+ Show Spoiler [SPL Finals Results] +
I feel compelled to put this on my blog even though it doesn't pertain to musings on math... Not sure how many of you stayed up to watch the SPL finals, but if you haven't, go do it now! I've never seen another finals near as epic as this one in all my time watching BW since 2004. All matchups got played, every game was so much fun to watch, and my GOD that ace match!
The reason I'm writing this is sort of a farewell to BW as we all know it. Sure, there still might be some BW mixed in with Sc2 in the next Proleague, and there's still this OSL coming up, but unless the new OSL finals turn out to be the greatest finals in the history of esports, then this Proleague is going to go down in history as the "last hurrah" for brood war. And it ended as it begun, with SKT de-throning the tyrant, showing that the god-king can bleed, and sealing their fate as the winningest team in Proleague history. At the epic conclusion, we were treated with shots of the legends of old like iloveoov watching from the sidelines, nodding their approval and taking part in the spectacle of a Proleague finals. As SKT accepted their championship trophy, Bisu's face said it all man. His time to shine, his clutch moment; even though he didn't succeed in winning another individual league recently, I got the sense that he is at peace with it. Dealing with all those obnoxious comparisons to the other members of TBLS must have been tough for him, but I think this epic finals is going to truly seal his name amongst the greatest players of all time.
This is why nothing short of more BW is going to satisfy me when it comes to esports. Yeah, I play and watch Sc2 but it's just not the same. There's no drama, no hype, no Legend Killer or Cheater Terran or Revolutionist or God of War. There are no intro videos + Show Spoiler + no squealing fangirls, and no mystique. And those are the things that define a true esport. Yes, I'm incredibly biased because of my history with BW. I was in middle school in 2004 when I discovered Starcraft Brood War from a friend who was hugely into computers at that point, and when I originally bought the game I discovered TeamLiquid. I got instantly hooked, and wanted to start posting and interacting. Unfortunately, my parents were very protective of me in middle school, and imposed very strict controls on my internet usage, so I never actually got started posting here until I moved out. But I still wanted esports, I wanted to watch proleague and osl and msl and courage until my brain turned to mush. So I used to steal my dad's work laptop at night and stay up all night with it so I could tune into the restreams. I got caught a few times and disciplined, but I never stopped finding ways to watch and play (for 30 minutes a day per my parental restrictions).
So that's my history. That's where I've been, and I have no idea where I'm going to go from here. I still play Sc2 and for a while I hoped that I would possibly become a pro player, but the game stopped being fun recently. D= When every match is the same exact thing, and it doesn't feel that challenging, that's when I start to lose interest. For me, BW is like that cute girl in college you've always been into. You and her fell out of contact and drifted off after you graduated, but you'll still always have special feelings for her. Although other people come and go and make you feel good on the way, you'll always be comparing them to her. I grew up watching this game and getting wrapped up in the enigma that is SC:BW, and I don't think I'll ever get over it.
I'll end with this, since I don't really have much more to say: I cried during the montage that was played after the SPL broadcast, since there was such a "goodbye, and thanks for the good times" feel to it. Knowing that brood war is nearing a close hurts me deep, but I'll always have these special memories, even though I never really got to share them with anyone other than a bunch of strangers on the Internet.
TL for best community, BW for best game, and GO JD IN 2012 OSL!!!!
<3 bw long time. For some good old nostalgia, take a look at this:
The reason I'm writing this is sort of a farewell to BW as we all know it. Sure, there still might be some BW mixed in with Sc2 in the next Proleague, and there's still this OSL coming up, but unless the new OSL finals turn out to be the greatest finals in the history of esports, then this Proleague is going to go down in history as the "last hurrah" for brood war. And it ended as it begun, with SKT de-throning the tyrant, showing that the god-king can bleed, and sealing their fate as the winningest team in Proleague history. At the epic conclusion, we were treated with shots of the legends of old like iloveoov watching from the sidelines, nodding their approval and taking part in the spectacle of a Proleague finals. As SKT accepted their championship trophy, Bisu's face said it all man. His time to shine, his clutch moment; even though he didn't succeed in winning another individual league recently, I got the sense that he is at peace with it. Dealing with all those obnoxious comparisons to the other members of TBLS must have been tough for him, but I think this epic finals is going to truly seal his name amongst the greatest players of all time.
This is why nothing short of more BW is going to satisfy me when it comes to esports. Yeah, I play and watch Sc2 but it's just not the same. There's no drama, no hype, no Legend Killer or Cheater Terran or Revolutionist or God of War. There are no intro videos + Show Spoiler +
So that's my history. That's where I've been, and I have no idea where I'm going to go from here. I still play Sc2 and for a while I hoped that I would possibly become a pro player, but the game stopped being fun recently. D= When every match is the same exact thing, and it doesn't feel that challenging, that's when I start to lose interest. For me, BW is like that cute girl in college you've always been into. You and her fell out of contact and drifted off after you graduated, but you'll still always have special feelings for her. Although other people come and go and make you feel good on the way, you'll always be comparing them to her. I grew up watching this game and getting wrapped up in the enigma that is SC:BW, and I don't think I'll ever get over it.
I'll end with this, since I don't really have much more to say: I cried during the montage that was played after the SPL broadcast, since there was such a "goodbye, and thanks for the good times" feel to it. Knowing that brood war is nearing a close hurts me deep, but I'll always have these special memories, even though I never really got to share them with anyone other than a bunch of strangers on the Internet.
TL for best community, BW for best game, and GO JD IN 2012 OSL!!!!
<3 bw long time. For some good old nostalgia, take a look at this: