Razer

One thing to note that the discrepancy in skill between Korean and foreign StarCraft II players is huge. It is rare for foreign players to be capable of being part of the Global Star League's Code-S category let alone to go deep in the tournament. Most foreign players fall at the skilled hands of Korean StarCraft II gamers.

But a Swedish player is currently changing that reputation. Not only was he able to qualify as a Code-S player, he also finished 3rd/4th in the tournament, the farthest that any foreign player has ever achieved, a feat he accomplished twice. In the Korean gaming scene, that is unexpected from a non-Korean gamer. He is the MLG Dallas 2010 StarCraft II Champion. He is Jonathan "Jinro" Walsh, the "Hero of the Foreigners".

Like any heroic epic worthy to be told, our story starts on a cold January day in Stockholm, the birth of our hero. Jonathan Walsh grew up playing video games, playing the 486's Jazz Jackrabbit and Commander Keen. This early exposure to interactive media paved the way for his eventual encounter with the Real-time Strategy genre. WarCraft II: Tides of Darkness was Jinro's first RTS game and the taste of such gameplay left a hunger for more. A few years passed and when Blizzard's RTS successor, StarCraft, was released, Jonathan started to play the game.

At first, he played offline, being isolated to the quality of gameplay the international community was experiencing. When he started playing online, it dawned to Jonathan that he had much to learn and going to Korea would sate his hunger for knowledge and training. At the age of 13, he made a proposal to his parents to let him go to Korea to pursue his gaming career choice. He learned the basics of the Korean alphabet, doing everything he can to sway the decision of his parents to favor his travel. His proposal was denied though he was promised that if he reached his legal age, he will be free to make his own career choices.

Jonathan clung to that hope and kept gaming close to his heart.

Jonathan's first taste of competitive gaming came when he was invited to be a part of the Korean team, Dream.T. Though he achieved much in his stay in Brood War including high ladder rankings in the PGTour, Jonathan's gaming profile remained to be average. His breakthrough happened upon StarCraft II's official release. Team Liquid decided that it was best for them to assemble a professional StarCraft II team worthy of competing at the Korean gaming scene. Being a constant contributor to Team Liquid's community and seeing his great potential, TL decided that Jonathan would be a great addition to the team. It was a decision they did not regret as that move paved the way for "Jinro's" heroics.

Shortly after accepting Team Liquid's invite, Jonathan "Jinro" Walsh moved to one of Korea's gaming houses in Seoul to start his training and professional career. His straight, no-nonsense gameplay, as well as his calm and steadfast macro skills made Jinro the Major League Gaming 2010 Dallas Grand Champion . On January 2011, he was the only non-Korean gamer to finish at the semifinals round of GSL's Code-S tournament. These victories earned him renown and was later voted as GosuGamer's best non-Korean StarCraft II Gamer. He became the spear tip of the foreign gamers in Korean gaming, a living example that SCII is surely becoming a global e-Sports game. He has become and continues to be the "Terran Gorilla", the "Hero of the Foreigners".

Team Liquid and Jinro's early achievements caught the attention of Team Razer. Because of his many contributions to the SCII community as well as his undeniable skill and talent, Jinro and the whole of Team Liquid was invited to join Team Razer's rank of elite pro-gamers. Through this joint venture, the young and energetic Team Liquid accompanied by Razer's well-established technological support can further propel StarCraft II as a global e-Sports game.

Photography by Jonas Bilberg.