Since StarCraft branched out from the home PC to mainstream television it has been dominated by the South Koreans. Sure, you have heard it a million times – South Korea dominates StarCraft, but that wasn’t always the case in every situation. There was a time where a Canadian and a Frenchmen had their share of success in the world of ultra-fast hands and animated female fans.

Since there days ended, few others have been given the opportunity to set their foot directly into the heart of the booming Korean cyber-culture – the majority of those call the United States their home.

The American in Korea returns home...

Brian “Assem” Fransioli is one of those individuals. A current student at Georgia Tech, he has lived the life of a professional gamer, experiencing the life that some would call a dream and others laugh about. While some critics would suggest that Fransioli failed in Korea, winning a semi-pro license through Courage and earning two wins in matches broadcast on live national television is certainly not something I would call a failure.

To legitimately call yourself a "pro" you must win Courage - a tournament involving hundreds of the best amateurs in the world. Another option is to be handpicked by the coach of your team. The coach is given only a limited number of licenses to hand out each year.

Since Fransioli returned home, no American in history - with the exception of former pro gamer turned professional poker player Daniel “Rekrul” Schreiber - had the skill or determination to go pro, at least until recently.

Pursuing the dream... From New Jersey to Seoul

About a year ago, a tournament was held that involved some of the best players that Canada and the United States had to offer. The purpose of the tournament was to select an individual who was believed to have the most potential to become a successful StarCraft professional. A clever marketing tool? Many think so, but this event was the beginning of restoring a hope in the non-Koreans that maybe one day they could make their dreams of becoming a professional gamer a reality.

The winner of the tournament, Greg “IdrA” Fields was chosen by eStro, which finally gave the community some hope that one day we might be watching someone from outside of South Korea in StarLeague - one of the most prestigious tournaments in all of professional StarCraft.

Fields played for eStro for several months until he was granted his semi-pro license and traded to CJ Entus. He is now said to be as motivated as ever since he has begun to adapt well to the teams atmosphere. His future continues to look bright as ever since he now has a new pool of practice partners who make every effort possible to break the language barrier.

The next big thing?

Even after Fields came to Korea, rumors began to surface of an interest in talented players from outside of the Korean peninsula. This rumor was made into a reality with the Spirit Tournament - a league available for any non-Koreans interested in becoming a professional gamer. Beginning as a ladder open to the public. The top 16 after the allotted time would move onto a single elimination tournament. Once the tournament was completed, a player(s) would be handpicked by the Korean pro teams to become a professional gamer. Coincidentally, the American finalist known as Tyler “NonY” Wasieleski is a favorite to be chosen after displaying near flawless play that can only be mimicked by professional gamers themselves.

This student at Duke University had turned a hobby into a dream of becoming a professional gamer that has a good chance of becoming a reality.

One of the biggest obstacles in his way is happening across the country from his home in the Los Angeles Convention Center. Wasieleski and Fields, while both favored to win have added pressure coming into this tournament that many of the other players are not experiencing.

A win for Fields would mean reassurance for his coaching staff that they made the right decision in bringing him into their ranks. A win for Wasieleski would most likely mean a free ticket to South Korea along with a whole new lifestyle change.

Assuming Wasieleski is chosen to go Korea, will there be another Spirit Tournament? Will interest in Americans continue? What about other top players from Europe and South America? We will soon discover whose dreams are fulfilled or crushed.


Galleries: Day 1a | Day 1b | Day 2a | Day 2b | Day 2c | Day 2d

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StarCraft: WCG StarCraft Melee | WCG Day 1 SC Recap | Five with NonY | G5 talks about NonY and Day 2 | StarCraft in the U.S: Why care? | WCG Starcraft Preview

World of Warcraft: Extreme Masters Day 1 WoW Melee | Extreme Masters WoW Preview | Five with Sp0h