EPT![[image loading]](http://www.beefjack.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/blizzard-logo1.gif){kind=logo}
Blizzard has been a major part of my life for well over a decade. Seeing as how I am now 22 I have been playing Blizzard games for over half my life. This blog is mostly just to remind myself of how long I've been with Blizzard, a trip down memory lane if you will.
The early years
As a child I loved video games for as long as I can remember. We aren't just talking about normal amounts, even compared to today's youth. We're talking about flying through the door after school, getting my homework done and being a 'good kid' just so I could have as much time possible playing games. I've never been interested in TV or similar non-interactive activities. I used to play sports as a kid, including but not limited to; soccer, baseball, basketball, and pwning noobs at recess. Competing and having fun in sports may explain why I loved video games so much, even when I was single digits in age.
While my gaming life style started with the NES + Show Spoiler +
![[image loading]](http://blog.columbusalive.com/RiotAct/NES%20system.jpg )
![[image loading]](http://forum.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/289508/456737.jpg )
![[image loading]](http://www.rolentapress.com/rolenta/collection/nintendo/snes.jpg)
Many people don't know this, but Blizzard actually got its start in the wonderful world of consoles. Yes, even back then Blizzard was still cranking out classic games of the same quality we've all come to expect.
Of these games there are 3 that I played for countless hours after school. They are, in reverse order of my favorites, as follows:
3) The Lost Vikings (1992)
![[image loading]](http://www.nerve.com/CS/blogs/61fps/The_Lost_Vikings.png)
This was my least played game simply because it was extremely challenging for my young brain. I had a very hard time with the puzzels and the thought of having to control three vikings at once. In retrospect I should really go back and play this as challenging games are hard to come by these days. Sorry that I don't remember too much about this game.
2) Blackthorne (1994)
![[image loading]](http://www.vinagreta.seriesmedia.org/basuco/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/blackthorne.jpg)
Blackthorne was a side scrolling platformer which incorporated semi-3D features (like hiding in shadows) with extremely simple controls and game play. I had a lot of fun in this game because the few powerups that there were generally added a new and exciting aspect to the game. Its a shame that games like these simply do not exist anymore. This was definitely one of my most rented games of my childhood.
1) Rock 'N Roll Racing (1993)
![[image loading]](http://www.consoleclassix.com/info_img/Rock_n_Roll_Racing_SNES_ScreenShot1.jpg)
For those of you who don't know, Rock 'N Roll Racing is the second best game Blizzard has ever created (I'm sure you can guess the first). I can't even imagine how many hours I have logged on this masterpiece. It is a third person fixed-camera racing game that takes place on distant planets. The object of the game, as is with almost any racing game, is to finish a set number of laps before your opponents. The catch? They all have lasers, mines, missiles, heat seeking tomatoes of death, jump jets and just about everything else that's awesome to try and stop you. This game features a campaign mode as well as very diverse 2 player action for its day. I simply cannot say enough good things about this game because it is AWESOME.
The wonderful world of computers.
As I got older and a little more curious about technology I quickly moved on to PC gaming. Thankfully for me, around the same time Blizzard was doing the same. While as a kid I didn't realize I had been playing Blizzard games all along, my first realization of how awesome this company is came with my first PC game, Warcraft 2.
Warcraft 2 (1995)
![[image loading]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e3/Warcraft-2-Tides-Of-Darkness-Pc.jpg)
Warcraft 2 was also the first RTS game I had ever played. Sadly, I was not there for the release of Warcraft Orcs and Humans, but I sure as hell played and enjoyed Warcraft 2. Even as a kid I was very good at this game in comparison to anyone I would meet in the next 6-8 years. This was one of the games played at my very first LAN party (when I was around 12 I believe) and I absolutely loved just how much multi-tasking and thinking went into such a game (when compared to other game types at that time). While I had my fair share of fighting games, first person shooters, platformers, and just about anything popular back then, I always kept going back to Warcraft 2 because of the unique challenge it gave over every other game.
A few short years after my love affair with Warcraft 2 started, I also got into another unique game for its time, Diablo.
Diablo 1 (1997)
![[image loading]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3a/Diablo_Coverart.png)
Diablo was a much simpler and easy to understand game than Warcraft 2 but still presented a completely unique playstyle unlike anything I had played before. My first character was a Sorcerer but as soon as I found out everyone could learn every spell I switched to Warrior. The feeling I got when I first came across Diablo in-game and right after slaying him was something that would be matched by few games in my long history of killing baddies. The graphics at the time, to me, were vibrant and intense, but at the same time gritty and, well, satanic. Even after beating Diablo 1 several times I still found the randomly generated levels entertaining and the special bosses memorable.
The Holy Years
The next game to enter my life from the Blizzard line-up would change the way I viewed and played video games forever. That game, Blizzards pride and joy of the 1990's, would be installed on every computer I've ever owned for the next 10 plus years. This game is of course, StarCraft.
Starcraft & Broodwar (1998)
![[image loading]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/89/Brood_War_box_art_%28StarCraft%29.jpg)
My first introduction to StarCraft was when I visited a good child-hood friend of mine. He was playing StarCraft a few short weeks after it had come out and I must admit, I was not instantly hooked. At that time, I was 11 years old and still loyally dedicated to my previous Blizzard titles (I didn't even know they were made by the same company, kids don't pay attention to that kind of thing) and was even enjoying the original Command and Conquer campaign. I moved states shortly after but the unique graphics and the thought of playing 3 different races never left my mind. It would be about 6 months later that I finally picked up the game I had heard so much about. Ever since that day I have never stopped playing StarCraft.
Its kind of hard to explain just how good that game was for its time and experiencing it before it reached global fame. The campaign was compelling, the multiplayer amazing (whats better than playing on Battle.net at the age of 13?) and the possibilities endless. I may not have realized it at the time, but StarCraft set a new bar in game creation that many companies still struggle to surpass today.
In 6th grade I joined a gaming club at my middle school. Almost every day after school we would get together and play games, one of them being StarCraft. I quickly got all my peers hooked and was surprised at how 'bad' a lot of them were in comparison. Even back then I was teaching people basic strats (Make more workers! You need more Barracks!) and got a complete kick out of playing multiplayer with them. While I've had my dry spots in play time with StarCraft, I never have stopped loving and playing that game for good. It will forever and always be my favorite game of all time.
Growing up... Shmowing up
Now at this age I had to decide between continuing sports or playing video games. Sports began to take up more time as I got older because of longer practices, more games, etc etc. It was at this time that I decided to drop organized sports and to focus on schooling and my favorite hobby, gaming. (I still was very active with friends in regards to sports and such).
With my new focus on gaming it wasn't long until I started to look for new titles. It should come to no surprise that the next game I got in to would be Diablo 2.
Diablo 2 (2000)
![[image loading]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d5/Diablo_II_Coverart.png)
Diablo 2 had the same style graphics and gameplay of its predecessor with one important change: YOU COULD FINALLY RUN.
I don't really have too much to say about this game other than I must have beaten it 15 times with just about every class in the game. I really enjoyed the boss fights and simple quests, but as the years passed on it got a little too easy for my liking. Still, most games these days don't last you more than a year, let alone the 3-4 that Diablo 2 did for me. Blizzard stuck to what works: randomized items and levels, easy combat and fun bosses. For this reason I still find myself hopping on Diablo 2 every now and then just to show that demon who's boss.
What followed from the release of Diablo 2 for the next couple years were as such: Played several StarCraft games on Battle.net daily, hop on and off of Diablo 2 for months at a time while in between playing Counter Strike. Talk about an awesome childhood! It wouldn't be long though until Blizzard finally released their next highly anticipated RTS, Warcraft 3.
Warcraft 3 (2002)
![[image loading]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/66/WarcraftIII.jpg)
It was at this point that Blizzard really started to become a major company with lasting power. They already had several legendary titles under their belt and they wanted everyone to know that they were here to stay. I really consider the release of Warcraft 3 a major event in Blizzards history.
I actually didn't know about the games release (I didn't follow release dates closely in my teenage years) until I saw one of my buddies playing it. I was completely blown away by the impressive 3D graphics (I had never played a 3D RTS by that time) and knew instantly I had to have it.
To be honest, I was never very good at this game. I played through the entire campaign of both Warcraft 3 and its expansion (that seriously takes a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG time, there are so many missions) and would do 2v2's online with said friend. I always thought the Orcs were badass and the heroes added a flavor never before seen in that type of game. I didn't hardcore stick with the game however, simply because of the focus on one unit instead of many (WC3 vs SatarCraft). Overall it is an extremely well made game and one that I'm glad I got to play over the next 3-4 years.
Even recently I began playing the Frozen Throne campaign again on hard mode and it is one of the most challenging things of any game I've ever played.
MMOwned
I am not ashamed to admit that I have played WoW for many, many years. WoW has always provided me with something to fill the 'in between' time while still being able to continue my hobby of gaming.
I know everyone has a different feeling about WoW, but I will just say it was a perfectly timed game for that stage of my life.
World Of Warcraft + 5 million expansions (2004)
![[image loading]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/91/WoW_Box_Art1.jpg)
I didn't purchase WoW until about 6 months after it came out. The same person who introduced me to Warcraft 3 also got me interested in WoW. At the time, being the ornery highschooler that I was, was extremely skeptical of having to pay monthly for a game I'd already bought. I had talked smack about MMO's ever since I first heard about Everquest online. It wasn't until I watched him have epic world PvP battles at Tarren Mill that I decided to pick it up.
Every game I've ever played since Warcraft 2 I have always focused on the PvP aspect of it. WoW provided very unique and challenging PvP and it was something I had never experienced (at this time I was EXTREMELY loyal to StarCraft and Counter Strike).
Long story short, I still hop one wow every 3-4 months just to see what they've changed. Once I started getting into competitive gaming I opted to spend more time on StarCraft.
ESPORTS
It wasn't until about a year ago that I really began to follow ESPORTS. Shortly after reaching 2100 in WoW arenas I realized a few important things. 1) I love competition 2) WoW is not the best competitive game and 3) HOLY GOD STARCRAFT IS AWESOME. It was at this time that I found Team Liquid and really began to get into ESPORTS.
Upon reading the 10 commandments on Team Liquid, the part about doing anything you can to contribute to the community really got me thinking. It was at that time I decided to spend my extra free time doing commentaries. To this day I spend much of my free time following all the StarCraft leagues, staying up to ridiculous hours of the morning on work/school nights to catch a couple of games, and making VODs of just about everything StarCraft related.
While I haven't been on the ESPORTS bandwagon as long as many of the veterans here, I sincerely think I share the same amount of passion for this growing and all around badass sport.
To the future
![[image loading]](http://www.fecrecpark.com/images/events/back_to_the_future.jpg)
One might think that I would have gotten over the Blizzard craze by now or have moved on to more 'normal' things, but as always Blizzard shows promise of pushing the envelope of not only competitive gaming but of gaming in general.
With the upcoming releases of Starcraft 2, Diablo 3, and their unannounced next-gen MMO, I predict many more years of hardcore gaming at the helm of Blizzard titles.
I hope that StarCraft 2 will bring with it an explosion of ESPORTS so that many others can experience a similar history in gaming that I've had. I have no regrets and am still trying to do everything in my power to have a career related to gaming.
Conclusion
Blizzard is amazing.
Edit: Took out a bunch of typos. If there's anything else glaringly wrong please let me know :D
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