We started off by asking Jared how his stay had been so far in Singapore.
Jared: “Great! Its so easy getting around because everyone speaks in English and Singapore have a very efficient subway system. Once you get on the train at the airport there is no way to get lost, and every time you step off the train, there comes another.”
ESG: “So what are your thoughts about the Singaporean gaming scene?”
Jared: “I think its great! Location being close to all the Asian countries basically, and you get cheap flights from many places. Its nice to have an international tournament that’s not in some corner of the world.”
We then spoke about the local gaming community in Australia and Singapore.
ESG: “Would you like to share with us how is the eSports scene like in Australia, and as compared to Singapore’s?”
Jared: “It is a growing community, but is still relatively small since physical sport in Australia is so big. Then again it is still much bigger when compared to the Singaporean community.”
ESG: “From what we notice, console gaming is much more prevalent in Australia then compared to PC gaming.”
Jared: “Well, that’s where most of the money is. But you do get massive amount of viewership for Starcraft II because GSL is on at 7-8 pm Australian time, so that’s perfect time. Basically last year I think, there had been more and more tournaments happening as well.
ESG: “How about the general perception of the Australian public towards the gaming community? Do you guys get your fair share of negative publicity such as games resulting in violence etc?
Jared: “I’m not very plugged in to the social scene here in terms of gaming, internet cafes, whether the high school kids talk about it or play together and I don’t know if parents look down upon it. I think parents all over the world holds some negative associations with computer games in general, although it is starting to change with all the recent research showing how certain games can improve your multi-tasking skills and sharpen your reflexes.
Also, we have more journalists and authorities in their thirties now who play games themselves so its not always negative but you still get occasional negative stories.
I think these negative portrayals are shifting down to form maybe only 30% of media coverage these days. You even get newspapers who do write ups for big gaming events, for example WCS Australia with actual player profiles and stuff which is kind of cool.”
ESG: “Geographically speaking, Singapore is very near to Australia and we play on the same SEA server. Do you think there would be more chances of collaboration in future between both communities?”
Jared: “I think there are definitely, there are quite a few Australians who have come here for IEM Singapore, I don’t think there have been anyone else in SEA who have been travelling to Australia for tournaments there, but then again, the prize money doesn’t justify for making the flight just yet.”
ESG: “Well, we do think that IEM have been doing very well connecting various gaming communities throughout the world.”
Jared: “Absolutely. They even went to Brazil where no one really heard of e-sports in South America before that!”
ESG: “Do you think if anyone from SEA server will be catching up with the Koreans soon?”
Jared: “I don’t think Australian’s in general, will. But we foreigners have been getting better. Even in Singapore you do get good players like Revenant but they always end up having to put gaming aside for other commitment for example serving the Army.”
ESG: “Well we do hope that he will continue playing as he is a very good player.”
Jared: “Yeah, I’m hoping that the local community will keep growing and stuff like that. Better social acceptance, prize money, audience, more kids plugged in to computer and watching stuff, maybe in 20 years we will have active scenes all throughout SEA and Australia, but there is still a long way to go. I think as long as gaming becomes socially accepted to the point where you get a decent audience, it should be quite ok.”
More on Jared and his direction in Professional Gaming
ESG: “We understand that you have put your university course on hold to focus on gaming, do you have any plans to finish it?
Jared: “Yea! I was studying in Humanities for a while and actually switched between a few degrees sticking to some similar majors within. I was studying cultural studies which I had an interest in teaching, and I was finishing my major in media and communications degree, as well as some minors in English and History.
I think I wouldn’t go back to studying media and communications, realizing that such journalism stuff wasn’t specifically for me. Any sort of writing that I do, I think, will be based on feature articles or some specific passion I have whether it is eSports or something like that. So for me personally I did put studies on hold for pro gaming because I have such a passion for it (eSports SG agrees that he should!).
I think I’m lucky living in Australia, a modern country where I can afford to do that as compared to someone in Africa who might have the same dream but no ability to chase it down. Its good because my job isn’t just playing video games but also creating a good image for the community I have been on TV and done a few interviews with some online and mainstream news station so its kind of good to steadily put up a more positive image, that’s a big part of being a pro gamer at the moment, and to make a decent living a lot of it is publicity and putting out a positive image of gaming, that the brand will associate with you as a player, which I feel I am getting better at doing.”
ESG: “So is there any reason that you have chosen to participate in IEM instead of the World Championship Series
Jared: “I did compete in it (WCS) actually, and won the Australian nationals (Jared came in first in the Australia nationals with $4000 cash prize + seeding for the Oceania finals), but I didn’t make it through the Oceanic continental qualifying for Shanghai. That’s a really good tournament series that allows you to travel all around the world. Its kind of making it up for WCG because WCG was the big thing in eSports for many years but it kind of faded away.”
ESG: “Will you be competing in Heart of the Swarm as well?”
Jared: “Absolutely. However, I will only start after the release. Some players might be bored of Wings of Liberty and is getting a head start in HOTS. For me, I play for about 3-4 days before I have more tournaments so, it’s my job to play well in the tournaments.”
ESG: “How about games beyond Starcraft II? Do you have any future plans beyond that?”
Jared: “Absolutely. I think some time down the track I would like to commentate, but definitely within the real time strategy genre. That being said I used to play Call of Duty, Counterstrike and Dota on a recreational level. I guess I have a good kind of general gaming skills, so maybe I could swap over. Maybe if LoL is the only game that appears, I’ll have to play that!
That said, we concluded our interview with Jared. He struck us as a very good natured person that is easy to talk to and have a very clear direction towards his path as a professional gamer. With this interview in mind, let us all strive towards a stronger eSports community in South-East Asia!
Adding on, special thanks to Intel (IEM - IMO, one of the best setups for SC2 eSports in Singapore by far.), the players' managers and SITEX for giving us the opportunity to interview these awesome players from overseas.
eSports SG managed to grab hold of Grubby halfway through IEM Singapore and checked out if he is enjoying his stay here so far.
Grubby: I love it! Actually this is my favorite place and it is already
my fourth time here. I came here once for an Intel PR tour,
once for WCG 2005 and this is my fourth. I was so happy when
IEM announced that it would be held in Singapore this year,
like “I’ve got to go there!”.
ESG: So you must be very familiar around Singapore.
Grubby: Yea like Orchard Rd, and many different places. Bugis is near
my hotel and I try to sample as many local food as possible
because you guys have got so many great food it’s unbelievable.
ESG: How about the eSports scene in Singapore, any views on that?
Grubby: Not bad. I know it can always be better, we always wish that
there can be more sponsors and get more attention. I look and I
can tell that there are much more potential because when I play
on the Korean server from Singapore, the ping is not that bad
so the tools to create a good SC2 player is there already.
ESG: It seems that we do not have many competitive players here
though.
Grubby: It’s probably because there are so many holiday islands around,
with great food and great weather causing the distractions!
ESG: What are your thoughts on Singapore's players?
Grubby: I think their heart and mind is in the right place but they are
not very good yet, still very rough around the edges. I didn’t
get to talk to the guys much but all the tools are already
here. All they need is more experience and communications with
the other pro-gamers.
Any aspiring pro-gamers needs to have as many experiences in
international competitions as possible and no one can do it by
themselves. You need communications with already established
top pros and so on.
We went ahead and checked with Grubby on his thoughts on Heart of the
Swarm.
Grubby: I really like both the Oracle and the Tempest so I’m super
excited to start playing.
ESG: You seem to share the same views with Whitera on the selection of
units, we’re looking forward to see all the new builds coming up.
Grubby: I haven’t played on Hots yet but when the time comes, I will
plunge in with both feet. Soon everyone will stop playing Wings
of Liberty (WoL), its not even a choice, its just a natural
progression.
ESG: Any views on any particular new units, and whether they are
balanced in your opinion?
Grubby: I don’t really know since I have not played so I will be
commenting based on other people’s opinion.
Let’s see, I don’t like the Mother Ship in WoL, but it seems
more interesting in HotS.
ESG: How about IEM Singapore, how do you find this event so far?
Grubby: It’s so professional, and pleasurable to play here. The
internet here is so stable, the computers are the best that
I’ve ever played on. We’ve got BenQ monitors, and they are the
best ever. If I am a professional tournament reviewer, I’d give
a 10/10. Do you guys know that IEM Singapore, have the best
event food court so far. You guys have an amazing food centre,
like a hawker centre right at the event main entrance and the
food isn’t expensive.
ESG: So for the rest of the international tournaments, what do you
normally get to eat?
Grubby: Ok let me tell you, event food in Germany for example, will be
like sausages, white bread and schnitzels and they are all low
quality, super salty and fat. And that’s like the standard.
European culinary experiences at events are very sad. It’s not
just about pleasure, it also doesn’t provide the correct energy
level for playing.
ESG: Well isn’t it the common perception that gamers only eat fast
good, chips and cola?
Grubby: It’s not true for me, I have a wife who is a very good cook.
She is from Singapore and from her I gained an even greater
appreciation for food.
As time was running short, we concluded the interview by asking for his
thoughts on his competitors, to which he humbly replied, “I don’t think
there are any clear favorites in this tournament, I will do my best!”
We managed to link up with White-Ra on the second day of the Intel Extreme Masters.
ESG: How do you find the Protoss match-ups in Wings of Liberty (WoL) so far?
White-Ra: For most of the games I play, Terrans are usually very aggressive and the Zergs will drone hard for the late game, thus, the difficulty rises when Protoss spawn close to Terran and vice-versa for Zerg.
ESG: You seem to have trouble against Zerg, Any special tactics?
White-Ra: Yea. Perhaps some proxies. I am currently looking forward to the match-ups of Heart of the Swarm (HotS),
ESG: So I guess you will be training really hard for HotS in the competitive scene?
White-Ra: Yes! Because, for me, I lose interest easily if I play the same old thing over and over again. Furthermore, I see more openings as Protoss against Zerg in HotS. I am very happy with that.
ESG: Any specific favourite unit of HotS?
White-Ra: The Oracle is so-so, but coupled with Phoenixes, they are very good.
ESG: As a Protoss, how do you feel against Swarm Hosts?
White-Ra: I think it is okay, as I like to open with Stargate. So void rays can handle Swarm Hosts pretty well.
We moved on to questions that are closer to him.
ESG: The difference between yourself and many professional gamers is that you are working full time and eSports is only your part time job. How do you sustain this?
White-Ra: Support is very important. Especially from my family and friends. My wife supports me alot and that is very important.
ESG: How is the eSports scene in Ukraine?
White-Ra: For Ukraine, it is still not too big of a scene compared to other parts of the world.
ESG: Do you think you are more well known within Ukraine or other parts of the world?
White-Ra: I think I am more well known outside of Ukraine. Such as Germany.
ESG: What other games do you play? What was your favourite before Starcraft II?
White-Ra: Command and Conquer and some Age of Empires. I do play some Heroes too as I find it entertaining to play with friends with just a single computer.
ESG: Do you think eSports will continue to grow in the whole world?
White-Ra: Certainly, there are many changes since I started eSports (14 years ago). We can see the emergence of more cash prizes and sponsors, and that is good!
An additional question by eSports SG's follower, Ben Wong, was inserted later on...
ESG: A fan of you, Ben Wong, would like to ask you: What are your views on the usage of Hallucination for Protoss?
White-Ra: This is a spell that is definitely worth researching, it costs only energy. And if used strategically, it can throw off your opponent's game.
It was a great meet up with the God-father of Protoss, we thanked him for his time and hope to meet him again if he visits Singapore again!
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