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Katowice25012 Posts
When I was growing up I had a short love affair with chess. I didn't actually play it a ton, what drew me in was the entire culture surrounding the game. The way people talked about it with such respect and reverence, as if the game was a higher power they were able to engage in with the simple act of sitting at a board. They spoke as though they were bettering themselves, one step closer to achieving nirvana each time a game was played.
The way they referred to players had the most descriptive, textured language I had seen applied to games, and as someone whose world was mostly Sonic 2 and Game Informer it was revealing and inspiring. They talked of players who had style to their game, tendencies based on aggression or speed. Men were known for finding elegant solutions to complex situations, they were talked about for ability to invent or pioneer. They described them with words of beauty, and gave each player a unique set of identifiers that let you know if their games were demonstrations to admire or mock, if they were men to admire or berate. They saw the board as the ultimate expression of being, an even plane where true character is shown and a player is free to show himself in pointed and precise ways.
What drew me to TeamLiquid originally was the same kind of reverence to the game, and in learning how Brood War is played I saw those same characteristics among the progamers that made up the scene. NaDa once explained to a reporter that APM is a measure of how fast you can paint your picture, and in doing so evoked a powerful analogue. Truly a progamer is an artist, crafting images one at a time stroke by stroke, painstakingly forming unique creations with each army motion and battle.
I caught HerO during a string of PvTs on his stream recently and couldn’t stop seeing it. Each game, starting with the raw materials of no more than six workers and a nexus, he would begin his sculpture. Meticulously his plan would take shape as he chiseled away with his given resources, carving his forces into an army able to overwhelm his opponent. Each click precise and necessary, wasting no motions in the process of releasing a finished creation from its marble prison. Piece by piece chipping away at his enemy with zealots and stalkers, while gaining control over the resources necessary to complete his task. Slowly his construction began to take shape until he was the only one left standing, having succeeded not only in forming his own image, but in preventing his opponent from doing the same.
A progamer is not too different than a chef in this. Food is not strictly a venue for expression, yet cooking, when done by people who live for their craft, becomes a prime source of art. While a painting has no purpose apart from aesthetics, the need to win encourages innovation and evolution. The spectacle of esports comes from methods of harnessing available tools on the fly to achieve a successful end goal. It stems from the act of bridling high speed chaos, attempting to control the unknown while circumstances are constantly in motion. All the while someone else is ripping into your canvas, attempting to stop your ability to create.
The conflict here serves to create a landscape with an amazing array of definition, texture, and shape. Sometimes it mimics perfection in the world, as Nal_rA once pointed out in a game between GanZi and Jaedong - where GanZi not only formulated a brilliant plan but rose to the occasion in the execution against someone much better than him. And those who saw Jyp's Proleague game against Bogus Innovation knows these illustrations can also be grotesque, examples of all that is ugly and wrong. We get to see the human condition on display when teams like LGD.int or Na`Vi play risky lineups that only work with play that borders supernatural.
To say there is beauty here does not go far enough, for the thought of beauty itself is often trivialized. But the simplicity works, beauty is often the most apt way to articulate the magnificence of the games around us, the awe-inspiring force that plays out each time players start a match.
Seeing people engage in this process is a wondrous, amazing thing. It's the driving force behind what I do and one of the few things that continually excites me no matter how many times I play or attend tournaments.
 
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Reminds me of a quote from one of my all time favorite movies "Searching for Bobby Fischer"
"What is chess, do you think? Those who play for fun or not at all dismiss it as a game. The ones who devote their lives to it for the most part insist that it's a science. It's neither. Bobby Fischer got underneath it like no one before and found at its center, art. I spent my life trying to play like him. Most of these guys have. But we're like forgers. We're competent fakes."
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Excellently stated, it is a form of art to me at least. Seeing two players start on a map and begin a dance, sometimes they share a climactic duet, and other times it is a longer symphony of crushing exchanges. It's positively captivating, it's what held me to BoxeR's games, and to every tournament after I first got into SC. It truly is something to behold regardless of what game draws you in.
Once again, you managed to articulate one of my favorite parts of Esports, and for that I thank you heyoka!
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On February 10 2013 08:49 LuckyFool wrote:
Reminds me of a quote from one of my all time favorite movies "Searching for Bobby Fischer"
"What is chess, do you think? Those who play for fun or not at all dismiss it as a game. The ones who devote their lives to it for the most part insist that it's a science. It's neither. Bobby Fischer got underneath it like no one before and found at its center, art. I spent my life trying to play like him. Most of these guys have. But we're like forgers. We're competent fakes."
Yes. My favorite quote from one of my favorite films. Perfect summation.
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its interesting to consider how the community is a huge part of formulating the success of an esport - the ideas of 'standard' and 'proper' play that shape our appreciation of competition. so delicious
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Bravo, well written. You've put into words what draws me to following sports (electronic or no). It's a medium where imperfect people can create something that is transcendent. In a really good game, the opponents aren't just antagonists, but co-creators. Those moments are always humbling and joyous.
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On February 10 2013 08:49 LuckyFool wrote:
Reminds me of a quote from one of my all time favorite movies "Searching for Bobby Fischer"
"What is chess, do you think? Those who play for fun or not at all dismiss it as a game. The ones who devote their lives to it for the most part insist that it's a science. It's neither. Bobby Fischer got underneath it like no one before and found at its center, art. I spent my life trying to play like him. Most of these guys have. But we're like forgers. We're competent fakes."
Oh yes! I saw the movie when I was only in 5th grade or something. Love it love it love it. 
Brilliant blog though. Fun read and just awesome.
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United States110 Posts
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United Kingdom14103 Posts
Wow. Bookmarking this in order to show it to people who dismiss competitive gaming as just people playing on a computer.
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On February 11 2013 20:34 Targe wrote:
Wow. Bookmarking this in order to show it to people who dismiss competitive gaming as just people playing on a computer.
ditto
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Wasn't it Moon who said the "paint your picture" analogy with APM?
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EPT
