Greg “IdrA” Fields, a fan favorite who turned to streaming games after Team EG released him from his contract over disrespectful comments made to fans, will be returning to school and no longer streaming.
If you have spent any time watching professional Starcraft II, you have heard of Greg “IdrA” Fields. Fields has been a fan favorite for years, and he developed notoriety for his anger when losing and a tendency to leave games he believed were lost, often earlier than many other professional players would concede a loss. Fields played for Team Evil Geniuses from 2010 until May 2013 when he was released from his contract with the team over disrespectful comments made to fans. Since his release, Fields has streamed StarCraft II on Twitch, offered lessons, and provided commentary at tournaments. Fields announced January 31 on Twitter that he would no longer be streaming StarCraft II.
Today, Fields offers his fans a further explanation. In a message on the Team Liquid forums, Fields says, “Over the last 6 months or so streaming revenue has been nearly nonexistent, in part because of awful ad rates and in part because of continually declining viewership. Casting [StarCraft II] tournaments pays very poorly, when considered a significant part of a full time job. A couple thousand dollars for a weekend of talking about a game seems nice, but when it happens maybe once a month it is not a good way to live.” Fields will be returning to school, and has no plans to stream any games at this time. “It is possible I’ll stream other games in the future, or be involved with esports in general if something interesting and practical pops up,” says Fields, “But for the time being that’s it for me. Thank you all.”
Fields’ lifetime earnings from both Starcraft: Brood War and Starcraft II total $62,533 from 39 tournaments. Fields chose professional gaming over a scholarship to study theoretical physics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and traveled to South Korea to train and play StarCraft: Brood War. While a member of Team EG, he was profiled in Landrock Entertainment’s Rise of the ESports Hero documentary.
Source: Team Liquid Forums
