"Feeling good is better than any salary"

fragster: Hi Dimitry. First of all, I would like to know why you call yourself "Happy". What's the story behind your nickname?

Dmitry 'Happy' Kostin: It's a very old story: My friends always told me that I was looking really sad and unhappy on pictures. I've just thought that I could take a nickname which contradicts their thoughts.

Did it work out?

Happy: I guess so. (laughing)

How did you get in touch with gaming? Which were your first clans and when did you feel that you weren't just a player who plays WC3 for fun, but also in a professional way?

Happy: It all began with normal playing many games just for fun. Then I played Counter-Strike for the first time and I guess it was my first competitve game, but I played for fun only. Regarding Warcraft 3 I've bought Reign Of Chaos like a year after release just for single player and I bought Frozen Throne 3 months after release, just for campaign as well. But after I found out there are matches and tourneys being played online, I started downloading replays and watched them just to see. About a month later, I'm not sure, I started playing the game. I started from a random team as everyone did, ended up playing solo and became who am i right now.

My first competitive team was e-sports 4 extreme – es4x. After we failed to qualify for WC3L about 80 % of the team left. Since I had nothing to do there as well I left it, too and played for some time without a team on inCups if I remember right. After I joined mousesports it didn't go too well in the beginning because I was a young and unexperienced player regarding professional gaming. First time being in mouz ended up with my inactivity for three months and my departure from the team. After I came back I was playing clanless for like five months, then I rejoined mouz and this time I wanted to become one of the best players worldwide; that's who I am still going to be till today. As you know I left mouz later on. I had personal reasons to do it which I don't really want to spread, but I just want to say that I didn't feel like I had enough attention/repsect being in team.

Did you have idols who lead you to the undead race or why did you chose it?

Happy: Just like any undead my favorite player was MaDFroG, although I think he was already ending up his career when I began playing. After him my idol was Lucifer who was the best undead player in the world back in 2006. Since then the only idol I have is myself.

I can understand why MaDFroG is your idol, but why Lucifer? What is the difference between him and other undead players like FoV or Susiria?

Happy: Because Lucifer was best back in 2006, MaDFroG was best before, FoV is just a good undead player. Right now I will never have an idol anymore because I am a top player myself and it's more likely that I am the idol of someone.

How much time do you spend each day in Warcraft 3 at the moment?

Happy: Well, in the last six months or even more I spent a lot more time playing WC3, since it's my job right now. In the past it was from three hours per day up to any amount, basically until I was getting tired. Now it's at least six hours per day, but most of the time I just play WC3, not always practice. I just enjoy the game and keep my shape always on top. In the last few months there was no single day where I didn't play WC3, except the days I wasn't at home.

So in the past time when you had a clan, you spent less time into wc3?

Happy: I had school in the past, it's not like it took too much time because I never really liked to study and didn't care about it too much. Waking up early every day was really exhausting. When I was in a team the only difference from now were the team leagues, which I never really enjoyed. But the main reason for having not so much time was school of course. At the moment I don't really care about the future, I always wake up and co do whatever I want, when I want and where I want. Also gaming is my main occupation now while it was only a hobby in the past time.

So school's out now, but when you started with WC3 you were very young. How did your parents and friends like that hobby? Did they try to make you stop it?

Happy: Back when I started playing it, it really was a hobby and nobody was really in care of it. My parents and friends never were really interested in it, my parents were only telling usual things like "better study, gaming is a bad idea". But after all it's always my decision what to do and how to live, that's why I selected gaming for myself because I enjoy it much more. And as long as I'm satisfied with it, it is fine.

Besides Gaming: What do you do in your sparetime?

Happy: At the moment nothing at all, maybe trying to relax somehow watching movies or listening to music, but nothing special. I want to focus on gaming 100% to show best results. I think since I am pretty young I have to play as much as I can. I know that when I will get older it will be harder and practicing will give less benefit.

You really sound as if you never thought about quitting WC3. But was there a time when you thought that quitting gaming would be the best for you?

Happy: Well yeah, I had some hard times during summer 2008 when I had to decide what to do after. I made a mistake and went to university – but later on I realised that it's impossible to combine both. After WCG 2008 success (in my opinion at least) I thought hard about it and decided to leave studies. I wasn't really studying at all and didn't want to put it on hold, also I was playing as long as I'm doing right now. I really think I've made the right decision right now. I'm having my best time I ever had during the last years.

Let's come back to you and playing WC3 every day. Do you only play the real game, or do you play DotA as well?

Happy: No, I just play the normal game. Not always solo, I don't care what type of game it is anyway at all, I just care if it contains the main aspects of the game so I can always keep my mind/hands focused and warmed up for any matches I can have. Well, if you would ask: I've played DotA much through several years, but I never really enjoyed it and for me it's just a map like Footmen Frenzy or something like that. During the last six months I played maybe 5 games of it and really just when I had nothing to do.

May I ask what you do with all the money you earn and have earned already?

Happy: Sure. 90% going into bank, the rest is going on any expenses I can have.

Let's come to more eSport related topics. You played for mousesports for a while, then you parted ways. How did it feel to be without a clan?

Happy: At the first two months it was really hard (I left in middle of july if I am right). But still I was just practising and hoping for the best future. And I had this future – my biggest success so far happened in september on European Battle.net Finals in Spain. Well after that tourney I really thought some teams will be interested in me but I didn't get any offers yet. I honestly lost any hope of finding a team after Blizzcon US Finals. Though I'm not really awaiting any offers, I think I will better remain clanless than being in a team where I'm treated as a middle class player, whereas I consider myself as a top tier. Feeling good mentally is better than any salary for me.

Some say that you want too much from the clans and that this is why you haven't joined up with another team. Would you confirm or deny it?

Happy: Well, I want much enough for me, but I'm not asking for a Moon salary, that's certain. Most people think that because I am not korean but russian, I can't get a Visa when I will have to go to some tournament. This myth is made by russian players who seem to have no brains to make a Visa – whereas I never had a Visa denial. It's just sad.

There were rumours that you were supported by an internet cafe. You once told fragster it was a wrong information. Can you imagine why there was this rumour?

Happy: No idea, it's false, that's it. I never was getting any sponsorship beside my time in mouz.

So es4x didn't pay you anything?

Happy: They never had any sponsors, maybe they did after after I joined mouz. Back then it was just a Battle.net team, nothing more.

Even if the internet cafe story is not true: Could you imagine playing for a company and not for a clan?

Happy: Yeah sure I could, I even would prefer it because companies can pay bigger salary and if you're dealing with a company you're always a person to be respected. And most probably you don't have to waste your time on team leagues with non-benefit prize money. The problem is that I doubt there are any suitable companies outside of Korea. (laughing)

You said you have no clan offers. Is this really true? I heard that you will join up with MYM soon.

Happy: Yeah everybody thought so, but I never had any serious offers. I told the reasons of it in previous answers.

By the way – what do you think of MYM kicking their whole team? Did you see that coming?

Happy: Yes. Due to WC3L changing its format it was obvious that there would be changes, also from the MYM interviews it was even more obvious. But I didn't think that they would kick the whole squad. I thought they keep Moon and Grubby and maybe Susiria as a captain/stand-in. After all it's always business and if MYM think it only making harm for them it was the only possible decision for them. Still it's sad to see such a top/old team collapsing.

Do you think that more clans are to follow? Will we see WC3 dying soon?

Happy: Well I don't know about other teams. Most likely top teams will hold small squads just for team leagues with one top player at least for solo tournaments, as SK and mTw have already done. Still I can't predict what will happen in the nearest future. WC3 won't die soon, it will live at least 1,5 - 2 years.

Although when Starcraft 2 will be out, which in my opinion will be in the end of 2010, things can change. The WC3 amateur scene will die very fast, but the professional scene will live some longer. I can't predict what will happen next. Maybe WC3 will be like Starcraft in Korea, maybe professional WC3 will die aswell in a year or two after SC2 comes out. Nobody can predict it. If WC3s professional scene will die I will change to Starcraft 2.