Michael “Goswser” Dobler’s professional StarCraft II career has spanned continents. The Cincinnati native established a name for himself in StarCraft II by upstaging Choi “Polt” Seong Hoon at Major League Gaming Orlando in 2011. Since then, Goswser has defied expectations and posted impressive results for Team Millenium by upsetting Jung “Mvp” Jong Hyun during Iron Squid – Chapter II, ascending to the round of 4 in ShoutCraft America, seizing a top 8 placement at ASUS Republic of Gamers Summer 2013, and securing a round of 4 finish at DreamHack Valencia 2013. His placements at ASUS Rog and DreamHack Valencia were also notable as Goswser was the highest placing foreigner at both events.
Goswser had a common introduction to the world of eSports. “I was a fan of Brood War for about a year and-a-half before Starcraft II came out and I just watched a lot of Proleague games, OSL as well. I think that was the only eSport I followed before Starcraft II.” Goswser transitioned into a pro-gaming career, first joining Team Complexity. In December 2012, Millenium added Goswser to its roster and he relocated to France to train in the Millenium team house. The now-Millenium Zerg player reflected on his loved ones during this period. “My friends and brothers thought it was pretty cool. Everyone was pretty supportive and accepting. Nothing has changed that much really. Going to France was more of a big change, but even then, they were supportive,” said Goswser. He also shared his motivation for joining Team Millenium. ”The major US tournaments had many more Koreans than the European tournaments, so it’s harder to make a breakout performance. Also, the only major American team at the time that wanted me was Complexity, so I looked for European teams that might give me more opportunities.”
Living in a foreign land has been an interesting change for the American. Touching on his experiences as an expatriate, Goswser admitted, “there isn’t actually that much to adjust to. It is pretty easy to communicate to everyone in English for the things I need to do and life is pretty simple.” There have been a few differences in culture and lifestyle have caught Goswser’s attention, however. “The French food is a bit different, and unless people are talking directly to me, they don’t speak English. Also, stores are usually only open 5 or 6 hours a day. Restaurants only open a couple hours for lunch and then close until dinner and they are not open very late either. It is really inconvenient and strange for an American,” said Gowswer. When asked about his efforts to learn French, Goswser replied, “I attempted it but then I got bored and played StarCraft instead.”
The Millenium team house in Marseille, France provides a practice environment for the team’s pro-gamers. Dobler said that he found the training environment to be good, depending on how many people are present at any given moment. The team environment galvanizes all who play there Goswser acknowledged, “Park ‘ForGG‘ Ji Soo practices a ton so it motivates everyone else.” Dobler also provided additional insight into his training regimen, “A lot of ladder and when I’m preparing for specific matches, or if I want to practice one matchup, then I’ll train with other pros. Usually teammates, but sometimes other pros. I train for most of the day. I don’t have a specific regimen. I don’t need to stick to a schedule to practice a lot.” When asked if training in Europe had any correlation to his recent performance, Goswser replied, “Maybe. It’s hard to tell if that’s the reason I’ve improved or if it was just training a lot.”
Most recently, Goswser performed impressively at Dreamhack Valencia and ASUS ROG, as he secured a top 4 and a top 8 finish, respectively, while ending both contests as the last remaining foreigner. As for which factors contributed to his recent success, Goswser responded, “Being better than the people I played. Also, I attribute them to the strength of North America.” He elaborated on his expectations for his final sets at ASUS ROG and Dreamhack, “I thought Ko Seok ‘Hyun‘ and Yoon ‘TaeJa‘ Yeung Soo would beat me pretty badly, but the games were closer than I expected. Both of them went on to win the tournament, so I don’t feel bad about those losses.”
Goswser also competes in the World Championship Series. Despite living in France, the American pro-gamer opted to compete cross-server in WCS America. He said he hasn’t found cross-server ping troublesome. ”I can only think of one time where it affected my play, it hasn’t been much of an issue,” said Goswser. Despite not displaying results as impressive as his other finishes, he remains optimistic about his prospects in WCS America, “I’m crossing my fingers that I will get less Koreans. I’ll still be competing in North America.”
Goswser has demonstrated remarkable discipline and passion for StarCraft over the past couple of years. His desire to win is undeniable. Concerning his future and longevity as a pro-gamer, Dobler stated that it depends on his success but it is something he wishes to pursue long-term. However, he does plan to return to school once he finishes his stint as a professional gamer. If his recent results are indicative of the future, his continent-spanning pro StarCraft career promises to be bright.
David Wise is a WCS Contributor. You can find more of his work at Collegiate Starleague.
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