EPT
No, I really don't. Yesterday, on the bus home from uni, I realised just how great Starcraft II - and the competetive scene, really is.
I watched every series I had time for this MLG, and while the downtime could have been handled better (check out Suppy's blog on the subject), I very much enjoyed myself. Of course, with my favorite player attending and winning the tournament, there was guaranteed to be some satisfaction, but I can't say I feel as strongly about "omg lol the game is bad and the scene is bad, just switch to LoL already" as many people seem to, these days.
I've watched a thousand or more hours of professional Starcraft II, foreign and Korean, and I've never even considered not continuing to do so, because I really, really, really love it all.
I've watched TSLs, IEMs, Dreamhacks (both live and online), MLGs, GSLs, Homestory Cups and Asus ROGs, GD Invitationals and whatnot. I've watched dozens of smaller online tournaments, with both
And never once have I been bored of it all.
It says something about your passion for something, anything, when you can scream in excitement at results. Leenock vs. Life game 7 just this MLG was one such moment. Squirtle's Vortex on Mvp's battlecruisers another. There were many others over the course of the weekend - a weekend that produced many great games, infestor whines or no.
GSL Group G is up next, and I've not for a second considered not watching the games if I manage to. There are several calculations and hypotheses I need to take care of, but it's likely that I'll postpone those until after the games.
But why? I mean, in the end Starcraft II is just a game, right?
I'm not sure it is. Of course, the game itself is a game, but to me Starcraft II - the e-Sport, is something more. Something significantly more important than "just a game". To all the players spending 10 hours a day diligently practicing, it's more than "just a game". To the coaches that invest their lives into their teams, it's more than just a game.
To all of us, the people really invested in the scene, the people that care, Starcraft II is way more than just a game.
And as long as it holds that meaning to us, I do not think that the scene is dying. With passion like that, it couldn't.
