My thoughts on the drama: A long winded thank you

In truth, I am a logic based person. I try not to succumb to my emotions very often without thoroughly thinking out the logic behind having that emotion. As such, I can sometimes be very cold when viewed through the eyes of those who let themselves be completely consumed by their emotions. To me, this way of thinking is what makes sense and, because of it, I can understand anyone's point of view through careful consideration of that point of view. This does not mean that I agree with what everyone does, it just means that I can understand where they are coming from.

In the past I did not believe forums to be of any use. The knowledge gained from them was wilted with the incoherent ramblings of children and trolls. I followed the SC community for a few years in BroodWar before I started viewing Team Liquid's Forum. I didn't play competitively so researching the information behind how to play was unimportant to me. I simply enjoy the strategy behind war and SC:BW was the best form to view that in. However, as I became more immersed in the lore and the game itself, I decided that, despite my distaste for forum communities, I would give Team Liquid a chance to prove me wrong. Team Liquid did just that. There were still situations of trolls and ramblings of the illogical, but the community was small, so those who posted actually cared about what they were posting and cared about the game itself. This gave me hope that a forum could actually be a place of learning, instead of just who can flame who in the best way. SC2 has increased the potential for knowledge, however it has also increased the potential for my distaste for forums to resurface.

When SC2 was announced, I instantly began following it as intently as possible. I scoured the Internet looking for as much information as I could possibly gain about the game and told myself that I would really give this game a shot competitively. I watched the Battle Reports as they were released at least 20 times each. I searched youtube for videos of those playing in the beta. I was the first in line in Indianapolis for when Gamestop was giving away Beta Keys. I was first in line for the release date, walking 3 miles because my car had broken down, just to be there an hour before the midnight release so I could get my game. I took the next two days off work to play and I have been playing intently ever since. I have seen the game change completely from day 1 to now and I have enjoyed the evolution of the strategies ever since. The dynamics behind the game and the amount of logic and thought process that are required to play is what keeps me so avidly involved.

Balance has never been an issue in my mind, because I have seen seemingly impossible to beat strategies crumble when a player simply changed a few things about their play style. Patches have caused slight changes in the dynamic of the game but it is the players that really set the pace. The players are the most intriguing part of this game. They are called professionals for a reason. They understand the mechanics of the game better than most and because of this they have brought the game to the state it is in now. They will continue to change the game as they begin trying new tactics. We will see the now seemingly impossible situations for certain races change as time continues. They are the heroes that we all admire, yet they are still just players in this game. They bring us exciting matches and heartbreaking finals in major tournaments, but they are not gods. They eat, sleep, and bleed just like the rest of us and, while they may be at a level of skill that some may never reach, they are still mortal. Even the best can fall from the top.

I am not a poster. I simply read as much as I can and I try to think through the topics that people of the community present. When SC2 started to gain momentum, I watched a small community explode into a juggernaut of thought exchange. However, with such expansion comes a downfall. With the flock of new players came those who live and feed on emotion. Trolls, inexperienced players, young players, and avid fan boys who would "sacrifice" themselves for their hero, flooded the site that had brought a forum unbeliever to the "light". At first this was nothing more than a simple annoyance. I would have to spend an extra 30 minutes or so weeding through threads that were a waste of time, or reading a very well written thread and having to weed through the postings of those who are just simply trying to get a rise out of others. However, lately it has jumped from a mere annoyance to an outright disappointment. I am of course referring to the Idra drama and the slander of the TL staff.

As a person based in logic, the recent posts of all those who are in an outcry over the Idra ban disgusts me. I have read almost every page of the threads regarding the ban and half of the posts are people thinking that Idra was banned because of what happened on his stream, not the fact that he posted on Team Liquid some very offensive things against another player involved in the community. Idra can rage all he wants to anytime he wants to and I have no problem with it. He is a person who lets his emotions get the best of him instead of being logical (in the situation, not overall). This happens to everyone. However, when he brings his emotions to a forum and slanders another person, he is deserving of a ban for not following forum rules. That is it. It is not a personal vendetta against Idra from the moderators. It is not "Team Liquid is biased". They are simply fair and rule oriented, something that is incredibly necessary on a forum of so many people. The ban followed forum rules and Idra in response to the ban, punished his followers, (yes he punished the followers by saying that he was not going to stream because of the ban, despite the fact that JTV is not directly affiliated with TL and therefore did not ban him from streaming. If you are a true Idra fan you would be following him on JTV to know when he went live, not just hoping to catch him when he is on TL <.<) in order to incite a riot in the TL community. This caused everyone to begin posting and trying to be TL "martyrs", slandering the moderators and personally harassing (which if this were not a forum would be a punishable offense irl) Chill for simply doing his job. I honestly have to commend all of the moderators for staying strong to the system and the community that they have put so much effort into. The 90 day ban was warranted for all of this turmoil that was completely unnecessary and, in all actuality, has the potential to tear apart a community that has still not completely developed.(SC2 obviously, not Team Liquid)