BARBIEPRIME INTERVIEW

BarbiePrime Interview

I am a 'pro-gamer' not a 'girl-gamer.'Much like many other sports, eSports started out with separate leagues for men and women. However, this has changed and men and women alike can face off against each other in the same league.From the beginning of eSports Samsung Khan Coach Kim Ga Eul and caster Lee Hyun Joo were very active, and in their wake, players such as TossGirl and maRie played in the same competitions as male gamers. In Starcraft II, StartaleAphrodite and AzubuEve have continuously tried their skills in individual leagues.In such an environment, yet another female gamer has emerged. This said person is Lee Yoo Ra, or 'Barbie' of team Prime. She appeared in this GSTL's roster magically and has intrigued many a fan. We at Inven were able to secure an interview with BarbiePrime and discuss her dreams and goals, as well as Starcraft II.

INTERVIEW

Q: It's very nice to meet you. Please say hi to the fans.
A: It's nice to meet you too. I am the new member of Prime, Lee Yoo Ra 'BarbiePrime.'

Q: When was your first encounter with Starcraft II?
A: I enjoyed playing Starcraft: Brood War when I was a sophomore in high school. I started Starcraft II the same time I decided to become a pro-gamer, which was January 1st of this year. So it's been about 4 months.

Q: Why have you decided to become a pro-gamer?
A: I have known Coach Park Woe Shik for a long time and we would occasionally go to PC cafes and play. One day, he asked half jokingly if I had ever thought about becoming a pro-gamer. I've always loved a challenge, and so after much consideration I told him that I wanted to try.

Q: What did you do before you became a pro-gamer?
A: After graduating from college I worked as a flight attendant for about a year.

Q: Are there any other games you like to play?
A: Brood War was the only game I knew how to play. I'm the type to get tunnel vision on one thing and that thing for me was Brood War.

Q: There aren't many female pro-gamers in Starcraft II, so I'm wondering how your friends and family reacted to your decision.
A: I was definitely worried that my parents and my older sister would disapprove, but my father said he would always support me as long as I do what I love. I am so grateful to him. My older sister is my make-up artist and she follows me whenever I go to a match or an event. (laughs)

Q: Why did you decide to play Protoss?
A: I played Protoss when I played Brood War. But as time went on, the Protoss units looked cuter so I decided to stick with Protoss.

Q: What is a matchup you are confident in?
A: Though I am still lacking in all three, I very much enjoy PvP. I really love Void Rays. Infestors and Mutalisks are so strong in PvZ and PvT is still very hard.

Q: Did you watch the match between Aphrodite and Eve? And when will we be able to watch your debut match?
A: I saw the match live and I think they are both very good. I still have a long way to go, so once my coach and teammates approve, you will see me play.

Q: In your GSTL match against Azubu on March 30th, the "Prime Dog" piqued the interest of many. Could you introduce it?
A: The dog's name is 'Barbie." She is actually the real BarbiePrime. I've had her for about 3 years but because everyone works she is alone most of the time. So after asking the coach and teammates, they let me bring her along to the GSTL.

Q: Do you think team Prime has changed at all with a female gamer coming into the fray?
A: My teammates don't treat me any differently just because I'm a girl. But I do turn on upbeat or sad music depending on whether or not we won. (laughs)

Q: We heard you live in the team house, do you have any difficulties?
A: I lived in dorms from 4th to 8th grade for soccer so I'm used to this kind of life. There aren't really any difficulties; I just practice from 11am to 11pm.

Q: I think it would be hard to adjust seeing as how you are a female gamer; is there anyone who particularly took care of you?
A: I wondered how I would get to know everyone but as time passed I became friendly with everyone.

Q: Do you think of Aphrodite or Eve as one of your rivals?
A: I have not debuted yet, and I am not nearly as good as either of them. Once I debut, you can decide that for yourselves.

Q: Do you have any goals as a female gamer ?
A: I don't want to say just yet. I dream on a big scale so until my skills are approved I won't tell. I am still practicing, playing against my fellow teammates.

Q: Any last words?
A: I, BarbiePrime, am working hard so I will meet you again in top condition. I want to become a player that is recognized for skill and I will work hard to achieve that. And please root for team Prime. Thank you.

IEM SINGAPORE GRUBBY TALKS PRO GAMING

IEM SINGAPORE GRUBBY TALKS PRO GAMING

Manuel ‘Grubby’ Schenkhuizen played at Intel Extreme Masters Singapore last weekend, narrowly losing in the Grand Finals to Western Wolves’ young prodigy Sting. We sat down with him before the playoffs started to get his insights into professional gaming. RGB: Did you ever think, when you were first started out as a professional gamer, that you would one day be a legend? Grubby: *laughs* No. Actually, I didn’t believe that I could be the best at anything in life, in general. RGB: Why not? Grubby: I don’t know, I just didn’t consider myself to be someone who could be a champion. Maybe I was too modest. I didn’t really consider that, but I didn’t start out playing so I could be a winner. I just played and focused on becoming better, and that was an ambition by itself, just to become better. RGB: You’re considered to be one of the best gamers in the world. So is there anything left in e-Sports that you haven’t achieved? Grubby: Tons of things. So many things, like co-developing a product, tying my name to it, producing it, and bringing it out – like co-branding. Maybe having my own team. I may or may not do any or all of this, but there are a lot of things I haven’t done yet. Also, winning big StarCraft II championships. That hasn’t happened yet. And to be one of the most consistent players over a very long time, because I’ve been playing RTS games longer than almost anyone else right now. The longer I keep at it while still being successful is also a record unto itself.

RGB: So for how long more do you see yourself in competitive gaming? Grubby: So I’ve learned from experience that estimating or predicting this is highly inaccurate. So I stopped trying. I would like to continue for as long as I can. RGB: Do you think it’s important for a player who is just starting out to have a team behind him? Grubby: I think it’s really quite important, because when you’re just starting out you don’t really know how everything goes yet. I think for [new players] it’s very important. Either a coach or agent, or a team, is quite essential for a player just starting out, so he can focus on playing. RGB: Why did you choose to go independent? Grubby: I asked myself if there was anything a team could provide for me that I couldn’t in someway arrange for myself and the answer was no. And then I thought: how would going independent benefit me? I had been thinking about it for a while, and there were many answers. I can be more independent, I can have more freedom; and I can choose for myself the companies that I want to work with. If I liked a product or service, I could ask them to sponsor me. It’s different from being handed a list of sponsors which I have to use. It offers more integrity for me because I really believe in the product of the companies I choose. I think that’s important for me that fans know I can display that kind of integrity. And in the end, any time I have a plan to start a new vlog series, or to go practice in a special place like Korea, any plans I want I can immediately make them happen. Because we’re just a small team, so we can make decisions really quickly. I think that kind of thing really helps me to be mobile in a world where that’s very necessary.

RGB: You’ve had a lot of sponsors through the years. What a lot of local players experience is that with sponsors it’s difficult to get monetary support – they prefer to support with products in kind. Based on your experience why do you think this could be the case? Grubby: Rather than complain about why certain companies want to commit money to a player or a team, I think it’s important that we look towards ourselves and ask why are we a player, or a team, that deserves to get financial support. Because in the end it’s not charity. There is some idealistic sensibility of wanting to grow e-Sports. Companies also want to see e-Sports grow, and there are always a number of people within marketing departments who actually have the passion for e-Sports. They have idealistic motives. But these companies also need to see some form of ROI, to see their brand strengthen or to have its brand awareness increase. So we must look towards ourselves and say: I need to become the player or the team that is able to offer the kind of visibility, exposure, and results, or video, or written content for that company. Anything that makes it easy for a marketing person to go to their boss and say that is why we’re committing resources to this venture. Of course sometimes it can be challenging, and sometimes we need to go through a natural learning process to be able to develop that kind of value for sponsors, but this should be our ambition. RGB: Another entity local gamers like to blame is our Singapore government. Do you think players should be relying on the government to get them to tournaments? Grubby: Maybe I’m lucky, but nothing I have achieved has had any help from the government whatsoever. The Netherlands and Singapore are quite wealthy countries, so there are plenty of opportunities. There is nothing really big there to prevent people from achieving their goals. I once was invited to a crappy game slash art show as someone to draw an audience – and a total of zero people showed up because there was no advertising. It was just a complete failure of an event. But then because they are considered ‘Arts’, the organisers got a very big subsidy, so that in the end they didn’t lose any money at all. And I think, wow, the government spends money on some crappy art show and we have to scrape by in gaming. But I don’t know, maybe we (just) have to be creative in combining e-Sports with something that is already part of the foundation of government subsidies. At the end you have to rely on yourself first. Anything else is extra.

RGB: Do you think you could share with us what your training schedule is like? Grubby: At the start of the day, I usually decide which specific areas of my play I will be focusing on and trying to improve. If I already know what my next tournament is and who I’m going to be facing, my training will be centred towards training specifically for those opponents, because everyone requires very different responses and approaches. If that is not the case then I will focus just on training my fundamentals. Either to become better at minimap awareness, or map control, or speed, or strategies. I’ll be trying to develop those. Once I’ve decided what I’m gonna do, I’ll be mostly playing ladder on Battle.net. I’ll do that for about eight hours a day, and in between sometimes I’ll watch VODs or replays of my opponents and make additional plans. RGB: Do you have a pre-tournament routine? Grubby: Oh sure.
RGB: Could you share it with us?
Grubby: *laughs* no I can’t! It’s a secret.

RGB: Do you have any advice for aspiring RTS gamers? Especially for the really young ones? Grubby: There’s tons of advice to give. I’ll try to summarise. As a pro gamer and an aspiring pro gamer, it’s important to be able to focus one hundred percent on practicing when you are practicing. You have to have a really clear mind, an empty mind. It’s important that whatever worries you have, you deal with them as soon as possible, and if you can’t, you’ve got to put them in a box for a while, and close that box. Because you can’t be thinking about other things when you’re playing. That’s number one. Number two is harmony with your parents. That is greatly conducive to having less stress. It would be nice if somehow your parents are, if not hundred percent supportive, at least understanding, because there comes a point in every aspiring pro gamer’s life where the parents will have to go through a kind of switch mentality to realise that you’re not just an avid gamer or an addicted gamer, but you’re a person for whom gaming is a passion, a lifestyle. Trying to get them to understand that aspect is quite crucial. With their support, it will be able to be an easier journey. Finally, it’s always important to keep enjoyment at the centre of everything. Don’t wake up and say, aahh, I have to practice, I don’t feel like it, it’s so boring, but then I want to get better because I have this ideal image of what it feels like to be a pro gamer. The journey is fraught with lots of – I don’t want to say danger – but lots of challenges and risks and sacrifices. If the journey is fully enjoyable, you can say it was worth it even if you don’t succeed, whereas if it wasn’t enjoyable and you don’t succeed, you’re going to end up really frustrated and embittered. So always keep enjoyment as number one; keep it fun for yourself, and keep it varied to prevent that burnout. Frustration can be a good thing because it makes you become better, but prevent that burnout through frustration.
RGB: Were your parents supportive of your decision to be a pro gamer? Grubby: At first they were like any other parents. They felt I was gaming too much. I did go out with friends but I didn’t really do homework. I was doing okay in school though, I was getting good grades. So that was kind of the rule – if my grades were good then I was allowed to do what I wanted in my own free time. That was always the case. But still, my mother would’ve liked it more if I had been doing more traditional sports. I was always playing games. She accepted it, but wished it were otherwise. Until a point where she picked me up from a Bring-Your-Own-Computer event. It was supposed to be closed already and everyone was supposed to be picked up by their parents because we had our computers there. So my mum came by with the car and she started asking: “has anyone seen my son? Where’s Manuel?” and somebody said: “he’s over there, he’s playing on stage.” And my mother was like: “my son? My son playing on stage?” She went over and there was this small gathering of about 150 people, and they were looking at me. I was playing the finals and there was a Danish star that was in the Netherlands. He was the favourite for the tournament and I was playing against him. And I won a very small amount of money, like 100 or 200 Euros for winning that tournament. But the significance of winning that tournament, with my mother watching…finally she had that click. She told me later there was that click for her; she said, “it’s more than just an addiction or a hobby. It’s like a passion. People are watching it.” Finally she understood, that her son is also an entertainer. It’s not much different from when I was playing the piano or performing at school. People like to watch it. I’m an entertainer. And suddenly she could connect it with something she understands and recognises.



RGB: Cassandra is Singaporean. Do you think you’d ever want to settle in Singapore some day and contribute to the e-Sports scene here? Grubby: I would love to. It doesn’t have to be settling, I would love to just go for like a workshop or a meet and greet, but you need to give me an excuse to come to Singapore. Somebody invite me! I would love to come.

RGB: Okay, we’ll hold you to that!

Original Article HERE

StarCraft 2 Leagues & Ladders FAQ

The StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty matchmaking engine works behind the scenes to ensure fun and evenly matched multiplayer games, but you might be curious about how the ranking system works. We've got you covered. Let's answer some of your most frequently asked questions about StarCraft II multiplayer leagues and ladders.





Q. How do I participate in the StarCraft II leagues and ladders system?

A. To play a ladder match, click the Multiplayer menu item in the top left, select a mode from 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, or 4v4, select a race, and then click Find Match. After playing in five placement matches within one mode (e.g. five 1v1 matches) you will be placed in a ladder for that mode. Note that Free For All (FFA) or arranged matches where you choose to play against specific friends do not count toward placement in a league, or ranking up or down within the ladder system.



Q: How do I form an arranged team? For example, my friend and I want to play 2v2.

A: Invite your friend either by right-clicking them in your friends list, or right-clicking their name from another screen such as a score screen or their profile. When right-clicking their name you'll see an option to invite them to a party. Once you're in a party, click the Multiplayer menu item in the top left, and select the team size according to the number of people in your party. In your specific case, you'd choose 2v2.



Q. How do placement matches work?

A.During your placement matches we match you against a variety of players and skill levels and the win/loss results are tracked. From this, we are able to determine your general level of ability and place you in a league that we believe to be appropriate for your skill.



Q. Does the system take into account stats gathered from within a match, e.g. actions per minute (APM), units destroyed, etc.?

A. No, the system only cares about whether a match was won or lost, and the skill of the participants.



Q. What are leagues?

A. A league is a rough measurement of a player's skill. There are five leagues: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond. By completing your five placement matches you'll be placed into one of these leagues. There's also the practice league for players who are starting out, and other special leagues may be created in the future to provide rankings that differentiate the top players.



Q. What are divisions?

A. Leagues are divided up into divisions consisting of at most 100 teams (or individual players in the case of 1v1). Those 100 teams or players compete for the top slots in each division. In the future, there will be tournaments to determine the top players in each division and the winners will compete to determine the top players in each league. The system is divided up this way so players can track meaningful progress within their division while competing against others of similar skill.



Q. How do I move up in rank within my division? For example, from rank 51 to rank 44.

A.  Players gain points towards a higher rank by competing with other players and winning.  However, it is important to remember that the number of points awarded is based on the rated difficulty of your opponent.



Example: Player A may have a win-loss ratio of 19-17 and be ranked in the Silver League at 35; while player B may have a win-loss ratio of 18-19 and be ranked 30. The difficulty of some of those matches (say playing against Gold League players) may mean that he either received more points for a win or lost fewer points for a loss.



Q. How do players move down in rank on the ladder? For example, from rank 44 to rank 51.

A. Player lose points when they lose matches. You are ranked relative to everyone in your division within your league. The amount of points you lose per match is comparable to how points are calculated when you win. If you lose to someone who is rated higher than you, you should lose fewer points than if you were to lose to someone who was rated lower than you.



Q. What is the relevance of the Favored indicator and how does that affect the points distributed from winning or losing a match?

A. The Favored indicator helps give you an idea of whether the contender you’re pitted against is considered to be even with you, challenging to you, extremely challenging to you or not a challenge.



You can use this indicator to gauge the approximate number of points you are likely to gain or lose after the match depending on the result.



Q. How does a player move from one league to another? (For example: from Silver league to Gold.)

A. The system constantly evaluates a team or player's performance given the difficulty of opponents and will move teams that belong in another league.

Q. I (or my team) obviously belong in another league. Why haven't I been moved?

A. In order to place teams as fairly as possible, the placement system does not move teams until it is sure how high or how low they will land. This may result in unusually high or low-performing teams waiting several games until they are moved.



Q. Are matches ever made between different leagues? (For example: a Gold league player playing against a Silver league player in a rated match.)

A. Yes, you may be matched up against players from different leagues to test your skill. So be on your guard and play your best in every match.



Q. What is the Bonus Pool and how are bonus points acquired?

A. The Bonus Pool is an accumulation of points that every player receives whether they're online and playing or not. They're essentially used as a means to help give a player a catch-up boost if they haven't played in a while. The pool does have a cap, but it increases slowly until the end of a season.



Q. How is the Bonus Pool used in competitive play?

A. When you achieve victory against another player, you are awarded a certain number of points. The Bonus Pool points will match the number of points you received for winning.



For example: If you were to have a Bonus Pool of 30 and you win a match that would normally give you 10 points, points will then be pulled from your Bonus Pool to match those 10 points and you'll be awarded 20 points for winning that game. Your bonus pool will then sit at 20.



Q. Is it possible to earn more bonus points than other players by either playing more or less than usual?

A. All players have access to the same amount of Bonus Pool, regardless of when they are assigned a division.



Q. Are 2v2 ranks counted individually or in pairs? For example: If Player A is on a team with Player B and they're ranked 2, is there another ranking for when Player A is on a team with Player C?

A. Yes. Each arranged team has its own score and rank.


Q. What about random team players?

A. Random team players have an individual score and rank for each random team mode: 2v2, 3v3, and 4v4.
                               

Starcraft 2 RTS Guide

If you know much about the real-time strategy game "StarCraft II," you may have heard a term that will sound completely bizarre to people outside the video game world: A.P.M.

It stands for Actions Per Minute, and it refers to the number of keyboard and mouse clicks a person can make during 60 seconds of time. The best players tend to average about 200 to 400 actions per minute, said Park Sang-ik, a "StarCraft II" coach in South Korea, which long has been home to the world's best players, who train professionally and can earn six figures.

"I don't think there is a particular way to make your hands move faster," he said.

But don't fret. Coaches say A.P.M. is becoming less important in the competitive "StarCraft" world, particularly as more people jump to the sequel version of the game, from Blizzard Entertainment. And there are plenty of other tips the pros have to offer in addition to making your fingers move like those of Thing, the hand that runs all over the place in "The Addams Family."

South Korea gaming: Skill or addiction?


Open Mic: South Koreans take on gaming


Here are five such tips, compiled from interviews with three of South Korea's best "StarCraft II" players, including MVP, MarineKing and SuperNoVa, as well as their coaches. Test them out and let us know what you think in the comments section below.

1. Finger exercises. Like a piano player practicing scales, pro "StarCraft II" player MarineKing does keyboard runs when he's warming up for a big match. Some of the fidgety exercises he practices are "+a1a2a3a4a5a6a7a8a9a0" and "ASDF ASDF."

2. Mental health. Mental toughness is the most important aspect of "StarCraft II," said Kang Dong-hoon, coach of team Incredible Miracle, home to world champ MVP. Players should clear their minds before they play, he said, and they should visualize their strategies before a match. Such visualization will help players get off to a strong start and finish well, he said.

3. Physical health. It may sound strange, but pro video-gaming teams in South Korea include physical exercise as part of their training regiment. MVP's team runs, swims and lifts weights.

4. Know your enemy. The pros watch tape of their opponents' previous games before entering into a battle with them. Do they strike early? What are their common mistakes? This kind of analysis helps the player come up with a specific strategy to go for the win. Many weak players fall into routines, said Kang, from Incredible Miracle. The easiest way to beat someone is to spot and exploit these patterns.

5. Keep at it. Pro gamers in South Korea live at training centers, where they practice playing video games almost round the clock on some days. All of this practice seems to pay off. South Koreans are regarded as the dominant power in online gaming, particularly the "StarCraft" franchise. Kang said players in the country practice so much that "normal people can't imagine" what it would be like.

StarCraft II / StarCraft 2 - Wings of Liberty BradyGames Official Strategy Guide