There's more about Idra and his rivalries with other players - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-xGwM7F5MYUM.html Check out Our new Project FGC Storyteller - www.youtube.com/@fgcstoryteller Check out my personal channels - www.youtube.com/@Gaming_Essays & www.youtube.com/@RTSCasts Timecodes: 00:00 Why we need villains in any esports 01:55 The start of Idra's career - StarCraft: Brood War and trip to South Korea 03:46 Idra's playstyle and important characteristics 05:44 The worst part about StarCraft 2 that irritated Idra 07:35 Idra hates StarCraft 2 - yet he achieves a lot 10:10 The most iconic idra's ragequits and bms 12:18 How idra's results got abysmal 14:18 The last match and the last ragequit 17:37 The drama that got Idra released from Evil Geniuses 20:10 The legacy of Idra
Idra really did contribute a lot to the early success of SC2. The contrast between his honorable macro-play and his antagonistic behavior made him both a villian and an inspiration. I mained zerg because of him. Hope he's doing well.
@@mp2863 He was just who he was, I don't think he was ever playing a heel. He was just a very competitive dude with a tendency to get salty and one who was definitely not afraid to tell you exactly what he is thinking. It's a tricky combination. I think he is genuinely a nice dude from what I have seen, even back in the day. He just got the better of himself sometimes.
@@no_nameyouknow yah I agree that most of it was just him but I always had a feeling that he was leaning into it a bit. It also worked well with how he was a foreigner competing in Korea. Early sc2 eSports was pretty damn amazing
After IdrA quit playing I saw him doing play by play on a few series. He was a very credible game commentator. He had solid insights into the game and was both quick minded and funny. I thought it was a bit of a shame he didn't pursue that aspect of involvement in the game.
He then returned to play some Heroes of the Storm (Blizzard MOBA) for some months, but the game was actually quite lackluster in esports so he soon left for good
Sc2's popularity was starting to wane, and the commentator space was beyond saturated. I agree he was great at it, but everyone and their dog was trying to be an sc2 commentator at that time.
I agree, however he was an expert commentator with a relatively monotone voice and no excitement. While it's something that me and many other viewers like, I think _most_ viewers do not know much about the game, or even if they do would still prefer the color that other commentators have. And while _some_ colorful/expressive commentators had poor knowledge/skill, most of them were still highly knowledgeable about relatively high level play or top level play.
Idra got banned and had to relevel a new account a few times on ladder, and it was always fun in diamond league when idra would roll in against us with a 5 min baneling bust and either instantly win or instantly ragequit. Looking back, it was actually probably the fastest way for someone of his skill to get to master. You either win through a tight timing window, or you move on to the next game. Time vs points, he was probably doing it properly. Weird how years later you look back and realize something like that…
So that’s how you get bad at a game he obsessed over... Imagine if a hockey team just went all out for net, when they got to 5-0 they rage quit and left the ice, citing the refs as the problem.
@@rmac3217mate you don't learn by playing people of a lower leven than you, you improve by playing ppl better than you. Getting to GM with a new account isn't about learning the basics, is about rushing it out so you can get back to your actual level.
I've forgotten more things about early sc2 than I feel I've ever learned about anything in my life. I'm glad your videos are here to make me smile with nostalgia
@Motor City Sports Talk Yeah, I meant in EU/AM region before 2012 when Stephaho got into his prime. As for the global scene, you're right, certain koreans players were unmatched at that time
Idra was such an iconic SC2 player! It was so fun watching him playing with a group of friends. Who would have known that he is now working as an applied physicist!
i don't really buy the whole "we need villains" argument, the "villain" is already whoever you're rooting against, you don't really need a designated heel to make things entertaining. plus toxic people tend to cultivate toxic communities, and any sc2 competitive zerg discussion in that era was a nightmare since his then-topish status meant that a lot of zerg players assumed his imaginary foes were genuine problems and everyone started yelling IMBA 24/7
@@darkslayer7131 He was overwhelmingly toxic not just slightly, and having a bunch of people who are simply good at the game means you can focus on the actual gameplay. it's not pro wrestling you don't need a "villain" or some kind of drama to spice things up
Reynor already takes his place in regards to balance whine. "Broods are trash because 12 stalkers beat 12 broods" is one of the more obvious examples of Reynor whining just as badly, but at least with Idra it was more obvious that you could disregard his opinion.
He was a bad player and ironically lived on the early turtle aspects of Zerg, played sim city, lost, raged about unfairness and how great he is. All around a narcissist and horrible person.
The era of great players like Huk, Grubby, Moon, Idra, Boxer, TLO, Whitera, great casters/ channels Husky, HD, Day9, LagTV and those BM celebs like CombatEX, Destiny were the golden age of SC2. Such nostalgia seeing these clips again, what a great time. 2010-2013 was a great period for SC community, then HOTS came to please the casual so much fell like an actual effort to drive people away.
hots really were a low point. the swarmhost and tempests were great on paper but ended up making the game much more turtly than it already was. Life was great but ended up in jail. :( couple that with all the fun personalities gone made that a really sad era. but things are really looking up with lotv. Players like Maru, serral, and reynor are pretty entertaining.
I have a funny story about meeting IdrA. I’m a full time content creator now, but 14 years ago I was just getting my start trying to get into the scene. I knew Tastless from a previous connection, messaged him on MSN Messenger (this was like 2009 lol) and told him to tell IdrA I’d like to interview him about going to Korea as an American to compete because I was an admin for a website that would write a story about it. Tasteless gives me his info, and I add IdrA on MSN Messenger. He’s instantly toxic to me like “who the hell are you?” I tell him why I added him, he completely shits on me like “why the hell would I do that you’re an idiot” etc. So I now I get upset after being treated like this and was like “you know what man, I was a huge fan of yours, I just wanted to help tell your story because I think it’s super cool. This is how you treat people? Screw you I hope you fail miserably.” After a long pause of a few minutes, I get a message from him saying “Let’s do the interview.” I’m like uhhhh alright lmao let’s do it. The interview actually still exists here’s the link haha tl.net/forum/brood-war/94924-interview-with-idra
Dude you have to keep making videos like these. I wanna know like the entire history of starcraft 2 competitive scene. Ive always liked the sc2 competitive even if I dont really like the game that much.
CS gogogo LOL, nobody cares after 1.6 and the game became trash as well, similar to SC2 and most games, WC3 at least just did nothing, that was actually better.
Idra lacked selfreflection, that was his biggest downfall. Always thinking he played the game correctly unable to adopt properly and self reflect or adapt his style. Same for his " fans" you attract the crowd you reflect yourself. Don't bitch about toxic fans when you yourself do nothing else. He was entertaining for sure and it helped SC2 hugely specialy in NA with MLG's and such tournamants and i do agree any sports needs a shady charracter for drama and stories, that for sure we are lacking atm.
Idra just did not have the mental capacity to perform when the going got tough. He would either win easily or lose and be butthurt about a stupid build he "should never lose to" or something or another. God forbid he goes down 0-2 in a bo5 as he's never coming back. He was too immature and emotional to ever be a serious threat, especially if somebody got in his head. They say Huk has now paid his mortgage off from living rent free in Idra's head for over a decade now. It's a shame because even thought he never liked the game he could have achieved a lot more if he treated it more as a business and focused on being logical not emotional. He was his own worst enemy and could have achieved a lot more if not for his extremely poor attitude.
I remember meeting him in Stockholm and taking a very unflattering picture for both of us with him. He seemed like an okay enough dude, but his rage quits were legendary.
But he was wrong about his bank count and the ravens didn't even come into play. I understand having a negative mindset, but if a current day pro pulled his shit while he's still on 5k 2k worth of eco it would be insane. He's entertaining, but he just never had the correct competitive mindset. Once you decide your opponent is better/has a better race than you you're already set really far back.
I mean I'm not a sc2 ladder player. But it sounded like a bunch of bullshit. Where he's like there's a 70-80 percent chance I won't win at this point so I won't even bother trying.
The answer is "No, we don't need villains and toxic players." There are plenty of gaming communities with HEALTHY rivalries. The fighting game community is well-known for this, with even their most disrespectful players being very mild, and toxic players simply being ejected. The same thing with TCG communities like Magic, Pokemon, Flesh and Blood, etc. So many gaming communities ALREADY go to great lengths to tamp down toxicity, and the last thing we need is professional or high-profile players encouraging it with poor behavior on stage.
I agree to some extent, but a bit of drama and banter is still better than nothing. Idra of course at one point became too toxic and obviously crossed the line
Its getting too far with tamping down toxicity, you can't even t-bag anymore. A simple taunt is too far. People crave drama, a game they've seen played a thousand times gets stale without added entertainment.
@@smugegeez1406 SOME people crave drama; most people just want to watch a good game. I'll remind you that the VAST majority of sports absolutely, positively do not have this kind of behavior, and in fact players will be quickly removed from the field or court for bad behavior. They even get fined -- sometimes millions of dollars. If esports ever wants to be considered legit enough to broadcast on major channels, it will need to police itself better and build better communities. The "drama" comes from the tension involved with two great teams going head-to-head. The most popular and widely-watched esport -- League of Legends -- has a zero-toxicity policy and has rapidly removed professional players for bad conduct both inside and outside of the game, as it should, give how many problems they have with a toxic community in general. The professionals set the tone, and if they get away with bad behavior it makes it all the more difficult to police the community in general.
@@Josh-99 I agree. I don't think idra level toxicity should be allowed, but a little taunting or show boating isn't going to hurt anyone in my opinion.
you're insisting we remove the entire portion of an audience that's willing to tune in to see an abrasive character lose. your fear of conor McGregor and Jake paul mentalities will only remove money from the wallets of your favorite professional players. I'd personally rather my favorite players or their rivals are a little unsavory if it brings more interest and revenue to something I enjoy.
When you look back, it's amazing how back players were in those days. Just watchin how Idra and others completely played zerg wrong, compared to how its played today. And to think people thought that the were were fully explored.
I remember Idra! :D He was one of my favourite players of SC2 back in the day, simply because it was always so entertaining to watch his games. Maybe that's just because I'm not very deeply immersed in the SC2 scene anymore, but it feels like players used to have a lot more personality back then.
It’s because you were a poor nerd living in a ‘teammate house’ and there was no competition. With the Zoomers, not being a gamer makes you the wierdo and there’s millions of dollars at stake, it’s their version of athletes.
Idra was an amazing heel for the scene. People loved to hate him and it was easy to be invested in any game. Love him or hate him, the man drew attention any time he was on the screen.
I saw him live in Cologne back in the day, even got an autograph from him. He was a great player, a great entertainer, and his insight as a caster was phenomenal! Even tough he was way younger than me, I had no problem looking up to him (which was an issue for me back in the day when it came to most younger people)! Learned a lot about zerg from him thru the SC2 years, and It was one of the saddest days when he left... even tough I have seen almost every day how much the game was affecting his mental health. I've always hoped he would turn around in that regard. Sadly for us he found it better to leave. It's good to know he is doing good now days, And I can't wish him nothing but the all the best! He won't be forgotten! I will always remember him as the first foreign hope of Brood War, and the Randy Orton of Starcraft.
Saw this in my recommended box and knew that I had to watch lol, thanks for the video. I just wanted to add at 11:00 about IdrA leaving the MMA game, I think the real reason he left wasn't that he thought he lost, but he wanted to drop down into the loser bracket to face MC. Previously in the tournament IdrA played against MC and beat in 2 0, MC commented later that the only reason he lost was due to jetlag and would destroy IdrA now. That is why IdrA basically threw both games he played against MMA so he could face MC again; and he is exactly the type of person who would do that.
I heard it was because he saw the gas at MMA's expo and thought he had the expansion up. He didn't know that MMA blew it up since no pros would make a mistake like that. So he just left without scouting lol.
I really love that era of SC2. Let's go IdrA Let's go! Let's go IdrA Let's go! Let's go IdrA Let's go! Let's go IdrA Let's go! He might be annoying, but he was putting great show.
I remember meeting him and and incontrol. Incontrol was the nicest dude ever and even introduced him self with his real name and asked my name. Idra said hi and took the picture and bounced. He just lost and didn't seem to be in the mood and I got it but to me and my wife he seemed exactly like you thought he would be.
he was the most controversial and the most popular. His games were really the ones to look forward to whether he was the favorite or the underdog because he'd often make the pregame or the post-game interesting
Welcome to all sport. When it becomes a moneymaker the coaches and managers get involved. Back in the days college football, basketball and hockey were so popular for this reason, ppl were trying to escape the fake teams who just buy players with no personality because that would be bad for the brand.
My Favourite Idra story actually comes from Broodwar. Idra was playing against a Female Korean player called TossGirl (who played Terran) and he won. TossGirl was so embarrassed about losing to a foreigner she cried. A female starcraft player cried because she lost to one of the best foreign brood war players there is. Source from Ret: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-9NUt_uTrn3I.html
Been following starcraft since 2002. Here are a few things you didn't note. 1. While Idra was complaining about Zerg being weak Nestea was winning GSL 2. Towards the end the novelty that was Idra had worn off. You can talk spicy if you're winning but once you start losing you're just another nerd on the internet who can't take a loss without raging. Idra got cut by EG because he was on his way out anyway and EG was on its way out as well.
actually if we think about balance. idra's ways of thinking on quitting midgame is non existence now, new patches get more changes favored on zerg now.
On the very top level yes, but at the semi-pro there are a lot of arguments and controversial discussions. I can't say it's much better within progamer circles, but as for the public image - it's true, such bm never exists nowadays.
"I don't like the game cos i´m not winning as much anymore" and " I don't like the game cos it's not challenging anymore" Those are contrary statements Idra.
What he meant was that his playstyle wasn't working and without that playstyle, he couldn't win. It wasn't that losing means it became a good challenge, it was miserable.
I don't root against anyone. I do root for 2 people though. 1. Has - he is the king of cheese. It's fun to watch him play. 2. Scarlett - one of very few female players and she's very good too.
I always found the idea of e-sport having a "heel" or a "bad guy" that fans like to boo pretty neat. Sure it's a concept from professional wrestling and e-sport is not a scripted show like wrestling, but it makes the scene more colorful and gets the fans engaged. I'm pretty sure the "real" combat sports like UFC has those kinds of characters too, so why not have some on e-sport.
as entertaining as it was back in the day, the truth is Idra was immature and super toxic, almost emotionally stunted. I hope he's grown since then, definitely a guy with a lot of issues and took out his frustrations on other gamers instead of looking internally at whats really bothering him. As for him leaving Sc2, I think his one dimensional playstyle was the real reason, he wanted the game to be a certain way instead of accepting it for what it was and ultimately he couldn't keep up with what the game demanded from players.
Yes, it's true. He's much better now though, but as for the game - it did irritate him quite a lot, so no wonder his behaviour was also so difficult. I guess it's hard to accept the playstyle when it's clearly not what you like in StarCraft
The immature 'toxic' behaviour was on point. with how cancerous sc2 is in its core. How infinite cheap gambling builds are bringing bronze leagues to masters. Just because he was one to a) see it for what it was b) vent about it because it literally ruined the game for him and MANY likeminded ppl who didnt like the constant toxic gameplay that still is sc2.
@@Eraz0rZ that's a very strange take, blaming the game for making you toxic? No other pro behaved like him, I never saw anyone rage quit at that level multiple times, it's childlike.
man I miss staying up late watching Idra/Huk streams, also waking up early sometimes for GSL, those were the days. I'd be completely trashed up for classes in the morning though.
I'll always remember Idra for that GOD TIER TROLL that Huk played on him with those fucking hallucinations. Dear god, I'll never stop laughing about that.
He needed to see a sports psychologist and get his mindset right but never did. His mechanics were decent at his time, had he stuck to it, he had the potential to become one of the greats.
Actually, he had a sports psychologist hired by team EG. But he said the woman wasn't prepared for the session, she showed no clue about what he was doing and how the game worked etc, so he was upset with the therapy and took a decision to quit after first try because he felt it wasn't worth his time and she wasn't doing her job properly. After that he seemingly never treid again to have a therapy.
Back then (in the early 2000's), I was quite involved in the SC1 community (mainly on Teamliquid) and so I witnessed the emergence of Idra as a player. He was a tryharder for sure. He did go to korea for Estro thanks to the decreasing non-korean community and some pioneers like Artosis who helped him get to Korea for Estro. Despite tons of practice, he was way behind any sc1 korean pro and he couldn't play a sc1 pro match for Estro there so he praticed for sc2 in the Estro house while the other pro players were still focusing on SC1. Then he got some successes on SC2 because he was already training and focusing on sc2 with korean pros like a madman. His dedication was true, i can't take that away from him but the man was dirty to say the least. He was creating drama whenever he could bragging about his early dominance. He trashed talked everyone for no reason. For me he was just at the right time at the right place. His early success (thx to his early korean training) gave him the opportunity to ride on the EG money train and to be on the spotlight (and gain some maturity with - the missed - InControl) . Stephano did way more in terms of results, especially vs korean. Idra was just an excuse machine : imbalances, lags, build orders, opponent's style, you name it.
Well I think he was decent in Brood War, especially compared to other non-korean players. It just felt that Wings of Liberty didn't suit him at all. I believe if he actually played current StarCraft 2 LotV patch, he would enjoy it a lot more and probably have more success since Zerg feels much better nowadays. I agree on Stephano though, He, Snute and Scarlett were the top 3 zergs that were crushing it before Serral came to the scene
@@EsportsStoryteller Thx for your input and for your work. I'll go further when you say "he was decent in brood war compared to non korean". He was a beast compared to non korean. He was in this strange spot where he was above non korean but behind koreans for sure. To be honest, I was more a Mondragon/Fisheye/Testie follower and I had high hopes for Idra. I 100% agree about LotV patch, It would have suited Idra better and to be honest, we miss "Idra" in the current scene (as the villain like you very well described).
The Grack was the only pro I met in person (he smashed me 2-0 at a local AZ lan in 2011) that I wanted a picture with. That and an IncontroL signed mousepad are my most treasured nerd memorabilia.
I think the thing we have to differentiate, is if that a person being an actual child and letting his emotions get the better of him, or is he actually playing the villain as a character? Look at say, Chris Jericho, who can play the worst villain that is needed, his ability to be whatever villain is needed is what really makes him who he is. But as a person, he's a decent person. His character isn't him. Compare that to say, people who are full of themselves, like many of the esports "villains" of the old era, where their character is who they are at times, it's not an act, and the language they use is often times abusive. We still have people who would trash talk, like Doublelift, Perkz, and Hauntzer, but it was never verbally abusive or anger ridden. Or go back further, and see the example of the OG badboy of Broodwar, FirebatHero, who would have some crazy antics, but nothing that involved slurs like Naniwa used last year.
This analysis is on pint imo. I loved watching Idra games precisely for the drama. Always considered him to be one of the most interesting players to watch.
While players are now leagues beyond players of this era, there aren't any interesting players anymore, personality wise. Serral is a BEAST, but has no personality. He's a robot essentially. Back in the early days, we had the entire EG lineup (including HuK), MC, Naniwa, Life, Stephano, MMA, MKP, TLO, CombatEX, Deezer, Destiny, CatZ, and NUMEROUS others. It made the scene fun with all of those unique personalities. Now, there's zero personality, and most players/fans have quit watching and playing entirely as a result. Argue all you want about the BM being "bad" for the game, but the drama and goofiness made SC2 the powerhouse it was. It's essentially a dead game now. IdrA would pull MASSIVE numbers every single stream and tournament, same with the others listed above. When they retired, SC2 did with them. For me, I played because I wanted to be just like IdrA. He said bad things, but he was always fun to watch and was dominate early on. He made me LOVE the game and was the reason I played zerg. His streams were always a blast, especially when he'd match against a rival.
Starcraft now lacks any sort of characters or personalities. Thats a very bad thing for the community when the top players are essentially robots and have the personaility of a tea bag.
There are some, but you're right, we now only have good guys like Serral, Reynor and Neeb, most of them are very polite, I'd even say timid and most of top players are quite alike in how they behave and communicate with the viewers. Harstem is probably the most interesting character nowadays
Say what you want about Idra being one of the most controversial bm player, that title rightfully belongs to CombatEX (maybe Destiny, but his rage was always in service of humor not actual idiocy)
He was crazy good and I agree SC2 was just too unbalanced but still leaving the game was the best thing for him. I believe he was a dark place while he was a pro.
That's the problem when you only care about winning and you don't enjoy the game itself. It's funny because I am terrible at the game, but I've never stopped loving it. I always come back and just absolutely love it to death. I enjoy the experience of an immersive world and playing the game for the sake of playing it. Then again I'm not driven to play the absolute best I can play because I have no desire to be the best, so I'll always be mediocre, get bored, and play another game. There are trade offs to being chill and just enjoying life. Eh.
I only like to beat ppl in real life who I know and like the game. If I win online, don’t care, AI, whatever, it has to be the old school net cafe experience of beating them in person and smoking blunts, hitting up the kebab shop etc.
He wasn't a prodigy. His results were horrible other than right after WOL released. He was the rallying banner of whiny idiots for shitty zerg players. Not much of a legacy.
Villains in real things always rub me the wrong way. These are real people that he's talking to. These aren't actors on a reality show but real humans just trying to play a game. They shouldn't have to have beef and drama to carry their game. I don't think Idra did anything particularly bad but I've seen this used to justify much bigger assholes. (Fillipino Champ in Marvel was like this)
Every game needs players like IdrA. I thoroughly enjoyed his streams and honestly, if you play SC2 to the amount a pro player does, how can you stay always mannered? At some point it has to drive you crazy 😂 a big chunk of the community left with him, I‘m sure. The korean way of always being mannered is boring as hell, i like it when someone is cocky/believes in himself (just leave out the messy „get cancer“ stuff and you‘re good)
Using drama to draw attention to the player base is one of the most brainlet ideas i've heard off 1-People outside of the community aren't going to hear about it, so for starters doesn't work 2-If someone happens to hear about it, it would paint the community in an immature light 3-Any healthy community DOES NOT ENCOURAGE TOXICITY
Usually drama is used to attract those left people who once were part of it. It's something that spices up the interest for many viewers. Of course it shouldn't be toxic, but some banter is always funny to watch. Have you seen the hype around UFC that is created by some "toxic" fighters?
@@EsportsStoryteller no, i don't watch UFC I still don't know why someone who left would come back due to drama, if anything it sounds as something which would push people further away
The way he ranked up and played, definitely. He’s the guy who cheats on 1 player games with himself, and i’m not talking trying over and over then cheating to get passed 1 thing, Idra personality would cheat the whole game and still find it rewarding.
Played an MC server. A faction there was hostile and aggressive. They were good villains to fight against. It was fun. Yes they were toxic. But, it was fun to have them. They got banned for duping and the server became less fun. Villains are needed.
@@EsportsStoryteller He became highly volatile, irritable, etc. At the end of your documentary you mentioned his mental health getting better. I think if you play games as much as he did it is bound to impact you negatively. South Korea is famous for having video game addiction rehab centers.
@@John3.36 there's something to be said for him being able to walk away from what many would consider an enviable career, but one that no longer served him. It's his redemption arc
@@thektorMK1 I am pretty sure that if you played as many hours as he did with a high stress environment you would have walked away too. Such a crazy life, anything but enjoyable. Check out some documentaries on RU-vid about Korean pro teams. It is a miserable life.
I loved early SC2, used to watch MLG, youtube channels, replays, etc. Idra was entertaining without a doubt. He became a bit of a shithead when he was dating that one girl, but that wasn't related to his ability as a Starcraft player. I loved his playstyle, he didn't resort to cheesy tactics, he wanted to outplay and dominate every aspect of the match
Man… makes me remember how old this game really is. I remember watching that hallucination game live when it happened! Good times… I miss when StarCraft 2 was huge with hundreds of thousands of fans :(
i really don't know who idra was, so my opinion of him doesn't really matter, but i couldn't find a game that perfectly balanced so far. i think instead of whining if he practiced more he shouldn't have to retire.
Well, it's not really about her, it's more about the whole concept in culture in the West nowadays. It's not like she appeared out of nowhere and now is in the spotlight because of her gender. Scarlett stated that she's not making a special thing out of the fact she's a transgender, she never mentions it/promotes it etc, she doesn't want to attract much attention to it. As a person, she's very nice, helpful and cheerful. She's also one of the top tier foreign players, having won a lot of cups and tournaments, including S-tier like IEM. I believe Scarlett is honoured and talked about exactly because of her in-game achievements.
@@EsportsStoryteller he may be a really nuce perdón, but transgenderism is kind if a religión most dont have faith in, nor should imply legal changes without honest debate.
@@TheCholeski Well, i'm not really educated in this question as much, so I don't have a certain opinion on this matter. If talking about esports, the gender here probably seems irrelevant
I find it difficult to call someone he when she obviously looks like a girl. I mean you shouldn't even be in the conversation if you're making everyone confuse who you are referring. I'm actually against any law that forces people to use the pronoun they prefer but if you look like a girl and talk like a girl then I will call you a girl. But some people are addicted to this kind of drama. It's honestly bullshit.
As someone who is american, and was involved in KESPA and broodwar, Idra was a big inspiration for a lot of us early esports gamers actually having representation outside of the US, or, at all for that matter because esports took a LONG time to catch on in the states. But Idra went from broodwar, which was fairly balanced considering the age and buggieness of the game, to Wings of Liberty, which was horribly balanced. Brood war payed off for intelligent gameplay, but sc2 favored either 2 strategies, proxy cheese with OP units, or sit back till you're at 200 and A move into your opponent. I quit playing SC2 when Idra had more or less left, possibly even sooner because i didn't like the multiplayer at all, either at amateur or professional level. And as someone who has came back to the game 12 years later, it more or less still feels like that. I guess my point is, while he was an inspiration to a lot of american fans and players, he was good, but never great. And his BM antics are only entertaining for so long. The fact that his games were the mosted watched while he was doing SC2, really tells you more about the game and the poor mechanics and instead people watching for controversy.
I understand the feeling, sometimes you are really into the game but the game changes and you start getting older, start missing things you wouldn't before. It's important to know when to move on instead of sitting in that stew.
