Are we daring enough?

[SoloZ-]

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/39/94326793_4b8d06c4a0.jpg?v=0

In this modern era 21st century, should we opt to eliminate the misconception of a risk-averse mindset in order to achieve greater success? Although the possibility of failure is sky high, but as always failure is an element that is meant to exist in any given situation; and perhaps by taking the necessary risks and innovating further based on present circumstances, we may yet be able to discover eventual breakthroughs earlier than never.


A short reflection...

The other day on my way home from covering WCG, I was walking towards the Cityhall mrt at Suntec city, when something interesting apparently caught my eye. In front of me, there were 2 distinct ways through the underpass. One was the escalator way down, and the other was a flight of steps. To my inherent surprise, everyone was taking the escalator route instead of the long flight of steps.

I felt thoroughly disappointed; what exactly was wrong with the steps that no one was willing to explore? Let me give you this analogy; although you might say the steps is a more arduous route as compared to the automated machine, but by taking the flight of steps, wouldn't you be able to shoot ahead of the pack, as you are free to walk faster at your own pace, as compared to the escalator when you have to wait until you alight at your destination? Worse still, you are being blocked by other people as this is the conventional route that every of us takes.

Glancing around, i decided to take the flight of steps instead, with my media team who were alongside me. Very strangely, soon after us many other people started to follow suit. The same scenario repeated the following night again. It then dawned on me on what exactly was wrong with us. The fact is, we do not bother to explore greener, unknown pastures and everyone blindly follows without trying.


Wait, why are you telling me a story?

Well, why are international dota teams like MyM and SK so successful? Precisely because they dare to do things differently that no other teams will even dream of. Relating this to our local scene, i believe our attitudes are identical in the sense that how we behave in real life we often take into the virtual world as well. Maybe there is a minority out there who wouldn't, but i would like to urge all local gamers, to attempt to create your own gaming universe. There are many ways this can be done; if you have been looking to go competetive but have no idea to start, the general advice is to form a team of 5 on your own and take them through. For existing teams who are playing, don't give up. As simple as that. It is only a matter of how much you crave for it, actually. Ask yourself that question.

No one ever said the road was going to be a straight, never-winding one. On the other hand, it's not impossible to overcome all these obstacles either, as you can only grow with experience, and not diminish. As in the case of what i like to call the 'Escalator and the Steps' story, I believe many others will follow suit in adopting this positive mindset, which could possibly pave the way for new lasting trends to set in place in order for our gaming industry to prosper & progress further.

Putting things into perspective, we are gaming, afterall. That's the reason why all of us are here isn't it? But i truly feel the WCG song puts it best, because 'Beyond the Game' is what really matters, the process, and not so much of end result. I don't think the fighting spirit should ever die out in any of us for that matter, and if we truly emulate that competitive spirit, E-sports should, at the very least, continue to bloom for eternity.

You either dream of living, or live your dream.

[HAMsterdam]

Totally true! and the idea of taking the stairs was MINE! LOL. How thrilling it was to take the lead down the stairs ya? and then everyone just follows.
Good job SoloZ! I was surprise by this article. really interesting

[SoloZ-]

Lol, the first night is my decision -.- 2nd night then yours. lol :D

[[N]aS[QtPiE]]

After the MRT den the crowd disperse.. SEH.

I still don't know why so many people crowding the Garena booth to watch replays -___-

I got persuaded to buy the Prepaid siah, I promised next day go buy den the person not there, lol like I lied :T

[SoloZ-]

Haha, i also donno why the Garena booth is so popular. Think the matches broadcasted on the ggtv there damm interesting.

[Hxhx]

Simply because the market for gaming in singapore isn't big enough. MYM and SK evolved from a huge population in Europe, sadly we only haf like 4m people here in Singapore. And what u hear from these teams are the success stories, which means we are actually clueless of the countless failures/disbanding of teams in their region.

i'm not saying that professional gaming here is unorthodox.. sometimes its just reality that will sink in to you after the gruesome battle with time i.e the obstacles and mental barriers that a team has to go through. Then you find that all this hype bout gaming is nothing but a self proclaimed over-rated platform.

So in this case a career in gaming in Singapore remains a debatable issue. The number of recognised companies and sponsors available and the mentality of Singaporeans on the whole (excluding gamers of course) tend to make you reconsider your options on whether gaming is the best choice to sustain yourself in Singapore.

However.. i must conclude that gaming does give you pleasure and a sense of achievement.. but only in the short run :)

just my 2 cents~ weee

[SoloZ-]

Nice input, the main focus of my article is to impress upon people the importance of trying new things in order to stay in competition, as well as for E-sports to maintain or improve on its current standards. I think the international E-sports scene has done remarkably well, it's only in Singapore that the gaming market is still underdeveloped. This is true because of our small population base, which just isn't enough to support professional gaming on a whole.

[AiShiTeRu]

thought provoaking thread .
thanks SoloZ

[Hxhx]

Nice input, the main focus of my article is to impress upon people the importance of trying new things in order to stay in competition, as well as for E-sports to maintain or improve on its current standards. I think the international E-sports scene has done remarkably well, it's only in Singapore that the gaming market is still underdeveloped. This is true because of our small population base, which just isn't enough to support professional gaming on a whole.


An excellent wrap up of my thoughts=) good work SoloZ.

[YupiGummyBear]

sometimes its not as simple as being daring enough or not... behind those creative strategies, there are lots of hard work, experimenting and failures that we do not see..

in sg theres too much stress in life, studies, work, peers and even our parents.

assuming that we dont go out + dont slack + transport from/to work (or school) everyday doesnt take up any time. an average of 8 hours of sleep, 8 hours of study, 2hours for 3 meals. leaves us with 6hours to play. how do we even play 8 hours each day for 5 days? and what about those serving NS?

but cannot blame... in the end, being successful in gaming (in singapore) doesnt get you very far. life in sg is like that. stress stress stress study work work work work.

back on topic about sgreans tending to follow the crowd.. i kinda agree. maybe it's just the way we are brought up. everything, yes everything, here in sg is controlled in one way or another. it seems like we have a choice, but in the end we're still taking the same path. some may be daring enough to try out new routes, but few manage to succeed. that is why most people tend to follow the 'successful stories'. well, nobody used meepo until XCN started pwning with meepo right?

daring to try is a good start. but having enough skills to execute it is a different thing.

in sg most of us dont even have enough time to play the game, how do we go beyond the game? :P

[Flexi]

This is how we go beyond the game :D

You and I, We have met before
Through the magic of a moment in Cyberspace
Driven by a passion to win
Playin' heart to heart, face to face
The challenge of a life time

Stands before us now

Beyond the game
In the shadow of the golden gate (ver2 ; through a portal into cyberspace)
We have come to decide our fate
We're here to celebrate
Beyond the game
Beyond the game
At last the moment’s at hand
All we need is to believe we can
We'll make our stand
Beyond the game! (beyond the game!)
Beyond the game! (beyond the game!)
Beyond the game! (beyond the game!)
The world cyber games!

The teams are here, the spirit is right
We’re connected now in a powerful way
We celebrate our diversity
Around the world with a passion to play
The planet will be watching
The message will be heard….
(chorus)

CLICK TO LISTEN TO SONG http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRVRKJJjTUE
Link to download song: http://www.mediafire.com/?suieeulhyql

[guoheng]

Do u noe that sg is 1 of the most stressful countries in the world. Unlike other country nv study oso nvm 1 not like us =(
haiz sg haisss

[Flexi]

Gamers would prevail in SG!

[StripperA]

start drafting clockwerk goblin

[[N]aS[QtPiE]]

start drafting clockwerk goblin

Lol! That don't takes courage lah, once 6.53 and above became the stable map that is.

[SoloZ-]

Besides that, there is also this digression that playing excessively = no life. That is a misconception. To some people, playing is their life; while others might not agree so with that way of living and thinking. It all depends on the individual and his values. While gaming excessively over the limit can never be a good thing for one's health in particular, it can possibly help gamers to reach new standards and mass gaming does help international teams win glory for their country. So at the end of the day, look at it as they are playing to win for their country, and not generalizing 'playing excessively' as 'playing without meaning'.

[SoloZ-]

start drafting clockwerk goblin

Haha, well hongkong did draft the Clockwerk in the WCG exhibition match and used it extremely well, mostly to kill the qop off in mid easily.

[SoloZ-]

sometimes its not as simple as being daring enough or not... behind those creative strategies, there are lots of hard work, experimenting and failures that we do not see..

in sg theres too much stress in life, studies, work, peers and even our parents.

assuming that we dont go out + dont slack + transport from/to work (or school) everyday doesnt take up any time. an average of 8 hours of sleep, 8 hours of study, 2hours for 3 meals. leaves us with 6hours to play. how do we even play 8 hours each day for 5 days? and what about those serving NS?

but cannot blame... in the end, being successful in gaming (in singapore) doesnt get you very far. life in sg is like that. stress stress stress study work work work work.

back on topic about sgreans tending to follow the crowd.. i kinda agree. maybe it's just the way we are brought up. everything, yes everything, here in sg is controlled in one way or another. it seems like we have a choice, but in the end we're still taking the same path. some may be daring enough to try out new routes, but few manage to succeed. that is why most people tend to follow the 'successful stories'. well, nobody used meepo until XCN started pwning with meepo right?

daring to try is a good start. but having enough skills to execute it is a different thing.

in sg most of us dont even have enough time to play the game, how do we go beyond the game? :P

It is entirely true that Singaporeans no longer have the freedom to game whenever they wish to. Thus, that might also attribute to one of the reasons why we haven't really made progress in ACG or other international games with other country's teams, for eg China, which has so much more time and support like sponsors from Razor to play as compared to us at Singapore.

While this might be an adequate reason as to why China might be better to us, i refuse to acknowledge that Time + Support wins the battle alone. There are other factors that come into play, and that is why i emphasize so much more on innovativeness incalculated into our local gamers.

Because ultimately, with innovativeness we can surprise, and surprising is one winning element which we can manipulate to our advantage, and possibly the last critical key our teams need to find to unlock their best potential.

[foxsg]

im not sure if u guys have seen this youtube video. its very interesting.

its titled, the last lecture by randy pausch: achieving your childhood dreams. Watch it, and there are many interesting quotes. like, "The brick wall is not there to block you out, its to make you prove how much you want to cross over. It is to block others out, not you."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo

[StripperA]

oh c'mon lets draft some kinky things.

all female lovin' - lina, vs, phantom assasin, crystal maiden, luna
creepy crawlies under your bed - broodmother, nerubian assassin, venomancer, naix, goblin techies
ultimate humji team - omniknight, chen, necrolyte, enchantress, lord of avernus

^^

[weee]

reality sinks in =)))

[Hxhx]

reality sinks in =)))

no copying pls =)

[rubyyk]

No $ No time no commitment....Solve this den sg will win !

[DOTASG_PAPA]

No $ No time no commitment....Solve this den sg will win !

Well, the problem is a chicken and egg. Player complain no $$ no commitment. The sponsors complain no commitment no $$.

So how? I think on our side we should show our consistency in performance first before asking for stuffs. The sponsors have been disappointed over and over by some black sheeps before and now many see our gamers like poison.

I think we should work hard to prove to them otherwise, then it will help to change things.

Lastly good gamers have not only be good in skill. It's over all. Including image and pro activeness.

Come on guys, we can do it. We were once the power country, where that goes already?

Jia you to all local gamers ok, PaPa still have faith you all can do it.

[guoheng]

we are STILL the power country! stand up! stand up for singapore~!

[rubyyk]

dota is like a recreational hobby + semi commercial tool.

[Flexi]

edit. wrong

[SG_Lancelot]

another emo day soloz?

well read "Who moved my cheese?"; the book summarizes what u just said.

[SkySkySky]

singapore is good in earning $$

[Ant]

The thing about topics like this is that it amounts to nothing getting done in the end.

There really are a lot of things in DotA that SG has done which has pushed for a bigger international DotA community. It's SG that made the first step in creating ACG and at least making international LAN competitions a reality. SG teams, after Korean teams, were the first to attempt to close the gap in European/American and Asian DotA by joining 'international' online competitions (an issue that still remains).

The first team to fly cross-continental to take part in a non-invitational competition was a Singaporean team, a player-driven and player-planned initiative that was a surprise to the organisers of those tournaments simply because it was far too daring.

So I wouldn't exactly downplay the daringness of SG. I always feel that if something seems to be needing to be done, then just get it done.

[juventusfc27]

like wat ant said, it's all back to square one n nobody can solve the issue unless the SG government steps in n decides to improve / revamp the local gaming industry with a major boost of funds n support. i dont rule out the possibility, but it's extremely slim, since they rather focus on something that brings in more revenue like IR (integrated resort at Marina n Sentosa) and F1 (Formula 1 Night Racing at Suntec)

1) i look at all my male friends. 90% all involved in rat race. i dont blame them. y? they are all potential future breadwinners. u dont work now after NS/graduation, who will support u n ur family? ur parents brought u up for 20yrs, u tell them u wanna be a professional gamer to support them...they will say ur NUTS!

2) NS aka national service kills all the pure singaporean males. go in 22/24 mths, no time to practice, ur skills become like crap, how to compete?

let's not talk abt other countries like EU or KR, where korea actually has specific TV companies/channels like MBC that broadcast their games live n legionnaires of fans that actualise idolise/treat the players like gods. wont happen in SG for the next 100 yrs...

[SG_Lancelot]

The thing about topics like this is that it amounts to nothing getting done in the end.

There really are a lot of things in DotA that SG has done which has pushed for a bigger international DotA community. It's SG that made the first step in creating ACG and at least making international LAN competitions a reality. SG teams, after Korean teams, were the first to attempt to close the gap in European/American and Asian DotA by joining 'international' online competitions (an issue that still remains).

The first team to fly cross-continental to take part in a non-invitational competition was a Singaporean team, a player-driven and player-planned initiative that was a surprise to the organisers of those tournaments simply because it was far too daring.

So I wouldn't exactly downplay the daringness of SG. I always feel that if something seems to be needing to be done, then just get it done.


and much of the credit goes to zenith, the team that made singapore proud when they flew to russia for their tournaments.

:xena_banana: GOGO SG!

[[N]aS[QtPiE]]

like wat ant said, it's all back to square one n nobody can solve the issue unless the SG government steps in n decides to improve / revamp the local gaming industry with a major boost of funds n support. i dont rule out the possibility, but it's extremely slim, since they rather focus on something that brings in more revenue like IR (integrated resort at Marina n Sentosa) and F1 (Formula 1 Night Racing at Suntec)

1) i look at all my male friends. 90% all involved in rat race. i dont blame them. y? they are all potential future breadwinners. u dont work now after NS/graduation, who will support u n ur family? ur parents brought u up for 20yrs, u tell them u wanna be a professional gamer to support them...they will say ur NUTS!

2) NS aka national service kills all the pure singaporean males. go in 22/24 mths, no time to practice, ur skills become like crap, how to compete?

let's not talk abt other countries like EU or KR, where korea actually has specific TV companies/channels like MBC that broadcast their games live n legionnaires of fans that actualise idolise/treat the players like gods. wont happen in SG for the next 100 yrs...

Your first point. Totally agreed :)
It's somewhat being impractical in Singapore :D Still... I don't know what to say :T We're like the Peons in WC3. 'work work' 'i'll find golden' take out the 'be happy to' .. But every society must have commoners which makes up the majority. That's the common thing in life that hasn't changed in ancient civilization until modern one. :Banane50: But I also can't find any better way to replace that ( Communism ends up as dictatorship, something that only work in theory )