|
Feeling bw start to slip away already is making me sad. It's been nagging me for a little while (even before sc2beta was released) but I'm feeling it even more now that sc2 beta is out... the thousands of viewers in all the sc2 streams. All the massive discussion and instant disinterest in bw... The announcement of Pandemic sc:bw division shutting down... I'm sure more announcements and news like that will inevitably follow in the coming days/months.
I was never nearly good enough myself to be in a good team or do well in wcg's. I have 0 bw accomplishments other than playing bw for nearly 10 years and loving every moment of it. I loved following every minute of the foreigner scene. In fact it's pretty safe to say I've enjoyed the foreigner scene over the Korean scene since around 2006. Not because I know some of the players but because I always found it more fun and lively in general. I found the games to be more interesting and different players winning and doing well at different times. The storylines, the drama, the bm, the fun. All happening in our own backyards so to speak was always so much more interesting to me than the Korean scene which always felt much more distant, unattainable, strange, structured, too formal and so strict. Sure I watched Korean progaming to learn and it was pretty cool and fun to get hyped up over OSL/MSL finals. But I always got a different feeling when I would go to watch vods with non koreans playing. Or when I went to open a Draco rep vs someone back when Draco was in his prime and in Korea. Or even much more recently downloading TSL rep packs of the early qualifying rounds. I dropped everything to watch those reps and some people I know said "Oh all those players suck compared to Koreans why do you care so much..." to which I didn't have a real answer nor did I need to have an answer. People who know me know I always care more about foreign stuff than Korean stuff. Spoil the OSL finals fine but if u spoil TSL results, f u.
I personally approached bw really casually till around 2007 with the announcement of sc2, I could see these times approaching. last year I played in wcg qualifiers and even though I didn't stand a chance to qualify I still went to finals to spectate. I met so many great sc:bw people in the past year and a half alone it was amazing. I can't imagine how great it must have been for people who took part in all of that for 5-6 years or more.
As I sit here now thinking back to all that happened in the past 10 years it's quite amazing how a game has brought together people of all corners of the world. How it has united people who otherwise NEVER would have met or known about each other. I find this to be very very cool and makes me happy thinking back to all the good times. All the epic moments, all the competitive previous wcg's and tournaments and teams.
All made possible by sc:bw.
I stopped playing bw solely as a game years ago. I started looking at it as a tool for connecting with others, a platform of competition, a way to showcase skill and to fill my drive of competition with others. I found I stopped playing other games really. I find the majority of video games in general to be fairly boring and bland or get old quickly. Something about the flair of sc:bw kept me for years and I thought that was amazing...
I seriously hope sc2 brings the same sort of community and excitement which I think it is capable of. But sadly unlike bw I will be unable to grow up with sc2. bw came out when I was like 9 years old. I can remember playing 2v1 vs the computer with my Dad when I was literally 9 years old. We would play vs zerg always cuz they gave us the longest time to prepare 3-4 bunkers loaded with marines at each choke point to survive the initial ling+hydra+lurk attacks. Such amazing oldschool random memories.
I have no idea what sc2 will be like at high levels (much too early to tell still) or if I will even have as much fun playing it. So far in limited games it's been fun but different, I feel this strange disconnect when I play sc2 right now. A strange blend of excitement and fun as well as old thoughts of a fading past. It's quite odd to be honest. For the longest time new games would come out, but then there was always good old brood war... These times appear to be on their way to ending. And while I truly hope the future holds just as much promise (which I believe it can!) I do know for a fact that a great time could very well seriously on its way to ending.
Sc:bw was definitely more than just a random video game to me and seeing it go makes me feel sad in some ways. Of course bw will probably never truly die. There will be pockets of hardcores everywhere but if sc2 lives up to its hype and potential (which I hope it does ultimately) the brunt of sc:bw will die.
Hopefully I can just focus on all the old past fun times and sc2 can be just as good and I can look back on this blog 2-3 years from now and laugh at how stupidly emo I'm sounding... but I'm not sure if that will happen or not! So much unknown makes me uneasy! so much unknown keeps me slightly sad as we move forward with the sc2 beta...
either way I hope to stay in touch with the many friends I've made over the past few years with bw and nothing will ever take away the memories, the LAN's, the tournaments and the fun bw brought over it's prime years when I think about this I feel very very happy. 
I know there's been a ton of sc2 related blogs lately but I felt compelled to share some of my thoughts.
-LF
 
|
depression is kicking in..
|
This post made me sad..and I've only been into BW for about a year and a half..
I really hope SC2 can meet all the expectations, and turn out badass, but alas, there may eventually be a mass exodus of people going back to SC1..only time will tell.
|
Let's all hope that the whole cycle will start again in Sc2.
|
can i just say that i am 100% with you?
i may not be as deep into bw as you are, but sc is something i dont want to see dead. ever. even a sc2 mod that plays like sc1 i'd rather not have.
hopefully there'll be a way to play sc1 on sc2 against ppl playing bw.
|
On February 22 2010 12:52 Daedes wrote:
depression is kicking in..
|
On February 22 2010 12:55 Amnesia wrote:
|
I totally agree with you LF. I've never been able to really watch and enjoy the Korean scene.. I've only paid attention to the foreigner scene, studied foreigner replays, etc.
Ever since the beta actually came out and people played it, I've had no motivation to ladder, or really play any Brood War at all. I've barely been on Brood War in the past few days, just cause I guess I feel like it's almost pointless to play. Even look at some of the top foreigners (White-Ra for example, judging by his laddering), they haven't played much Brood War at all either, they've been playing a lot of the beta.
However, after seeing so much of the beta being played.. I think there's a lot to look forward to. The SC2 community is going to be a mixture of so many different people that it's going to be interesting to see how it all plays out, who ends up on top, who comes out of nowhere and makes a mark on the foreigner scene. Of course there's going to be plenty of drama to look forward to as well. The game is young and no one knows exactly what it's going to be like on the top levels. However I truly believe that it's going to be another amazing game that's fun to watch and will be another hit.
I guess age might make a difference on people's perception of Starcraft 2; I'm only 18 and I'll be able to find plenty of time to play this game, and I plan on trying to become the best I can be at it. I know I'm excited for sure!
|
Interestingly, right now with the CSL and everything I'm having more fun playing BW than I ever have~
It's sad that BW is likely to slowly begin to die at this point but I wanna enjoy what's left for all I can.
|
I'm glad I got into BW when I did. I've played for about 2 years, and the last 3-4 I've been losing interest pretty rapidly. I think the only games I've watched live in the past 4 months have been TSL games and maybe the starleague finals.
Oh well.
|
As long as Flash/Jaedong win the next MSL and OSL I will be happy.
|
So when you coming over for more beta?
|
SAVIOR... MUST... WIN... MSL.... BEFORE SC1... DIES OUT...
|
this is so true. and apparently there are only like 500 people in the beta right now, but its that everyone is talking about it. :/ bw looks like its gonna be a ghost town and sc2 is going to be the babylon that does it. *sigh*
|
This is bullshit, this is the season on iCCup where i improved most and I probably wont even have a chance to reach my goal rank (B-) considering ive only hit C this season. I really wish that SC2 coulda been delayed for another year so that I could practice more and get better. Even some clan-mates stopped playing and went inactive not to go play sc2 but because they think sc2 is not worth it so they quit.  sad face.
|
On February 22 2010 13:02 Ryoo wrote:
SAVIOR... MUST... WIN... MSL.... BEFORE SC1... DIES OUT...
Theres no beating taekbangleessang 
Part of me wishes SC2 will turn out to be a total failure and everyone will go back and play BW ... :/
|
USA5860 Posts
I know how you feel, when starcraft dies that is nearly 10 years of my life that die with it, I suppose I still have the memories and the friends, but the game itself will be gone.
It does seem quite depressing. I don't think I will pick up SC2, I have yet to decide.
|
Haha I love the second to last paragraph where you're like "omg I hope to stay in touch" lol what?? It's a new game that pretty much all BW players will take part in... so we're all in the same boat. But overall I largely feel the same way. One of the reasons I felt like SC2 'alienates' the BW player is because its impossible to erase 10+ years of muscle memory, comfort and knowledge. BW literally becomes a part of you, and only time will tell if SC2 can do the same.
However I really don't see SC2 splitting the community (the way 1.6 and source did for CS). For a while I believe both will continue simply thanks to the continuation of the BW prosecne in Korea, with eventually BW fading out within a couple years while SC2 gets balanced and finds its place. Only time will tell, until then there will always be brood war..
|
I totally agree with this blog, I can already feel it setting in its super depressing
|
Dominican Republic825 Posts
nice read im with u, but i think BW will never die
|
|
|
|
|
|
EPT
