looknohands119 Profile Joined March 2010 United States 814 Posts Last Edited: 2012-03-20 07:00:12 #1



My name is Matthew “LookNoHands” Fink, I am a 23 year old political science major from Minnesota, I am a quad amputee (meaning I have lost all four of my limbs), and I am also a Starcraft 2 player.



My name is Matthew “LookNoHands” Fink, I am a 23 year old political science major from Minnesota, I am a quad amputee (meaning I have lost all four of my limbs), and I am also a Starcraft 2 player. My story

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It is important to me to stay positive in my outlook on life and to strive for independence. The three things that keep me going when things get tough are my friends, my family, and my faith. The way I see it, when bad things happen to you, you have two choices: you can either harden your heart or you can persevere and become a stronger person.





I was born with all of my limbs intact but I was missing a spleen. Because I don't have a spleen I am unable to fight certain types of infections. At 18 months, I ended up with an infection that my body couldn't handle, a pneumococcal sepsis. My mother found her baby boy blue in his crib. I was immediately rushed to the emergency room in an ambulance and a few days later, the doctors had to amputate all four of my limbs in order to save my life. I now take daily medication to prevent something like this from ever happening again and I use a power wheelchair for mobility.It is important to me to stay positive in my outlook on life and to strive for independence. The three things that keep me going when things get tough are my friends, my family, and my faith. The way I see it, when bad things happen to you, you have two choices: you can either harden your heart or you can persevere and become a stronger person.





The Adventure



In June of 2011 I graduated from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota and I received a Watson Fellowship (

In June of 2011 I graduated from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota and I received a Watson Fellowship ( http://www.watsonfellowship.org ).

“The Thomas J. Watson Fellowship offers college graduates of 'unusual promise' a year of independent, purposeful exploration and travel -- in international settings new to them -- to enhance their capacity for resourcefulness, imagination, openness, and leadership and to foster their humane and effective participation in the world community.”



My Watson project is to travel Europe and Asia, to learn, first hand, what it means to be competitive as a person with a physical disability by training Starcraft 2 with the hope of someday reaching a professional level of play, and to connect with other disabled gamers worldwide in order to find out how technology and gaming are changing their lives.



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There are plenty of opportunities for people with disabilities to compete against other disabled people. However, because they are more about how fast your mind works than how fast your fingers move, games like Starcraft 2 provide a unique opportunity for people with physical disabilities to compete against able bodied players by creating a level field of play. My trip has been an extraordinary journey of self-exploration because Starcraft is the first time I have ever been able to compete equally with able bodied individuals without the need for major physical adaptations.



During the last 7 months of my fellowship, I've spent time in Sweden, Korea, Germany, France, Spain, UK, and I am currently in Japan. I have been training Starcraft 2, attending E-sports events, and trying to seek out people with disabilities who game in other cultures. I've had so many absolutely incredible experiences along the way. I've been to Gamescom, Dreamhack, and WCG and I've attended a number of Proleague matches live and numerous GSL and GSTL games. I've had the privilege of getting to know Mr. Bitter, RotterdaM, Moletrap, Tasteless, and Artosis as close personal friends. I've lived with an Israeli pro named Adam “Plato” Zippor in Korea for an extended period of time. I've gotten to meet numerous disabled gamers and referees and investigate first hand what the wheelchair accessibility of at least 20 different cities is like. I've done interviews with everyone from TeamLiquid.net to MBC, I got to meet and spend a bit of time with my idol BoxeR, and I've even been to the IM house to practice with MVP and Nestea.



I have learned that there are other disabled gamers out there. The community at large just hasn't managed to tap into them yet. By networking with some of these people I am laying the groundwork for future efforts to bring these two incredible communities (the disabled gaming community an d the mainstream Starcraft community) closer together. I am meeting these people face to face in order to learn more about what its like for someone with a disability to be a gamer in all of the different cultures I've visited, how gaming and technology has changed their lives, and the unique challenges that people with disabilities all over the world face. I have searched three different continents, countless LAN centers and E-sports events, and even schools to find these people and hear their stories. I have even started my own Starcraft 2 team called TiltGaming which is dedicated to advancing the cause of people with disabilities in the E-sports industry.



The key to making Starcraft 2 successful in the long term is engaging personal story-lines and I believe that disabled gamers provide a largely untapped source of unique knowledge and valuable stories of perseverance. These stories are what I seek with my project and there is no substitute for on the ground, in the trenches, work to find them. No one would argue that the community doesn't need more members who are passionate about Starcraft and, disabled gamers, because of their relationship with game, are in a unique position to provide that support. I hope that sometime in the future the E-sports community might even be particularly known for including an especially large contingent of people with disabilities.

This adventure has been more stressful and more work but also way more fun than I could ever have imagined. I only hope that I can set an example for future disabled gamers. Even if I never become a pro-gamer, if even one person with a disability decides to compete in the world of e-sports as a result of what I am doing here, I will consider my project a roaring success.







My Watson project is to travel Europe and Asia, to learn, first hand, what it means to be competitive as a person with a physical disability by training Starcraft 2 with the hope of someday reaching a professional level of play, and to connect with other disabled gamers worldwide in order to find out how technology and gaming are changing their lives. The Challenge



Because of my disability I require the help of an aid known as a personal care attendant or “PCA” while I am traveling. However, the Watson Fellowship only provides enough money for a single individual's normal travel expenses. In addition to paying for a personal care attendant I also have all kinds of other expenses related to my disability.



Up until now, I've been paying for these extra disability related expenses and for my PCAs out of my own pocket. Unfortunately though, I have now run out of money. So, with the help of some wonderful Starcraft personalities and top pros from all over the world, I have put together a 3 day fundraiser, tournament and streaming marathon. The Watson Fellowship usually lasts 12 months and I am just entering my 7th month. In order to reset my Korean visa, I am staying in Japan until the fundraiser is over. If we raise enough money for me to return to Korea I will head to Seoul again on March 26th but if we do not make our goal I will instead have to return to the United States.



Check out the spoiler for more details on my personal care attendants and some the unique expenses I face as a result of traveling with a disability:



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Because of the magnitude of the commitment I have had four different personal care attendants over the course of my trip who have traded places roughly every 2 and a 1/2 months so that I have one PCA with me at all times. These personal care attendants have sacrificed a lot in order to help support me in my e-sports community building adventure. Some of them have taken time off of school or even delayed their education plans entirely and all of them have had to take a leave of absence from their job.



Under normal circumstances, the state of Minnesota pays for my personal care attendants and each aid makes about $12.00 US an hour and I normally have a PCA with me between 12 and 16 hours a day. However, when I left the United States for my fellowship, the Minnesota state government cut my personal care attendant funding because they do not cover PCA's for people who have left the country. Caring for someone with a disability round the clock is a very demanding job but because they believe in what I'm doing here they have agreed to take a substantial reduction pay and are currently only making about $500 dollars per week. (Assuming a 12 hour work day, that comes out to about $6.00 US an hour!)



For example, I have to pay for new wheelchair batteries and tires to be replaced. Korea is already an expensive place to live but I need a room that is large enough for my wheelchair to maneuver in, an accessible bathroom, and the building has to have an elevator so that I reach the room. I've also incurred many smaller expenses because public transportation is often, not wheelchair friendly and so I must find other more creative solutions.



Here's what some of these expenses typically look like:





- 1 Month's Pay for a Personal Care Attendant: $2,000.00 US x12 Months = $24,000 US

- Plane Ticket For Personal Care Attendant From United States to Korea: $1,200.00 US x4 =- $4,800.00 US

- Replacement Set of Wheelchair Batteries: $250.00 US

- Set of New Wheelchair Tires: $125.00 US x3 = $375.00 US





That's a lot of money and that's all without flights/trains between countries for my PCAs, rent, food, or wheelchair access.









Because of the magnitude of the commitment I have had four different personal care attendants over the course of my trip who have traded places roughly every 2 and a 1/2 months so that I have one PCA with me at all times. These personal care attendants have sacrificed a lot in order to help support me in my e-sports community building adventure. Some of them have taken time off of school or even delayed their education plans entirely and all of them have had to take a leave of absence from their job.Under normal circumstances, the state of Minnesota pays for my personal care attendants and each aid makes about $12.00 US an hour and I normally have a PCA with me between 12 and 16 hours a day. However, when I left the United States for my fellowship, the Minnesota state government cut my personal care attendant funding because they do not cover PCA's for people who have left the country. Caring for someone with a disability round the clock is a very demanding job but because they believe in what I'm doing here they have agreed to take a substantial reduction pay and are currently only making about $500 dollars per week. (Assuming a 12 hour work day, that comes out to about $6.00 US an hour!)For example, I have to pay for new wheelchair batteries and tires to be replaced. Korea is already an expensive place to live but I need a room that is large enough for my wheelchair to maneuver in, an accessible bathroom, and the building has to have an elevator so that I reach the room. I've also incurred many smaller expenses because public transportation is often, not wheelchair friendly and so I must find other more creative solutions.Here's what some of these expenses typically look like:That's a lot of money and that's all without flights/trains between countries for my PCAs, rent, food, or wheelchair access.



Because of my disability I require the help of an aid known as a personal care attendant or “PCA” while I am traveling. However, the Watson Fellowship only provides enough money for a single individual's normal travel expenses. In addition to paying for a personal care attendant I also have all kinds of other expenses related to my disability.Up until now, I've been paying for these extra disability related expenses and for my PCAs out of my own pocket. Unfortunately though, I have now run out of money. So, with the help of some wonderful Starcraft personalities and top pros from all over the world, I have put together a 3 day fundraiser, tournament and streaming marathon. The Watson Fellowship usually lasts 12 months and I am just entering my 7th month. In order to reset my Korean visa, I am staying in Japan until the fundraiser is over. The Goal



These are the fundraising goals for the event:



These are the fundraising goals for the event: - Our baseline goal is to raise $15,000. This would allow me me to pay my personal care attendants and return home to the United States safely.



- If we can raise between $25,000 and $30,000 I will be able to return to Korea and continue work on my project. This is what really hope for.



- Our top goal is to raise $40,000 as this would allow me to finish out the entire rest of my 12 months in Korea and pay for my PCAs.













General Information

What: Streaming Marathon

Dates: March 20-22, 2012

Time: All Day/Round the Clock

Location: World Wide

http://www.twitch.tv/tiltgaming Streaming MarathonMarch 20-22, 2012All Day/Round the ClockWorld Wide



The Main Event



The main event is an online 16 man single-elimination invitational tournament with some of the top korean and foreign players.



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Players: 16 total players, 12 invited and 4 spots earnable through a the open bracket.

Prize Pool: $500

Prize Pool Breakdown: $250 and 1st place trophy / $125 and second place trophy / $75 and third place trophy / $50 (subject to increase pending additional sponsors)

Tournament Bracket: Single Elimination, RO16 and RO8 are Best of 3, RO4 and 3rd/4th Place Match is Best of 5, and Finals Are Best of 7





Special Episode of StarCast: The Starcraft Podcast





Patrick "OctanePro" Jester, Garrett Weinzierl, and the guys over StarCast have decided to do a one time special live episode of the podcast on Wednesday night following the tournament broadcast featuring Matthew "LookNoHands" Fink with guest appearances by Ben "Mr.Bitter" Nichol and many others as part of the LookNoHands Fundraiser event.



















And other great players!













Open Bracket Info:

General: There will be 2 separate open brackets. Players may attempt to qualify through one or both.

Players: Players who wish to qualify must have a North American account and be rated as Diamond of higher in their 1v1.

Prize: Each bracket will award 2 spots into the LookNoHands Tournament.

Bracket: Single Elimination, Best of 3 matches

Registration: We will be running the open bracket through





































To donate visit the official LookNoHands Fundraiser donations page at:





Patrick "OctanePro" Jester, Garrett Weinzierl, and the guys over StarCast have decided to do a one time special live episode of the podcast on Wednesday night following the tournament broadcast featuring Matthew "LookNoHands" Fink with guest appearances by Ben "Mr.Bitter" Nichol and many others as part of the LookNoHands Fundraiser event.There will be 2 separate open brackets. Players may attempt to qualify through one or both.Players who wish to qualify must have a North American account and be rated as Diamond of higher in their 1v1.Each bracket will award 2 spots into the LookNoHands Tournament.Single Elimination, Best of 3 matchesWe will be running the open bracket through http://www.z33k.com/ , register here! or Here for March 18thTo donate visit the official LookNoHands Fundraiser donations page at: http://www.anniefink.com/collections/matthew-look-no-hands-fink and choose your level of donation. Or, you can send donations through paypal to finkm@carleton.edu. Donate $5, $10, $50, or more. Even small donations are a big help! I promise to do my best



Training Day

"The kingdom of the heavens is buried treasure. Would you sell yourself to buy the one you've found?" - Jon Foreman ('Your Love Is Strong' - Spring EP)