A Legend Retires



Fredrik "MaDFroG" Johansson has decided to retire from Warcraft. The 20-year-old Swede has been one of the best players in the world, but lately he has lost motivation. Now he has decided to call it quits.

"All the things got more and more pointless in the game. After you have achieved some big things, it is hard to get the motivation back. I really felt that it was over when I left the Korean team FrienZ, but I thought I might get the motivation back. It never came back for real," says Fredrik.



SK's European Undead player is currently in Korea where he participates in the World eSports Games. WEG was supposed to be one last shot for MaDFroG, a last attempt to see if he could find any kind of motivation to continue playing. Though even before the tournament, he realised it was a wrong choice.

"I couldn't see any fun at all in playing, and the last week before leaving I wanted to withdraw. But I felt it was too late, and WEG had spent a lot of money on me," Fredrik explains.

MaDFroG's match against the Chinese player Magicyang will be the last in his active career. Though he hasn't practiced for it, and he expects to lose. "I have no feelings whatsoever to win. It has been really bad for me here, I have been homesick since day one. I am missing my girlfriend like crazy, and it just feels totally wrong to be here when I don't feel like playing."

Some people may wonder if MaDFroG having a girlfriend may be part of the reason why he is retiring - that he has found something other than gaming. Fredrik admits that is part of it. "It is pretty much like that. Also, I feel like I need to move on with my life. Warcraft 3 took too much time."

Several players have announced their retirements lately. Swain quit, but he later made a comeback, Star.WeRRa announced that he would leave and now MaDFroG, all in their early twenties. "I think you lose the power of playing eight hours a day when you get older than 19, I never had a problem with playing a lot before. But I guess we get too old for putting so much energy into a game," MaDFroG thinks.

MaDFroG believes that he will miss his friends in the gaming scene, but right now he wants to get away from all of that. "I don't think I will follow the scene, not right now at least. I need some time to get on with my life, I just want to be away from the computer. So I don't think I will play any games for a long time."

Then how will Fredrik spend the first period of his retirement? "I will spend lots and lots of time with my girlfriend, just taking it easy. I don't feel like doing something else right now, and I don't feel like I need to work either, so I am going to take some time off from most of those things."

MaDFroG has been in SK Gaming for several years, and he will be sorely missed by all his teammates and of course by his fans. "Overall it has been really cool being in SK. I would like to thank the whole SK for a great time, and also I want to thank my fans who never stopped believing in me."

Fredrik brings a lot of good memories with him into his retirement, the best of them when he won the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational. He doesn't at all regret choosing pro gaming as his field. "Gaming has given me many good moments and I have so many good memories that will never go away. I would never change that for anything."

SK Gaming is very sad to see Fredrik leave, but wishes him the best of luck for his future, whatever it may bring.



이상 SK gaming 의 전문입니다.

과거에 프레드릭 선수에 대해 안 좋은 시각을 가졌던 많은 분들을 기억합니다.
당시 이중헌 선수와의 경기에서 코드를 뽑았다는 음모론(?)을 일으킨 그 때 그 사건 이후,
프레드릭 선수의 한국에서의 인식은 매우 안 좋았죠.

그리고 그 이후 프레드릭 선수는 한국에서 선수 생활을 시작합니다.
Intel팀으로 같이 들어온 히맨 선수는 고국으로 떠났지만,
프레드릭 선수는 그 이후에도 지구 방위대 소속으로 멋진 게임을 많이 보여주고 고국으로 돌아갑니다.
덕분에 많은 팬들도 생겼음은 물론이구요.

그러나 그도 20살의 무게는 꽤나 컷나봅니다.
더이상 게임을 할 의지가 생기지 않는다는 그의 말로 미루어 볼 때,
이제는 그를 떠나 보내줘야 하는 시기가 아닌가 하네요.

과거 이중헌 선수도 그랬고, 최원일 선수도 그랬고, 박세룡 선수도 그랬듯이.
프레드릭 선수의 은퇴는 너무나 가슴이 아픕니다.
그리고 되돌릴 수도 없다는 사실이 더욱더 가슴을 아프게 하는군요.

프레드릭 선수의 앞날에 신의 축복이 있길 바라겠습니다.
so long, Fredrik.
당신의 플레이가 그리울겁니다.