Friday, July 15, 2011

The journey to become a Grand Master

"JUST A KID"

Im gonna start thinking of the future by looking into the past.My interest in computer gaming started when i was just about 4 years old. As a kid, i grew up playing computer games. My grandfather owned an arcade place just across our house in tondo. I played almost everything, from the Family Computer to NES to SEGA to Playstation 1. I played almost all consoles but my journey to PC gaming started when i was in grade 6.


"INTRODUCTION TO THE CYBER WORLD"

I'm in a playstation rental shop when the owner asked me to play the newly installed Gameboy Emulator in his PC (I played Pokemon on that PC if i remember it correctly). Then he introduced me to Red Alert. A strategy war game that really caught my interest. I instantly fell inlove with Red Alert but that love didn't lasted for quite a while. I got bored with just playing with AIs. I craved for real competition so i searched on the internet what game is "in". This started my competitive Gaming stage.


"COMPETITION WAR CRY"

The craving for competition was answered when a friend introduced me to COUNTER- STRIKE, a first-person shooting game, I was a highschool student back then (2002) when my classmates are talking about the "him killing him with a 4-4" and how humiliated he was when my other classmate Saksak him. So i was curious about what the hell are they talking about. So when the class ended we went to a PC Rental Shop and i was mesmerized by so many people playing the game. I told myself this is it! this is the real deal.


I got addicted to Counter-Strike like hell. I cutted classes. Attend class only 3 times a week (which a good student have 6 a week). but hell who cares about my grades in HS. All I know is im enjoying playing. This is the first game i got serious with. Joined a team, Played with bets and we even joined tournaments.


But to no avail my poor eyesight came to toll which affected my skills and made me quit the team and eventually the game.


"WELCOME TO THE PRO-GAMING WORLD"


Eventhough I quitted Counter-Strike, i can't erase the crave for playing in my system. "I need to look for a game that suits what I can do". I surfed on the net and stumbled upon WARCRAFT3. I've read so many good reviews about Warcraft 3 that made me wanted to try the game. My love for strategy game came back. The lack of competitiveness of playing with AIs was fulfilled by Warcraft 3. Strategy game with real people to play with. I found a new love in Warcraft 3. 4 Races:Undead,Night Elf (which i play), Orc and Human, 4 races that made me gaga over PRO-GAMING.


I was just researching about strategies for Night Elf when i stumble a Korean Pro-Gamer (My ultimate IDOL) named MoOn. Jang jae ho is the best Night Elf player in the world. He's even called the fifth race in Warcraft 3. that's the time I realized that gaming is a career in Korea. so i asked myself "Can I be like Moon?" I trained hard and played hard just to be like him. then the bubble popped when I learned that Warcraft 3 is not that widely known in our province. End of the line for my not-even-starting-career.


"DOTA ERA"


With lack of competitive tournaments and even losing some local Warcraft 3 players, I almost quitted playing. I need to get my grades back (which fell miserably because of my Warcraft3 training) but Gaming God wasn't ready to give up yet. A friend of mine introduced me to a Warcraft 3 MAP. Defense of the Ancients. being a warcraft 3 player i instantly fell in love with DOTA. I just wanted to enjoy the game and no plans for being pro because im afraid that the history might repeat itself, being serious with playing a game and then meet a dead-end.

But the popularity of DOTA is not the same as Warcraft 3. Me moving from Laguna to Manila, i realized that DOTA is really popular, and not just popular. it's played with a lot of Local Tournaments. My dream was awakened once more.


"DOTA IS THE ANSWER" i told myself. so I played and trained and teamed up with my "friends" (back then) and joined some tournaments in the metro. Pacific hosted the most prestigious DOTA tournaments back then and it was team "FLOW" who is number 1 team back then.


"I wanna be like them, earning while doing their passion". I always believe of what Confuscious said "Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. "I was with a friend of mine who's in Team Pag-ibig back then and told me "Kung gusto mo magkapera at magkababae maglaro ka ng DOTA, magpakaPRO ka, ayun ayus na yun." so i trained with him. We formed a team with our friends and played in Tondo. We even go to other places just to train and play with bets. It was a fun time for me. This is a dream coming true.


Came to the time that I already wanna quit my schooling and just play. I cutted classes which leaded for my scholarship to be cancelled. It was a wake-up call for me. I have to regain my scholarship back. I have to choose: To play or to stop schooling. Funny but i really went to my former teacher and asked her about this. I told her that I really want to play but I can't balance playing competitively and studying. She told that I have to choose and left me with an eye-opener. "There's a real world out there, don't be a prison of a short-time dream. Dream big" so I told my teammates i have to leave the team and focus on my study. It's a hard time for me since we've worked so hard and i have to leave the team as our team is starting to make a name for itself.


"DREAM ENDED"


I focused on my study and found a work as soon as I've graduated. I only play casually and just for enjoyment. but my friends invited me to play RAN ONLINE, a MMORPG online, at that time my friend is widely known as the strongest player on that game. He promised me to help me if i'll play. So I play, or rather "Ghost Player" if you think about it. I only pay the person who will "Pilot" my character. Got to the highest level and bought a armor set worth P10,000. My character became well-known in Ran Online.


"Start of my journey to be Grand Master"

I was just browsing on my friend's list when i stumble upon a post on my college classmate's wall.


"oi mineski mino". I've known Mineski since i played DOTA. It's a company that promotes Pro-gaming and E-sports here in the country. so i was just curious and asked my friend RAM MINO what he plays and he answered "StarCraft 2"


I heard StarCraft Broodwar when i was playing Warcraft 3. it's one of the game i tried back then but didn't got my attention because of the poor graphic (sorry SC peeps, i found Warcraft 3's graphic more amusing).


So I asked him "turuan mo nga ko nyan, gusto ko maglaro eh, naghahanap ako ng bagong laro na pwede kong laruin."


he instantly answered with a yes.


then he invited me to a facebook group named "StarCraftPH".


i researched about the game and find it appealing.


GOOD GRAPHICS+GREAT GAMEPLAY = A VERY GOOD GAME


but what really inspires me to play is not the game itself but the people of the SC community.


They are so helpful with newbies like me. They answered every questions i've asked and still answering every question i ask and i know they'll still answer the questions i'll be asking.


I didn't hear anything like " ambobo mo naman, hindi ganyan!"


i only hear "ganito gagawin mo kapag ganyan gagawn ng kalaban", "ok lang yan, practice lang", "Oh mayaman ka masyado, magexpand ka, dun mo lagay."


they're really helping me to be a better player.


I really find a place where i can still play, have a good time, gained some new friends and i will surely won't lose a single friend because of playing because in this game there's no one to blame if you lose but yourself.


I don't care if some of my DOTA playmates before (not from tondo) told me "bakit di ka na lang ulit magDOTA?, bakit nagstarcraft ka pa? hindi naman sikat yan."I don't play for fame. I just want to play. I just want to compete.



I want to prove myself that someday i can be like Moon...


"When im Grand Master I will play faster. They'll call me Bjonwa, just like my name was flash" -Temp0


I want to thank the Starcraft Community for welcoming me and Special Thanks to the D-Leaguers and my Coaches Ram "Mski Yax"Mino and Paolo "Mski Jabito" Javier.

LET'S SUPPORT E-SPORTS. LET'S MAKE E-SPORTS A THREAT TO OTHER SPORTS. StarCraftPH FIGHTING!



-Richardson "xOxO" Jacinto

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