EPT
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It's been something like two years now since I got into proffessional gaming. Sure, being a nerdy kid you always hear about the big names-- the fatal1ty's, the HeatOn's, the Boxer's but in general I was more or less completely oblivious to the competative scene in eSports.
I remember getting into the beta of SC2, playing the first game with a friend of mine. Looking over at him and saying, "Terran are supposed to build supply depots by the ramp, right?" It wasn't long after that I started watching the Day9 dalies, following Husky's replays on Youtube and lurking endlessly on TL.
Fast forward two years and I now know, as a matter of fact, that Terran can build supply depots by the ramp, that marauder's are a pretty good unit in TvP and that everytime someone wins the GSL their race is broken OP(sarcasm!).
Watching the finals of MLG Orlando tonight and just browsing through the wonderful pictures from the event got me thinking about how incredible the whole journey of SC2, and eSports in general, is at the moment. It occured to me that I would be able to pick out these individuals in a crowd, that I had over the years created this really deep bond between them and me. Even though we've never met(I've never even been to a live event) I still felt that we had shared hardships and conquests.
I've spent so many hours on streams just watching my favorite players dick around in SC2:BW and facebook, or I've studied and simply left the sound on in the background. There's a whole different depth to the personal insight you get into your idols in this game, which makes the passion for the player's all the more real-- and there's really no words to describe how amazing it felt seeing Thorzain take home the TSL, seeing Idra bossing it up again in this MLG, watching HuK outplay koreans and MC getting back into Code S.
The whole rivalism of Korea vs the World is the most involved I've ever been with a sport phenomena, and I'm really starting to see why my dad is so up in arms about certain sports figures from when he was young.
Recently there's been a landslide of shit-talk about who is better and who isn't, which race/map/haircolor is OP, how ALL COMMENTATORS SUCK DICK and so forth.
But I feel that now, as the dust settles after this MLG, it's a great time to just take a step back and simply be thankful of those who work so hard to bring this level of play to the game we all love. To those who work so hard so that it reaches us at home, all over the world.
We might not see it now, but I think you are all part of history being made-- we, the spectators have the privilege of being there to watch our Ali vs Foreman, our Borg vs McEnroe.
Just sift through the photos from this MLG and think back on the year of SC2 that passed. I dare you to not feel a flutter in your chest. These are faces and moments we will remember for the rest of our lives.
Thank you, SC2.
