On December 30 2011 20:50 Chargelot wrote: Dude, just imagine, someday we're gonna be the parents. And we'll be getting our asses explained off by our children... Who are really into SC3.
The future sounds awesome.
Well i dunno about that, my parents didn't grow up on technology, aka video games, cellphones, internet, so it's totally different for them. My dad grew up watching and playing sports, so the idea of watching people being competitive on a video game would be a joke to him. I mean think about what people did before video games/internet were out, yes i know pong and such may have been out, but i doubt that was a big hit then. If you were born in the 80s or 90s, you grew up with all of it so yeah, it won't be anything like it is right now.
Maybe you need to show the difference between scrubs and pros to show them how StarCraft isn't kids business. Show an overview of a Bronze game in 10mins, then a GM one. Bam, your parents will be like, "wtf so many more buildings and people in the game, what happened omg hax"
Then show them the eSports scene in Korea or the crowd in any big tournament. Your parents will be like ,"wtf so many people why are they there to only watch a game?"
Then proceed to explain about the concept of professional StarCraft gaming. Explain team houses, clans, casters, etc. Your parents will be like, "wtf so many people in 1 house how do they take care of their "needs" and sleeping omg. wtf people spend time talking about the game just like soccer, thats so amazing omg. sc is now like a real sport to me but i dont understand how the game works but thats ok with me cos i know u are enjoying it like how papa used to enjoy watching soccer."
Maybe you need to show the difference between scrubs and pros to show them how StarCraft isn't kids business. Show an overview of a Bronze game in 10mins, then a GM one. Bam, your parents will be like, "wtf so many more buildings and people in the game, what happened omg hax"
Then show them the eSports scene in Korea or the crowd in any big tournament. Your parents will be like ,"wtf so many people why are they there to only watch a game?"
Then proceed to explain about the concept of professional StarCraft gaming. Explain team houses, clans, casters, etc. Your parents will be like, "wtf so many people in 1 house how do they take care of their "needs" and sleeping omg. wtf people spend time talking about the game just like soccer, thats so amazing omg. sc is now like a real sport to me but i dont understand how the game works but thats ok with me cos i know u are enjoying it like how papa used to enjoy watching soccer."
DONE.
I think that's a lot better. What could (possibly) interest them is not the game in itself - they don't give a damn - but the community around it.
You need to destroy opponent's base in order to win the game. You need units to do so. You need buildings to produce units. You need ressources to produce buildings and units. You need harvesters to get ressources and build buildings and harvester is one unit. Units interact between them like rock paper cissor so you need to know what your opponent is doing and you want to hide what you are doing, it's a mindgame. The difficulty starts when you have to do all of this at the same time and have to choose what you do.
It does not explain units and tech trees but at least they'll have a basic understanding of what they see. Avoid the description of each unit, it seems important to us but it is fucking boring to have a list of each unit, they will just forget all the basics. If after the video they agree to see a game you should just cast it live for them, a fun and short one. Like a succesful all in from 2 bases from toss to a fast 3 bases zerg so they understand the mindgame and the tech advantage. I think toss is a good choice because their units are easy to read : colossi rape hard, sentries creates wall, zealots are melee, stalkers are range, observer scouts. Second race is up to you. But don't choose a gosu match with backflips and late game madness it will just bore them as they won't understand and it will be long. First match will bore them anyway I think.
Try and avoid showing them "really nerdy" players, because they'll have their opinions set from the start that way. I know that when my girlfriend sits nearby when I'm watching she takes more interest in it when the people on screen arent stereotypical fat/weedy nerds. Its a shallow way to think about things but sadly the world is like that.
I think parents or older people who dont game have an idea of video-games in their head that theyre just a more fancy pacman, or pong with better graphics (extremes I know, but you get the point). Maybe you should show that video-games have evolved very quickly and become more intricate in design.
On December 30 2011 21:19 Iselian wrote: nojok and Azera, EXACTLY what I need! More more more, thank you two so much! Everyone else, please given the same types of feedback.
you want to explain the basics, when you explain american football to someone, you tell them the basics of the game and what the basic idea on how to win is, not naming all the positions and all the small things that do not matter until you get into the game. In starcraft it is about choosing to go for an economic build, tech build/ big army build. Don't go in and start naming the units in the game, thats a bad idea. Explain things like choosing an economic build, where your army and tech is weaker, which is a sacrifice for a better end game, or going tech heavy and sacrificing economy, or going for a big army to start and having a strong early game but your late game won't be good.
"Starcraft II is a what is called a real-time strategy game. It combines strategy aspects of chess but allows you to play at your own pace, while also forcing you to manage your economy. The overall goal of the game is to eliminate all enemy buildings, but this is not as simple as it sounds. In order to be successful you must be able to determine what your opponent is doing, secure additional money (bases), and deny your opponent expansions." Is more or less my general "this is what SC2 is" that I tell people when the subject comes up.
SC2 is a game of mankind. It is the most physical chess game existed in the world. It highly incorporates economics, strategic knowledge, and hand speed. You need to have all three to play well. Currently the Koreans are the best because they have good chess/go players, and their hands move fast since they are Asians.
It is not just a game for somebody, it is a dream, it is a job, it is life.
I do not think you should explain the core details to parents, such as scouting. A hard thing about parents is that everyone is different; There are parents who love to play games with their sons, and really are into Video Games. There are parents who don't do anything at all and don't care about anything. There are parents who love Football and want their childrens to play it instead of Starcraft 2 (as example).
Satisfying everyone is very hard. I suggest you start off with some basics, what Starcraft 2 is like (E.g. Imagine a Chess Game, but only in real time with both players moving at the same time). Then, if the parents decide to keep watching, you might want to explain it more in-depth (Obviously don't discuss build orders :D), the key elements such as scouting, building your base. Then, you eventually might want to discuss the 'jargon', e.g. micro, macro, such stuff. And at last, you could mention South Korea and their kids can live a happy life as Progamers down in South Korea. Don't forget to mention a few progamers aswell though, as people might be interested in references.
I wouldn't bother with the technical aspects ie. damage bonuses etc because it would add unnecessary confusion. Really interested to see if this gets somewhere though, making my parents accept sc2 as something other than a waste of time has so far been impossible. Good luck!
My dad plays poker and like "thinking-games". He also got a passion for money, so when he read about people making money playing SC2 he asked me about it instead of me showing it for him.
Dad: "So I read a guy made alot of money in that game called Starcraft, are you a good Starcraft player?" Me: "Uhm, I'm decent (another word for platinum), but not good enough for money, you have to play alot more and have some talent." Dad: "Well, you are always on your computer!" Me: "When I don't work or when I'm with friends doing random shit, pretty much yeah, still not near enough" Dad: "Why don't you take a year of, and get really good at the game. You should have the talent according to your grades in math" Me: "input what?! face"
My mother on the other hand is working out every-single-f***ing minute, when she got some spare time, so she just see red when I sit at the computer or talk about computer-games. My brother is a peasant who only cares about his boy-gang (lol), "epa-traktorer" and beer so he hates computer games too. My sister, well, she likes moviestarplanet dot com and facebook.
So if your family members don't have any related interest at all don't bother IMO, if you whould do anyway, tell them you can make alot of money if you're good enough
Easiest thing I say is its just another sport. Which of course always gets the reply, 'Buts it a computer game. Its not real.' To which I have the cunning reply of. "Soccer (Football) is just men kicking a ball around."
so i played a game of chess with them with some new rules.
the rules were you can move any piece at any time. (within their legal moves of course) there were no turns. if you wanted to you could move two pieces with two hands but had to follow their "movement limitations"
once i explained the rules and we started i just quickly ninja'd my two horses with both hands across the board stole about 10 pieces before shortly checkmating them in about 10 seconds.
they just sat there going WTF i didnt even get a chance to move..
i basically said imagine that only for 20+ minutes straight and both players are moving their pieces at that speed.
I've done some similar stuff before (not with SC though), and one thing to have in mind is to Keep It Simple Stupid. Azera has a very good point, maybe they'll be more interested in the community than the game, plus it's easier to understand how e-sport works rather than how starcraft does.
But still, it may be interesting to show them a game. Find a simple one, maybe a high level TvT from around the launch of the game, action packed and done in <10, preferably using only basic units like MM and hellions, 1 base vs 1 base. Maybe "cast" it yourself ? That way, you can fast foward the beginning while briefly saying that you got to manage an economy to produce tech and units (not much more info is needed at first, really), and then focus on some tense micro or something else catchy to the eye. Slip in somewhere that tech is only opening advanced/stronger options, and you got yourself an under 6 minutes overview of starcraft 101, much like sheperd's mate for chess.
Ok then what you do is you ask your parents if a game can make a grown man cry. They will probably say no. You then show them a bit of Day[9] daily #100. Your parents will be like ,"wtf why is he crying when talking about his history with the starcraft omg." You then explain more about Day[9] or let them watch more. Your parents will then be like ,"wtf omg thats so touching, his brother and mom, all so supportive on him and back at that time im sure esports was very small omg. we're going to go cry in our room now clearly this game means alot to you. oh no, i wont call it a game, i will call it your passion. you love starcraft son, we understand."
It is hard to explain. You have to make a lot of definitions first. What is map and minimap, what is a structure, supply and so on. All will be lost before you start with special abilities and things like armoured and light units
I think I'd show the first 5-6 minutes of the documentary about wcg/Xellos if anything, it's about sc1 though but still. You could make the argument that this is how it was in 2005 in korea and is now booming in the west.
edit: when I watched MLG on my HDtv my dad came in, watched it for like 10 min and went "wtf, this is like a sport?" was mainly due to tastosis casting I think though
EPT
