Best players come from Nordic countries

[Abula]

This issue is often discussed but never here at Mopolauta. Maybe we can find some new interesting aspects. At first you could read BarTek's article about the same issue >>

I mostly agree with him.

Nowaday many new players and countries are coming, just see top300 total times list on Moposite. But still, in every contest and list are dominated by Finland, Sweden and Norway. The next best countries in my opinion are HUN, RUS, DEN, CZE, AUS, CAN, POL and so on.

The biggest reason why people in Finland (I'm not sure about NOR or SWE in this case) are the best is that the first finnish players got the game in 1997 (Jokke for example) when the biggest computer magazine wrote a review and gave an URL to download the game. Soon people started to meet in IRC (thanks to PeXi, bluu etc) and the FIN scene was born.

I bet it's much easier for new players to come from Finland than some small Elma country because you can share your experiences in your own language. So the more people play in your country the more players start to play.

I think it was psy who asked if this thing has some relations to school culture. I'm sorry that I don't know much about other countries' schools but at least in Finland we do have arts and sport :]. I guess everybody has those in their schools but maybe we have more (or when being younger) and we get better cordination and finger touch. I really don't know but maybe this could be true.

Almost all the big talents are from Nordic countries. Of course you can achieve much by just hoyling but some people really have talent. Check Mopobattle results... Maybe this point is too subjective but I think it's true. From my own interview:

Hoyling power: ciph, Cloud, DarMoeD, Dr_Luni, dz, Jeppe, Karlis, kuiva, MadMan, mengerle, MGen, mr, Nostrada, psy, SoGe, TomCat, Trabi, Uube, ZeiZei, ZiuteK, zyntifox, \DC

Skills: Champi0N, DarMoeD, dz, Jeppe, Jokke, Kingkong, MadMan, Markku, Mick, MP, mrickx, Nostrada, TorInge, pajen, psy, swos, zeth, zyntifox

Styles: dz, IRK, Jokke, Joni, Markku, Nostrada, psy, ramone, swos

Hoyling category have relatively more non-Nordic people. Am I wrong?

Share your thoughts, I hope this issue isn't just "More people play in Finland so some of them must be good."

[Cloud]

I think it really depends on the work we do at school, when we were younger we used to do much sports, carpenter works and art related work at school. So we got the basics from there.

I think your hoyling power/skill/styles list is a bit incorrect. I would change MGen, MadMan and Uube from hoyling power to skill, I'm quite sure these guys don't hoyl that much, I know they are good at battles. I would also take IRK out from the style inventors, what else he has invented than a part of Apple Harvest new style and Double Trouble style? I consider myself pretty ok at battles and I drove an acceptable 24h TT so it's not nice to be on the hoyling power list but I understand it, it's your opinion and I accept it.

This was only my opinion ok.

[Abula]

Third post and already off-topic.

My list isn't any official list, make your own one to your interview. I could change some of those but I don't like the idea of editing my earlier thoughts, if you understand. The interview is my opinion of the situation when I wrote it and not today.

[ribot]

i think it's mainly because they play it more in these areas.

[m0nkeii]

methinks it's coz you have nothing better to do in winter than play computer. and i've also noticed that you seem to spend a lot of time on the computer at school. all these people saying that they play elma in school and i suppose elma would be spreaded through there

an interestin thought, a damn lot of people have played elma at one stage in australia, yet there are not so many good players. (only around 15)
maybe nordics have too much spare time and a lot of people go on to be good at elma opposed to only the few in australia

[Mick]

I would also take IRK out from the style inventors, what else he has invented than a part of Apple Harvest new style and Double Trouble style?

This was only my opinion ok.

yeye, i know you own opinion blah blah BUT WTF!?!?! he only made a apple harvest in one route style and a revolutionary dt style. i think that makes him an awesome style inventor ok

This was only my opinion ok.

on topic: i think its just because there are more nordic people who know of the game, as sorry as i am to say this.

if it was because you play sport earlier and all that, wouldn't finland be ruling sports like tennis and any other single player sport/game?

[Cloud]

He invented only a part of the new Apple Harvest style and the most critical part was invented by Bobisek, the bounce, just that u know ok.

If u call him a great inventor just because of that there would be tens of great inventors hiok?

On topic: Probably we aren't that good at tennis, for example, because we have a pretty short summer in here so we can't play outside and it's not that good to play in an inroom hall so most people play tennis in summers only. But we are good at winter sports since we have a snowy and cold winter. That could be a possibly explanation.

[Ramone]

I dont know why some get good on elma.. yet I dont think any sports ahas any to do with it. I am ok with elma and I never did any sports (except skateboarding.. cant see a relation) And I never used computers at all before Across... just a short period of Tetris and Slider. I guess Tetris tought me how to use the key arrows. I never played Across in school. I guess that just some ppl like basic and cool games like this and get stuck. And that ppl from Nordic should be play more cause of cold weather and therefore get better dont seem likely. I mean, after all of all only VERY FEW nordic ppl really play elma/computer games. And there are lots of other things to do even if you dont wanna be outside.
I dont claim to know why it is like Abula said, if it now is like that, just that your ideas probably aint right. Still it is fun to read these ideas and interpretations, so keep it up.. maybe someone comes up with somethin gthat seems plausible some day.

[Ikop]

I don't think there are some talented countries more then other.

the reason that there are many good finnish elma players is because many finish play the game and it's very popular game in finland .
for example:
if 500 finish players play the game
and only 10 israeli (it's only example)
it's 100% that 10 ,15 fiinish players will be in top 50 players in the world
and maybe nobody from israel will be there.... (becouse thare are only 10 israeli players).

in my opinion the next best elma country will be russia ,
becouse in the russian champ there are about 70 players now (and elma becoming very popular there) and the number is still growinup


i

[IRK]

Cloud you dick, dont speak about things that you dont know nothing. I have never seen greater greed. I wont be call great style inventor i you wont so dont call like this, BUT cloud u didnt invite anything better so shut-up .

[Ky.Jelly]

so you then is the best nordic nation
if you go to the top 50 finnish times the last time is worse than the swedishes last time but does this mean they are better or they just have a beta average but then who is the best nordic nation

[m0nkeii]

just look at the wcup country standings....finland ahead by a kabillion points

[ToTaL]

I think that it's because more ppl have got it from school ( elma spreads very easily in schools). And since there are many computers in each school in nordic "richer" countries it spreads very easy. And the more players there are from one country the more chance you got that there are good one.
Thats my thought..............

[Ky.Jelly]

oh that computer thing is bs, if that was true then new zealand would be the best, we have the highest computer to human ratio in the world and the highest internet usage per capita in the world as well so i think its just a matter of the game is more suited to your culture