by Patrick O'Neill (chobopeon)
MLG's National Championship trophies are brand new this year, and these things are certainly going to add a little extra motivation to the players, as if they needed any. Their creator, a teamliquid.net regular, was discovered at MLG Anaheim and tasked with making his ideas a reality. Join us as we showcase an incredible talent from the community.
Major League Gaming: First things first: introduce yourself to our readers?
David Yonehara: My name is David Yonehara, and I'm the sole proprietor of Yospeed. My company specializes in Computer-Aided Design and Computer-Aided Manufacturing, primarily for the automotive industry. I'm currently studying Computer Information Systems as an undergraduate at Cal Poly Pomona, and hope to eventually transition into web development as a career.
MLG: Tell us about your background in StarCraft.
DY: Like most people in my age group, I began playing StarCraft in grade school. I played on a casual level, but I've always been a huge fan of the series! I must have bought half a dozen copies of Brood War over the next decade because I'd always end up losing the CDs. Even though I loved the game I was never able to get involved with the community or with pro-gaming on a level I would have liked.
When StarCraft 2 was announced I was fortunate enough to have a friend at Blizzard throw a beta key my way, and I was instantly hooked on the sequel. I began following Team Liquid closely and never missed an episode of Sean Plott's Day 9 Daily. Eventually my desire to play waned, and now I play casually like I did with the original series, except this time I'm heavily addicted to the pro gaming aspect of it. I love watching players like Huk and Idra duke it out in the latest MLG series, and I still catch State of the Game every night that it airs. I suppose I'm more of a spectator than a competitor by nature, and I'm grateful that StarCraft 2 can provide entertainment for both types of people.
MLG: Tell us about your background in machining and what you've created before.
DY: I suppose I should preface with how my family got into machining to begin with. It started with my grandfather, who after being released from a Japanese internment camp during World War II, decided to open up a tool and die shop. He raised two sons: my uncle, who became a welder, and my father, who became a machinist. As a family they were capable of creating almost anything out of metal. My father has since moved on to work in the surgical tool manufacturing industry where he designs some of the most structurally complex and precise Computer Numeric Controlled (CNC) machined parts in the world. I was constantly exposed to machining, welding, and all forms of metalworking, so I suppose it was inevitable that I show some interest a trade that supported two generations of my family for over half a century.
MLG: When did you first apply machining to gaming? What moved you to do so?
DY: Creating the MLG National Championship trophies is the first major project I've taken on that's video game related. Prior to designing the trophies, I've done some small pieces mainly for decorative purposes, and none of it was for-profit. It's great to be able to combine two of my passions and have the result become such an iconic symbol, especially for a great organization like MLG.
MLG: How did you come to create the trophies for MLG?
DY: Prior to my first live Major League Gaming event in Anaheim I had machined a Grand Master league banner out of aluminum so I could bring it to the event and have it signed by my favorite pro gamers as a souvenir. After standing in line to get Huk's autograph, I was approached by one of your staff, Adam [Apicella], who expressed his interest in my work. We exchanged information and Adam contacted me after the event. I sent over a portfolio of my work along with some concept models of what the MLG trophy could look like finished. After sending the initial email I began to worry that the project was a bit too grand and that I might not be able to deliver something as complex as I had initially wanted, and more importantly as distinguished as MLG deserved. But once I start a project, I always see it through to the end.
MLG: Can you provide insight into how the trophies were created?
DY: The trophies started off as a wire-frame model. I tried to draw design elements from all of the games currently in the MLG lineup. Bold architectural lines similar to Halo's forerunner structures, machined cuts much like those you'd see on an accessory rail on a Call of Duty rifle, and various design cues from all three races of StarCraft all contributed to the trophy's initial design.
After the concept was completed, various implementation concerns come into view. Selecting materials was easy. The trophy is composed entirely of 6061-T651 grade billet aluminum. This type of metal is heat treated and artificially aged to increase hardness, which is why it's used in the aerospace industry so frequently. Most of the hardware used to bolt the trophy together is stainless steel. Stainless hardware is softer but won't rust like other, harder, steel alloys.
Machining and assembling each trophy was quite a challenge. Each trophy consists of 22 individual pieces of billet and requires 15 hours of machining prior to assembly. Each piece begins as a slug of metal, which is then cut to size so it can have mounting points drilled into them so they can be fixtured onto a CNC machine which then cuts them to shape and adds all the details like the chamfered edges and engraving. All the MLG shield pieces were sandblasted which created a dual finish to make the logo really stand out. After all the machining is complete, each piece is hand brushed to provide a bright metallic finish. Billet aluminum is one of the lightest and strongest metal alloys available, but even so, each trophy after assembly weighs in at an astonishing 12 pounds and stands over three feet tall.
The MLG National Championship trophies are by far the most prestigious and elaborate projects I've ever taken on as a machinist. Without the support of my father I'm certain that they wouldn't have turned out nearly as magnificent as they did. As much of a challenge it was to develop these and get them manufactured given the short deadline, I'm thankful to the MLG staff for giving me this opportunity, as well as the chance to share my story with all of the MLG fans out there!
