EPT
But that day was different. I distinctly remember not being able to sleep, waking up at around 5 oclock, turning on my computer to try and pass the time. So I went on TL, took a look at current events and saw that the Daum OSL Finals were on at that time. By the time I got everything set up, it was already set 3. I remember clearly that GGPlay was getting his nat shelled on Hitchhiker, down 0-2 already to Iris.
About 90 minutes later, I would finish watching one of the greatest comebacks in OSL history, and quite possibly the greatest OSL Final ever. Game 5 was simply spectacular play from GGPlay at that time. Being able to see the sheer elation and joy from GGPlay after his win was truly touching.
Anyways, those OSL Finals left a great impression on me. Just the thrill of watching games live between your favorite players along with everyone else is just incredible. Back in the days, I'd sit in LR threads waiting for someone to LR what was happening. Then it gradually progressed to shitty MMS links, then Daum Player (So frustrating), and Daum Sports (Ughh).
Early in 09 though, we saw the emergence of Livestreams and streams available to the public. I remember L1 and L3 for OGN, and Konadora's Livestreams at the start. Hell, they were all shitty quality, but I didn't care. As long as I got to see the games, that's all that mattered. As streaming technology progressed, we saw the eruption of Livestreams on TL. As I'm typing this, I see 27 non-featured streams along with Gretorp's stream. Just a year ago, this would have never happened.
What Livestream did was open the portal for everyone to watch. Your average Joe could easily click a stream link and watch some of the greatest BW players duke it out. Upwards of 6000/7000 people have tuned in to the MSL and OSL Finals. People from everywhere have tuned into livestreams. I've seen people from WoW forums, 4chan, and just random hobby forums. What made it great was that it was readily accessible to everyone. That's what eSports is all about. Spreading the joy of gaming to everyone.
Nowadays, with all the current rumblings between Gretech and OGN/MBC and GOM's streaming policy, I just don't know if eSports is headed in the right direction. I want it to succeed, but to isolate foreigners and charge them to watch GOM, is that really necessary? I wanna be able to see players like Tester and Idra play SC2.
But at the same time, I also want to see Brood War live on. Right now, you've got so many talented faces in BW. From Flash to Jaedong to Bisu and Stork. You still see old faces like Nada and Boxer from time to time. The quality of play has increased so much since I first watched live. Something as incredible as GGPlay's insane defiler defense at 12 o'clock of Python in Game 5 is now considered pedestrian these days.
However, I just don't know if we're gonna be able to see either. Unless I fork out 20 bucks, I won't be able to see SC2 live, and who knows if BW will continue onwards. Everyone says they want eSports to branch out and develop. But what Blizzard is doing these days. Is that really helping to develop the scene? I'm sure there are a lot of SC2 fans who just want a sneak peek at how Koreans play the game. They're just curious. But a lot of them aren't willing to pay money to watch simply because it's inconvenient. I'm not against paying to watch, but I do know that a lot of people are. So why would you even consider an option? The prize pool is insane, yet you're still trying to make foreigners pay to view?
I just don't get it. I'm kinda pissed, but I really just don't know what to make of the situation. I love BW and SC2, but right now I'm just not sure what to think of the entire state of things. I just want BW to live and SC2 to hopefully flourish in the future. But the way things are looking, neither of them might happen.
