course deciding to commit everything and drill deep will get your skill up, but you are by far not the only one trying.
You look for peoples opinions because you are unsure. Whatever they write, good or bad, should not move you a little bit in my opinion. You should maybe even stop reading this blog and get your mind clear.
True commitment comes from passion, not from anti-passion for everything else.
I believe that every human can do great things that are out of the ordinary if they are passionate about it. But most important is, that you start to compete on high level and believe in yourself.
On December 23 2011 04:54 Newbistic wrote: R U a Stalker? Cuz u shld try reserching blink.
LOL
You are 2/2 today.
On December 23 2011 05:05 Empyrean wrote: As a general rule of thumb, people who open blogs like this end up getting frustrated after a month or two, end up failing at their goal, and stop trying. It's the sad truth.
This reminds me of Rekrul's post about the reality of being a pro-gamer, that it's not all bright lights and fame. After all, it seems like a great gig, until you see the grueling 12 hours of practice everyday, living in a tiny gaming house with 11 guys sleeping in one 20'x20' room (thinking of MVP house) in a country where you can't speak the language, and the hours playing in side tournaments with tiny prize pools in hopes of actually getting some recognition.
People like this fail because anyone who does not have the greatest, most incredibly unbelievable passions for esports are going to fail. That accounts for 99.9999% of gamers.
I'm trying to go pro as well and have spent about 2 weeks trying. This season I started top 8 diamond (was like rank 20 gold when I first started) and have been playing about 9 hours a day. I'm on a 16 win streak atm c:
9 hours a day on weekends, I only get to play about 4 after school on weekdays
On February 19 2012 07:00 azbcethananderson wrote: why doesnt idra release a story on how he became a pro
he's said it numerous times. he played bw casually on "fastest possible map" and eventually got good enough to be recognized by teams and tournaments and he did well in those and it just went up from there. I don't think idra started out thinking "i'm going to go pro." it just sorta happened because he's that good.
People like this fail because anyone who does not have the greatest, most incredibly unbelievable passions for esports are going to fail. That accounts for 99.9999% of gamers.
most fail because they suck and dont realize. Passion don't make up for a lack of skill
On February 19 2012 07:00 azbcethananderson wrote: why doesnt idra release a story on how he became a pro
he's said it numerous times. he played bw casually on "fastest possible map" and eventually got good enough to be recognized by teams and tournaments and he did well in those and it just went up from there. I don't think idra started out thinking "i'm going to go pro." it just sorta happened because he's that good.
Dunno if he played much FMP in Broodwar. I know he used to play 2v2 NR20 ZC maps. Basically mass money maps where you build shit for 20 minutes then attack endlessly, was pretty ridiculous. But yeah, before Idra ever started playing regular maps, he played those. After that as far as I can tell he just played BW alot and got pretty good at it, up to the point where he won a tourney to join the eSTRO house. Thats basically his SC1 career for the most part before he technically became a progamer.
On June 01 2011 03:24 Puosu wrote: The false sense of accomplishment that follows you telling us about your unrealistically high targets is a hindrance, avoid telling others what you're going for and you're a step closer to succeeding.
People like this fail because anyone who does not have the greatest, most incredibly unbelievable passions for esports are going to fail. That accounts for 99.9999% of gamers.
most fail because they suck and dont realize. Passion don't make up for a lack of skill
Passion is what leads to the development of skill. Jaedong wasn't born with godly muta micro. If you don't have passion, you're never going to be able to put in the work required to become a top player.
On February 20 2012 08:19 LuckyFool wrote: jaedong poured his passion into getting good though not spending time thinking about going pro and blogging and posting vids on TL
i remember reading one of JD's road to D+ blogs, that was a quality blog.
On February 20 2012 08:19 LuckyFool wrote: jaedong poured his passion into getting good though not spending time thinking about going pro and blogging and posting vids on TL
i remember reading one of JD's road to D+ blogs, that was a quality blog.
On February 20 2012 08:19 LuckyFool wrote: jaedong poured his passion into getting good though not spending time thinking about going pro and blogging and posting vids on TL
i remember reading one of JD's road to D+ blogs, that was a quality blog.
ya it was rly funny coz all the fomos people were totally trolling him telling to drop out and go pro altho he's only in D.
People like this fail because anyone who does not have the greatest, most incredibly unbelievable passions for esports are going to fail. That accounts for 99.9999% of gamers.
most fail because they suck and dont realize. Passion don't make up for a lack of skill
Passion is what leads to the development of skill. Jaedong wasn't born with godly muta micro. If you don't have passion, you're never going to be able to put in the work required to become a top player.
if passion led to skill, everyone on this site would be a whole lot better. Jaedong and every other halfway decent pro ever already had displayed plenty of skill before deciding to drop out and quit their job to go pro.
On February 19 2012 07:00 azbcethananderson wrote: why doesnt idra release a story on how he became a pro
he's said it numerous times. he played bw casually on "fastest possible map" and eventually got good enough to be recognized by teams and tournaments and he did well in those and it just went up from there. I don't think idra started out thinking "i'm going to go pro." it just sorta happened because he's that good.
Dunno if he played much FMP in Broodwar. I know he used to play 2v2 NR20 ZC maps. Basically mass money maps where you build shit for 20 minutes then attack endlessly, was pretty ridiculous. But yeah, before Idra ever started playing regular maps, he played those. After that as far as I can tell he just played BW alot and got pretty good at it, up to the point where he won a tourney to join the eSTRO house. Thats basically his SC1 career for the most part before he technically became a progamer.
Idra's approach to macrogames and such all of a sudden makes so much more sense
People like this fail because anyone who does not have the greatest, most incredibly unbelievable passions for esports are going to fail. That accounts for 99.9999% of gamers.
most fail because they suck and dont realize. Passion don't make up for a lack of skill
Passion is what leads to the development of skill. Jaedong wasn't born with godly muta micro. If you don't have passion, you're never going to be able to put in the work required to become a top player.
if passion led to skill, everyone on this site would be a whole lot better. Jaedong and every other halfway decent pro ever already had displayed plenty of skill before deciding to drop out and quit their job to go pro.
If jaedong wrote about it at D+ level, that's nowhere close to being pro yet, even I had an account at C+ / B - and that's not even remotely close to being good compared to good ppl.