EPTDon't get me wrong, I still think Haypro is a great player and I would root for Liquid in any situation, but I am surprised at just how fleeting my respect and admiration could be. Starcraft 2 is my passion and I desperately want to be connected to the pros that play it; but because my only real engagement with a player comes at rare moments, often dependant on luck or random chance, I often forget the moments that got me excited in the first place. Jinro's GSL run, Huk defeating Naniwa in Homestory Cup, TLO's nuking shenanigans in the beta, all of these events are stored somewhere within me but have faded into indifference. When the match is over, pro players run on a clock to keep my attention until their next big win.
But they can't always win! Watching everyone on Team Liquid talking about what they need to do to become the best in the world made it clear that their is no way all of them can do this. I think every member of Team Liquid is awesome but a tournament can only have so many top players and increasingly, with the prevalence of koreans in the foreign scene, fewer of the pros I love will be anywhere near the top. This is not because they suck, but because statistically it is impossible for everyone to place near the top all the time.
I know the argument will be I should watch for amazing runs through a tournament and story lines of players showing their best, but it comes down to one simple fact. If I don't get a chance to watch the match and live the experience with that player in the heat of the moment I cannot develop the connection necessary to sustain my interest. Hearing about a great match in an article, or seeing tweets about an unstreamed run through a bracket pales in comparison to the heart pumping excitement of watching a live match late in a tournament. Many players who deserve recognition will lose out because they could not survive the gauntlet of players in the tournament or they just had a bad day. With only a few select moments for any chance to form real connections to the fans is it any wonder most of us forget the excitement of the past and slowly lose connection to a once favourite player. While I doubt many people would admit that this is true I would wager most people are similar. We love what is right in front of us and we forget what has passed.
Clearly this isn't universal. Many players on Team Liquid have not had a major win for some time and we all still think they are great, but do we feel the same quality of connection to them? The moment after Haypro's win over Nestea I would have screamed my support from the rooftops and now I can't even make myself click on his stream link.
This is one of the perils of loving a game where I am kept removed from the players. I can't physically see what a player is doing so I am forced to connect to the game, or the match, or even the caster because that is what is available to me. In a tournament this changes because the player is shown to me, I can feel his or her story, and I am caught up in the drama. But MLG and every other major tournament can only offer me a select few moments and experiences that create that connection. Everything else is just a game screen and the casters.
Now you might ask why this matters; if we are all enjoying the games we watch who cares if we feel a connection to the players? The biggest issue I see is that casters will continue to grow and develop as personalities and players will more and more fall into the background. God forbid Haypro makes his next big run and I am so far past caring about him that I spend this moment posting about why Total Biscuit sucks (or is awesome depending on my mood) instead of appreciating Haypro's skill. If we can't find interesting and engaging ways to interact with the players we love, they are going to increasingly lose our interest in a world where winning just isn't that feasible anymore.
On the bright side Team Liquid figured out an answer to this problem simply by helping to create something like Liquid Rising. Hearing from the players, seeing them as people, and understanding their flaws bring me back to my love for the human element of SC2. I believe it is crucially important for teams to create more and more opportunities for players to connect to fans outside of winning. Shows like State of the Game, interviews, blogs and the forums give us a glimpse into a players mind, remind us of why we love or hate that player, and creates that connection that I and many others are so desperate for. I applaud Liquid Rising as it is an excellent method of makings pro players relatable, and I hope that Team Liquid continue in their efforts to produce content of this kind. Starcraft will never be able to grow if we can't find a way to connect to and appreciate the players that make watching this game so enjoyable.
The players are what makes this game what it is and I hope the scene will move towards placing them front and centre. Without a strong effort to create opportunities for deep personal connections to players outside of winning tournaments I fear we may end up with a scene that lacks the necessary human element to make it grow. I want to connect to the players of Team Liquid and any other team for that matter and I hope they continue to find ways to make that possible.
