One thing I've always considered to be one of the toughest challenges in esports writing and/or production -- particularly compared to traditional sports -- is meaningfully delineating and differentiating individual players' style of play beyond "they're the [nth] best at [something], which is pretty [adjective]". Usually this challenge is simply ignored, as recent form and/or … Continue reading big elephant gymnastics
Author: RallyJaffa
Blank Space
(Sorry for the screencap's abysmal quality -- I couldn't find anything sharper than this gif. But you probably know this moment anyway, don't you? Worlds 2016.) *** For me, ever since 2016, this has been the first image that comes to mind when I think of Blank. To be fair, it's not that he hasn't … Continue reading Blank Space
Chovy’s prose, Showmaker’s poetry, Ucal’s plummet
"Being identified with your life as others see it may mean that you come eventually to see it that way, too. This can only be a hindrance to memory (and, presumably, to invention)." -- Susan Sontag, "Where the Stress Falls for P.D." *** I've joked last year in private that the LCK now stood for … Continue reading Chovy’s prose, Showmaker’s poetry, Ucal’s plummet
memory of madlife, 1
First he was an alien. A more advanced species. He looked human, but the truth was clear as day: He was an extragalactic missionary sent to Earth to show how support should be played. Everything he did was new and groundbreaking, yet surprisingly easy to imitate at our own level; and this was a … Continue reading memory of madlife, 1
Draft Notes: Emily Rand
Emily Rand is a freelance writer and journalist who covers League of Legends and Overwatch for a variety of publications; her most recent work can be found at ESPN Esports and VP Esports. She has previously held staff positions at Yahoo and theScore. I'm very happy and honored that Emily agreed to share her insights … Continue reading Draft Notes: Emily Rand
Draft Notes: Introduction
Today I'm launching Draft Notes, an email Q&A series featuring eminent writers and editors in esports. The concept was stolen (respectfully) from Chris Jones's Five for Writing; I won't always hold myself to five questions, but otherwise the format should be nearly identical. I hope the series can become a well of inspiration for us … Continue reading Draft Notes: Introduction
memory from lck relegations
"If photography is to be discussed on a serious level, it must be described in relation to death. [...] Even if the person in the picture is still alive, it’s a moment of this subject’s existence that was photographed, and this moment is gone." -- Roland Barthes Kongdoo Monster pack up. There are … Continue reading memory from lck relegations
Burying APEX
I wrote this back in early March for another website, but unfortunately it was never published. As some points in the column are still relevant I’ve decided to put it up here. The past Overwatch League offseason saw the spiritual death of the APEX-era Kongdoo Panthera, with Rascal moving to the Fuel, Fissure moving … Continue reading Burying APEX
memory from apex s3: envyus
Excerpt from a June 2016 interview with Taimou, the contents of which were never published. The interview was conducted right after EnVyUs's victory over X6-Gaming in the APEX Season 3 Quarterfinals. ME: Does Kyky help you manage your drive? TAIMOU: I think when Kyle came into the team, back in Season 2, Season 2 … Continue reading memory from apex s3: envyus
