Starcraft in Africa

On April 07 2012 09:17 GamiKami wrote:
I remember there was a tournament going on in a while ago, and they only managed to scrounge up around 8 players and the finals was a plat level player vs a gold level player. There are very little players in africa, and you cannot expect anyone to be higher than diamond in all of africa. Imho its due to the general lack of technology and the very different culture.

On April 07 2012 09:15 DashedHopes wrote:
First of all, a lot countries in africa have too much to worry about such as food, shelter, water, and diseases. Electricity is rare to conveniently have to play games, and they are a developing nation, to be honest i bet at least 3/4 of their country doesn't even know what starcraft 2 is.

On April 07 2012 09:19 DashedHopes wrote:
Another question is what server would they play on?

On April 07 2012 09:15 DashedHopes wrote:
First of all, a lot countries in africa have too much to worry about such as food, shelter, water, and diseases. Electricity is rare to conveniently have to play games, and they are a developing nation, to be honest i bet at least 3/4 of their country doesn't even know what starcraft 2 is.

On April 07 2012 09:21 Numy wrote:


Why do people make statements without any evidence of research into the matter?

EDIT: Africa plays on Europe and we are happy to do so, at least us down at the bottom.

On April 07 2012 09:11 bblack wrote:

I always figured that SC (and other skill / practice related professions like break-dancing) has grown so large in Korea because it's very difficult to develop a school and work career over there. Even if you're smart, you might have difficulty of being successful.

Why is that the case?

On April 07 2012 09:36 SabreUK wrote:


He is right (WCG Namibia I believe) about that tournament. But youre right, there are some good African players (I believe there are some GMs on EU maybe?, I know PandaTank is EU GM for sure)

On April 07 2012 09:11 bblack wrote:
So, it comes down to this:
I feel like there aren't many African SC players, am I right?
Why is that the case?

On April 07 2012 09:11 bblack wrote:
With the StarCraft II World Championship Series being announced there have been many questions about the way the world gets divided into 5 continents. Although most people are commenting on Asia-related divisions, to me the most remarkable observation lies in there not being an African continent representative.
While I follow the pro scene quite fanatically and am well aware that there aren't any African pro players, it did get me wondering.

I always figured that SC (and other skill / practice related professions like break-dancing) has grown so large in Korea because it's very difficult to develop a school and work career over there. Even if you're smart, you might have difficulty of being successful.
Then I imagine that the same goes for a lot of less developed countries in, for example, Africa. If you can make a living by becoming successful in SC, as it is right now, why don't any Africans seem to go train full time as a career path?
Is it something to do with technology and internet being unavailable, or lack of teams to support starting pro's, or just ignorance of the possibility, or.. ?

Looking at previous posts, there is some SC action going on in South Afrika, but that does overall seem to be the most 'western' country of the continent anyway.

So, it comes down to this:
I feel like there aren't many African SC players, am I right?
Why is that the case?

On April 07 2012 09:17 GamiKami wrote:
I remember there was a tournament going on in a while ago, and they only managed to scrounge up around 8 players and the finals was a plat level player vs a gold level player. There are very little players in africa, and you cannot expect anyone to be higher than diamond in all of africa. Imho its due to the general lack of technology and the very different culture.

On April 07 2012 09:47 HowardRoark wrote:


Seriously, WHAT is this supposed to mean? Very difficult to develop a school and work career in Korea?

They have one of the lowest unemployment rates (3.7) and best schools in the world.

On April 07 2012 11:44 EngrishTeacher wrote:






I am fully aware of TL's harsh policy on replying with pictures, especially with memes. However, in your case, good sir, I feel they are quite appropriate.

User was warned for this post

On April 07 2012 11:38 Torte de Lini wrote:


HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUH????

While you have the right concern, your global view of the world as well as the relevance of professional StarCraft as a career choice is heavily misguided o_O



Be honest, does this make any rational sense? In addition, do you think a third-world country within Africa can remotely do anything near building a sustainable lifestyle off of video-games.

Think real hard, like come on .__.

On April 07 2012 09:15 DashedHopes wrote:
First of all, a lot countries in africa have too much to worry about such as food, shelter, water, and diseases. Electricity is rare to conveniently have to play games, and they are a developing nation, to be honest i bet at least 3/4 of their country doesn't even know what starcraft 2 is.

I always figured that SC (and other skill / practice related professions like break-dancing) has grown so large in Korea because it's very difficult to develop a school and work career over there. Even if you're smart, you might have difficulty of being successful.

On April 07 2012 12:07 Gtoad wrote:
Well boys a few years ago, me and some of my buds from England would take a boat there to pick up some hitchhikers. Then we'd take em to America, trade them to rich people for molasses. Then bring the molasses back home and have a some delicious pancakes. Yummy (;

User was temp banned for this post.

On April 07 2012 11:37 PraetorianX wrote:


I don't feel that it's possible to answer this question without going into some really sensitive issues in depth - issues beyond the spectrum of this forum - and possibly stepping on some toes by doing so. So you're not gonna get a good answer to your question - but that doesn't mean there isn't one.

On April 07 2012 09:17 GamiKami wrote:
I remember there was a tournament going on in a while ago, and they only managed to scrounge up around 8 players and the finals was a plat level player vs a gold level player. There are very little players in africa, and you cannot expect anyone to be higher than diamond in all of africa. Imho its due to the general lack of technology and the very different culture.

On April 07 2012 11:07 Catatonic wrote:
It would cost more money running a server for Africa then they would make from it. There's not enough of a scene there to make a blip on Blizz's radar for them to remotely care.

On April 07 2012 09:11 bblack wrote:
Then I imagine that the same goes for a lot of less developed countries in, for example, Africa. If you can make a living by becoming successful in SC, as it is right now, why don't any Africans seem to go train full time as a career path?
Is it something to do with technology and internet being unavailable, or lack of teams to support starting pro's, or just ignorance of the possibility, or.. ?

On April 08 2012 03:33 snakeyezz wrote:
The amount of ignorance here is shocking...

I am South African and I totally play sc2 with my pet Cheetah.

On April 08 2012 03:10 PandaTank wrote:
Wow, so many ignorant comments in this thread its disgusting.

Really? You think the highest player in the WHOLE of Africa is only in diamond? I suppose you also think we have ride elephants to work here.

On April 07 2012 09:11 bblack wrote:
With the StarCraft II World Championship Series being announced there have been many questions about the way the world gets divided into 5 continents. Although most people are commenting on Asia-related divisions, to me the most remarkable observation lies in there not being an African continent representative.
While I follow the pro scene quite fanatically and am well aware that there aren't any African pro players, it did get me wondering.

I always figured that SC (and other skill / practice related professions like break-dancing) has grown so large in Korea because it's very difficult to develop a school and work career over there. Even if you're smart, you might have difficulty of being successful.
Then I imagine that the same goes for a lot of less developed countries in, for example, Africa. If you can make a living by becoming successful in SC, as it is right now, why don't any Africans seem to go train full time as a career path?
Is it something to do with technology and internet being unavailable, or lack of teams to support starting pro's, or just ignorance of the possibility, or.. ?

Looking at previous posts, there is some SC action going on in South Afrika, but that does overall seem to be the most 'western' country of the continent anyway.

So, it comes down to this:
I feel like there aren't many African SC players, am I right?
Why is that the case?

On April 08 2012 04:20 Mondieu wrote:



How can you compare South Korea as a country to any country in Africa ? The economy of S.Korea I think is 10x++ stronger than any african country. Africa though develops quite fast I reckon ( less population/square2). The first paragragh in the OP is wrong.

On April 08 2012 04:38 Chriscras wrote:
Egypt is in Africa, are there no Egyptian SC2 players?

On April 08 2012 04:34 FuzzyJAM wrote:
All this bullshit "PEOPLE ARE BEING IGNORANT" stuff is driving me nuts. Yes, some people have made some stupid comments, but don't make equally ignorant comments by acting as though Africa isn't easily the poorest continent. Yes, parts of Asia are as bad as most of Africa, yes, parts of Europe are as bad as the better parts of Africa (no, nowhere in Europe comes close to Somalia or ROC or Liberia or the like). Doesn't mean you have to pretend that even a large minority has a gaming PC and broadband connection.

Yes, countries like South Africa have some middle class, but even there it's something like 50% of the population living below the poverty line. The vast majority of Africans make nowhere near enough to have gaming as a hobby. That's the primary reason there aren't many African players despite it being the second most populous continent.

On April 07 2012 09:23 XenocideFTW wrote:


I'd be willing to say over 3/4 of the population in the US couldn't tell you what SC2 is, either.

On April 08 2012 02:43 Dapper_Cad wrote:


Sinister stuff.

On April 08 2012 04:44 Yergidy wrote:

Of that 3/4 i bet 1/2 of them would ask "is that like world of warcraft?"

On April 08 2012 04:35 Eiaco wrote:


The rich part of South Africa is much richer than South Korea. Ill try and keep race out of this but its very difficult to, 6 million South Africans live in western-like luxury whilst 44 million South Africans live in utter poverty. Some of the North African Countries are fairly oil rich. Everything in-between North of Arfica (Morrocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya and Egypt) and South Africa seems to be in complete and utter poverty though.

On April 08 2012 03:12 searcher wrote:
The amount of ignorance in this thread is frankly astounding.

On April 08 2012 04:42 Stenstyren wrote:


The thing is, people in this thread seems to believe that the entire continent is living in small huts, barely getting by through dumpstring (not the hipster kind).
This is totally wrong. Yes, all countries in Africa have very large problems but their cities are quite well developed and have internet (perhaps it's expensive as someone said but it's there). Say that only 2% of the citizens of Africa have broadband and living conditions that allow them to theoretically play SC2 online. That's still 20 million people, meaning that there must be some other underlying factor than just the fact that they are all poor.

I always figured that SC (and other skill / practice related professions like break-dancing) has grown so large in Korea because it's very difficult to develop a school and work career over there. Even if you're smart, you might have difficulty of being successful.

Then I imagine that the same goes for a lot of less developed countries in, for example, Africa. If you can make a living by becoming successful in SC, as it is right now, why don't any Africans seem to go train full time as a career path?
Is it something to do with technology and internet being unavailable, or lack of teams to support starting pro's, or just ignorance of the possibility, or.. ?

Parts of some of the cities are pretty well developed, yes, but the infrastructure just isn't there yet. In South Africa for instance, even the wealthy suburbs and oceanside communities in the Cape rarely have access to internet faster than 384k DSL, and even then it's often capped. The kind of speed you need to do stuff like play online is available in places, but it's outrageously expensive.

On April 08 2012 05:56 LayZRR wrote:


Are you kidding me? i cant even express right now how much ... oh god...

do i REALLY have to explain that?

On April 08 2012 04:34 FuzzyJAM wrote:
All this bullshit "PEOPLE ARE BEING IGNORANT" stuff is driving me nuts. Yes, some people have made some stupid comments, but don't make equally ignorant comments by acting as though Africa isn't easily the poorest continent. Yes, parts of Asia are as bad as most of Africa, yes, parts of Europe are as bad as the better parts of Africa (no, nowhere in Europe comes close to Somalia or ROC or Liberia or the like). Doesn't mean you have to pretend that even a large minority has a gaming PC and broadband connection.

Yes, countries like South Africa have some middle class, but even there it's something like 50% of the population living below the poverty line. The vast majority of Africans make nowhere near enough to have gaming as a hobby. That's the primary reason there aren't many African players despite it being the second most populous continent.

On April 08 2012 06:17 bblack wrote:
Edited the OP, in hopes of preventing some of the less useful comments

On April 07 2012 09:11 bblack wrote:

I'm not suggesting anything here, merely posing a question. Africa isn't entirely as underdeveloped as you might think, and as it has been pointed out: a lot of African people get into soccer in hopes of being a paid pro.
So why not SC?

On April 08 2012 07:11 PraetorianX wrote:

Do you really not understand the fundamental differences between soccer and SC2, and why it may be easier for an impoverished African to pursue a career in one but not the other?

On April 08 2012 06:17 CryTT wrote:


This is completely irrelevant to what the thread topic is about.

The question is: Why wasn't Africa involved in the world championships. We don't need our own server to hold a qualifier, we can play as we always have done, on the EU server.

My conclusion: No idea. perhaps Blizzard has a similar mindset as yours and believe that there aren't anyone in Africa playing starcraft 2. Or that the qualifier is based purely by server region, or based upon some form of surveys or requests done by organisations within the countries that have been elected to have its own regional qualifiers.

I haven't thoroughly read how the world championship actually works. But if Blizzard want to state things like "The goal of the StarCraft II World Championship Series is to identify a true global champion" then they should probably include the entirety of the globe. I'm not saying we'd win it by any means. You simply can't hold an official global championship without including an entire continent.

On April 08 2012 07:17 bblack wrote:


Haha of course that is clear. Once again, try to consider not the apparently stereotypical 'impoverished' African, but those that are slightly more affluent. I understand it's easier to go out and play soccer, but there might also be a lot more competition. Don't know really, the percentage of soccer players able to turn pro compared to the percentage of Starcraft players able to do so?
Anyway, simply because soccer also is an option shouldn't mean all other competitive sports are out

On April 08 2012 07:57 CryTT wrote:
: There have been designated countries allocated to compete in the world championships within each continent. I also thought that we'd have to qualify as a European, but after seeing that I don't see at all how it is possible for us to compete. This also proves that it's not just us, Africans that are left out but many other countries as well.

Blizzard don't need to host a LAN tournament, they need to grant the permission for it. Local organisations will be the one's that set up the national qualifiers as well as the LAN event (if there is one)

On April 07 2012 09:15 DashedHopes wrote:
First of all, a lot countries in africa have too much to worry about such as food, shelter, water, and diseases. Electricity is rare to conveniently have to play games, and they are a developing nation, to be honest i bet at least 3/4 of their country doesn't even know what starcraft 2 is.

On April 07 2012 09:15 DashedHopes wrote:
First of all, a lot countries in africa have too much to worry about such as food, shelter, water, and diseases. Electricity is rare to conveniently have to play games, and they are a developing nation, to be honest i bet at least 3/4 of their country doesn't even know what starcraft 2 is.

On April 08 2012 08:58 gKyoji wrote:
All those people who says Africa its just small huts and animals wandering around, are the same people who says Brazil is only forest and monkeys, lol.

On topic, I would like an Africa Division. It wouldn`t be as many players as Europe but it would be fun to watch! :D
Only by giving everyone a chance, we can see the peace. =]

On April 07 2012 11:37 PraetorianX wrote:


I don't feel that it's possible to answer this question without going into some really sensitive issues in depth - issues beyond the spectrum of this forum - and possibly stepping on some toes by doing so. So you're not gonna get a good answer to your question - but that doesn't mean there isn't one.

On April 08 2012 03:10 PandaTank wrote:
... I suppose you also think we have ride elephants to work here.

So, it comes down to this:
I feel like there aren't many African SC players, am I right?
Why is that the case?

On April 07 2012 18:56 bblack wrote:


While I appreciate your enthusiasm in replying, I feel like your view of Africa might be a bit lopsided. Not everybody has to live in a box and walk 20 miles to get water, but the more developed countries don't make it to TV as often.

On April 08 2012 12:45 hyphenchang wrote:
the food is more important than playing game in the africa!

On April 08 2012 09:24 Snoodles wrote:


You're implying that they're not smart enough, which is a topic that doesn't need to be taboo because it is so easily discredited. Is the average Korean a GM? Is the average white european a GM? No average person plays pro starcraft 2, so population averages like education and IQ don't matter, since pro-level play will be done by talented outliers. Given that africa is home to millions of people, there will be at least thousands of potential pros there at the tail-end of the bell curve. Culture and infrastructure are the only possible explanations here. Given that high-achieving people of African origin can get into Ivy League institutions and become US Presidents or Astrophysicists, there is absolutely no inherent reason pros can't come out of Africa, black OR white.

On April 08 2012 10:49 Stinson wrote:


At least on an elephant I would be able to take my toolbox home. My Kangaroo really struggles with the groceries in her pouch.

On April 08 2012 22:02 iMAniaC wrote:
If I were you, PandaTank, I would write to Blizzard and state that you're a GM on EU who would like to compete and ask which tournament you should enter, seeing as you're a South African. The possible outcomes would be, I guess:

1) They answer that they plan to support as many as possible and that more info will be provided later - in which you case you have to sit tight and wait for information. Possibly remind them in a month or so if nothing new has been announced.

2) They answer that they'll arrange for you to join ESL's Other European Countries Tournament, in which case you can do that.

3) They answer that they don't plan to support Africa, in which case you can report back and perhaps we can manage a proper nerd rage together to make them change their minds.

I think it would also be a good idea for other South African players to ask Blizz how they should participate in the Global Championship (so that they see that there are in fact a huge number of people in Africa who want to compete). My best suggestion would be to politely ask them how, with an implicit understanding that you are in fact going to be able to compete, seeing as they promised other nationals to get their chance, but at the same time state your concerns that you've been forgotten on the basis that your continent as a whole has not been mentioned whatsoever and that it is not obvious at all how you are going to compete, as opposed to the rest of the world who has had their continent mentioned in passing, if nothing else.

If none of that works, perhaps the SC2 community could hold an unofficial qualifier for Africans, in protest, and then when the champion is crowned, we could again demand that he (or she) gets a seed to the Championships.

On April 07 2012 18:53 bblack wrote:My point is, here in Europe everyone can get into college if you are intelligent enough and want to. You don't need to have money to back it up, and there are more than enough spots for everyone. If that is not the case, then it might be more tempting to pursue a career in gaming, if there is enough money to be gained by doing so.

On April 08 2012 22:23 Chaosu wrote:

And this is based on what, Netherlands? Here in Poland top universities are pretty hard to get. Yes, if you are genious you can get into the uni but you can't say "everyone intelligent" can. So what does "enough" actually mean? There are more spots for geniuses here too but not enough for every intelligent person. Plus affording studies especially if you have to move out from your home is pretty expensive and many students struggle to do so. So again where in Europe? Because for sure not in whole Europe. Looks like another random assumption but I'm giving you a chance to explain...

On April 08 2012 23:06 Falan wrote:
I've actually met only 2 Africans in any kind of online games yet (including Poker) and both of them were white South Africans (Boers). Maybe computer games just aren't a part of African youth culture even if they can afford it? Just a guess though, I've never been in Africa.

On April 08 2012 22:02 iMAniaC wrote:
If I were you, PandaTank, I would write to Blizzard and state that you're a GM on EU who would like to compete and ask which tournament you should enter, seeing as you're a South African. The possible outcomes would be, I guess:

1) They answer that they plan to support as many as possible and that more info will be provided later - in which you case you have to sit tight and wait for information. Possibly remind them in a month or so if nothing new has been announced.

2) They answer that they'll arrange for you to join ESL's Other European Countries Tournament, in which case you can do that.

3) They answer that they don't plan to support Africa, in which case you can report back and perhaps we can manage a proper nerd rage together to make them change their minds.

I think it would also be a good idea for other South African players to ask Blizz how they should participate in the Global Championship (so that they see that there are in fact a huge number of people in Africa who want to compete). My best suggestion would be to politely ask them how, with an implicit understanding that you are in fact going to be able to compete, seeing as they promised other nationals to get their chance, but at the same time state your concerns that you've been forgotten on the basis that your continent as a whole has not been mentioned whatsoever and that it is not obvious at all how you are going to compete, as opposed to the rest of the world who has had their continent mentioned in passing, if nothing else.

If none of that works, perhaps the SC2 community could hold an unofficial qualifier for Africans, in protest, and then when the champion is crowned, we could again demand that he (or she) gets a seed to the Championships.

On April 07 2012 09:15 DashedHopes wrote:
to be honest i bet at least 3/4 of their country doesn't even know what starcraft 2 is.

On April 09 2012 03:24 Xann wrote:
it isnt part of South African culture because the white supremacists occupied it and humiliated my african brothers

On April 09 2012 07:48 snakeyezz wrote:


It says your from America, therefore they aren't you African brothers.
Oh and your sentences don't make sense, They are just promoting your ignorance towards our country.
Another thing is that America had slavery, you can say that this humiliated your brothers, but seeing as you have probably never visited South Africa, you cannot say they are your brothers,

On April 08 2012 22:51 Arghnews wrote:
Such ignorant and arrogant, repulsive statements get me wound up: "No player in Africa is higher than Diamond". That's like saying no kid in a Brazilian slum is as good at football as someone at a private school in the US. And I too bet 90% of people in the US can't tell you what SC2 is.

People also always make the 3 year old assumption that all of Africa is completely poverty stricken like the charity adverts show you. There are some places in Africa with money and technology, granted though that they are fewer and further between.

I think the reason there are a lack of pros is simply since, yes, more people than not do NOT have access to the net, there are simply less players, and of course less of a community for gaming etc. The reason gaming is big is the conditions are right, if most people cannot afford comps/the net... The conditions necessary to facilitate pro players are simply not there. Someone said it: they have bigger things on their mind.

On April 09 2012 13:31 robopork wrote:
Enter a BUNCH of fallacious "dark continent" bullshit. This thread is really embarrassing, TL.

I was in South Africa in January. I played starcraft with South Africans. That being said, SA is the economic powerhouse of sub-Saharan Africa, and less than 20% of the population has reasonable access to internet within their homes. Among the wealthy that do have access, I can't really say why competitive starcraft hasn't produced any decent players. I can say from first hand experience that the gaming culture of the youth in Johannesburg is pretty damn vibrant. Maybe EU players can comment, since they play on their servers?

I swear that if someone refers to the whole continent of Africa as if it was a single, one dimensional, developing country one more time I'll blow a gasket. This community is well above that kind of blatant stupidity.

On April 08 2012 08:08 Flonomenalz wrote:
Well I'm currently playing from Nigeria, and the lag to NA isn't too bad, some days it's pretty good, other days it's awful. The internet in Nigeria as a whole is pretty terrible, I should probably play on EU but I don't feel like making another account and getting to low Masters all over again (ugh, it was so hard with my connection t.t...)

Anyway, PC gaming here (in Nigeria) is pretty non existent, almost any gamer I know plays console games, predominantly FIFA/PES or shooters.

I can make a statement with almost near certainty that I am one of maybe, MAYBE 3-5 Nigerian SC2 players in the entire country, and that's being optimistic. There might be some foreigners on a visit to the country that play SC2, but that doesn't really count.

So yeah, don't expect SC in Africa to be going anywhere anytime soon.

On April 08 2012 04:35 Eiaco wrote:


The rich part of South Africa is much richer than South Korea. Ill try and keep race out of this but its very difficult to, 6 million South Africans live in western-like luxury whilst 44 million South Africans live in utter poverty. Some of the North African Countries are fairly oil rich. Everything in-between North of Arfica (Morrocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya and Egypt) and South Africa seems to be in complete and utter poverty though.

On April 09 2012 03:24 Xann wrote:
it isnt part of South African culture because the white supremacists occupied it and humiliated my african brothers

On April 07 2012 09:11 bblack wrote:
With the StarCraft II World Championship Series being announced there have been many questions about the way the world gets divided into 5 continents. Although most people are commenting on Asia-related divisions, to me the most remarkable observation lies in there not being an African continent representative.
While I follow the pro scene quite fanatically and am well aware that there aren't any African pro players, it did get me wondering.

I always figured that SC (and other skill / practice related professions like break-dancing) has grown so large in Korea because it's very difficult to develop a school and work career over there. Even if you're smart, you might have difficulty of being successful.
Then I imagine that the same goes for a lot of less developed countries in, for example, Africa. If you can make a living by becoming successful in SC, as it is right now, why don't any Africans seem to go train full time as a career path?
Is it something to do with technology and internet being unavailable, or lack of teams to support starting pro's, or just ignorance of the possibility, or.. ?

Looking at previous posts, there is some SC action going on in South Afrika, but that does overall seem to be the most 'western' country of the continent anyway.

So, it comes down to this:
I feel like there aren't many African SC players, am I right?
Why is that the case?

EDIT: lot's of people get bogged down on one-liners, saying Africans need food, not gaming, or that I'm retarded for even posting this.
Perhaps I've been unfortunate in my choice of words or the example of Korea (it was just something that got me thinking, not all that relevant to this post). So, to be more clear:

My point is, here in Europe everyone can get into college if you are intelligent enough and want to. You don't need to have money to back it up, and there are more than enough spots for everyone. If you happen to live somewhere where that is not the case, then it might be more tempting to pursue a career in gaming, if there is enough money to be gained by doing so.
If that's a risk that you are able to take, and the alternatives aren't all that safe either, I imagine more people would try to turn pro. The could go for people in some African countries.

I'm not suggesting anything here, merely posing a question. Africa isn't entirely as underdeveloped as you might think, and as it has been pointed out: a lot of African people get into soccer in hopes of being a paid pro.
So why not SC?

On April 09 2012 18:34 ScLogan wrote:
This has probably been said before and from what I can read on this, a lot of people here are so fucking ignorant it makes my skin crawl.

Then again, when the Miss America can't even point out where on the map America is, you have to wonder, and yes xann, I am talking to you. Your comments were the ones that stood out the most because you just don't know shit and making comments on what you THINK you know. Come down here and have a braai and a good dop, then we will take you to go and meet your 'African Brothers' as you call it. Trust me, you don't want to.

Now this does sound racist but unfortunately a lot of people don't realise what has happened here in the past or can comment on why we are not part of the world championships. All I know is this:
A few nights ago I had dinner with a freind of mine, black, named Joseph and his wife and two kids. We have been friends since high school and he has done well and pushed himself to succeed. However, his brother, feels that everything must be given to him and that he is owed a living. Joseph, has never been to jail, one of the greatest guys I know, but Thabo has been in and out of jail quite a bit, has never applied himself to succeed and like a lot of the rural community has been misinformed by their own governement, their own people, on how things work. This country needs more Josephs and less Africans like xann and Thabo cause they are the ones that create the stigma.

The other problem exists, as what redemption of US stated and thank you for that, is that South Africa does not have the proper infrastructure or 'awareness' of the potency of E-Sports as it is labeled more as a 'video game'. We relied primarily on a group of people who were more interested in their own gain on the money that E-Sports would line their pockets than actually doing something constructive with it. We have rules and regualtions just like any other country and we need to look at what is needed to grow the community of E-Sports and put people into tournaments and get the recognition. Sitting and hoping that it will happen is just what the rest of the workd expects. We are on a long road and a journey, and maybe this year or the next year we might not be there, but we will. We have some amazing players here in South Africa, PandaTank is one of them, but we also have Shase and Seem, all good players who could be potential competitors in the future.

We have jobs, lives, families that we have to look after and maybe the generation now cannot make an impact, but the future generation will. We have been held back by a lot of mistakes in our countries past based on decisions of men who were not even South African but we have come a lot further in 10 years or so to what America has come in 60. To label us is ignorant and extremely stupid. Browse the internet on news of South Africa rather than ASSUME you know something.

For me, what I see and what you don't see, is the future that is so exciting for us. I am an admin and co-owner of one of the largest MGO's in South Africa. With the potential base and player base that just oozes with good stuff. It is not my job that gets me out of bed every morning, it is the excitement and passion that I see over here, that will allow us to move forward, because we want to be able to take part in the Championship one day. Patience is a virtue and will take a lot of hard work - but I can't wait for when it happens. It is going to be sweet!

And now - just for the ignorant - I need to go and walk the 10kms to go get some water. I have no shoes and the dirt roads have quite a bit of thorns. The elephant is not feeling well and my pet lion needs a walk anyway. I would mow the grass in the back yard but I don't have a mower big enough for veld. THen I will come back to my mud hut, light a candle, wind up the generator and hopefully get enough power to turn on my PC to play some games. Hopefully the stringed cup we get our internet from will provide good enough single for a game or two, unless the string has frayed which will mean another 10 - 20km walk. Anyway, might see you online at around 10 tonight if all goes well

On April 09 2012 19:04 SoniC_eu wrote:
U need a good infrastructure to play sc2. South AFrica, Morocco, (perhaps) Kenya might have that..Maybe more? You need a good internet penetration, decent computer AND a steady supply of electricity and most of africa doesnt have that.
To play soccer u need a 2 posts and a ball...It's just easier for kids to play soccer & scout talents. And like it has been said before, Africans don't follow Esports atm. U would have to have a int'l team with int'l sponsors, which I am sure is possible...
Are there any sc2 african pros / teams atm? Can someone link to them ty

On April 10 2012 03:57 tdt wrote:
It's like selling snow cones on the North Pole.

On April 10 2012 04:23 FabledIntegral wrote:
Your edit makes things even worse. They try to get into soccer after showing promise on the streets. You think even a remote portion of the population can afford a computer that can run SC2? A computer that can even run SC2 on low is going to cost like $700 there minimum, assuming they know how to build hte sucker themselves, then they have to show promise. Most of them can't even afford the luxury of SC2, let alone try to go pro at it.

On April 10 2012 05:01 Acritter wrote:
Can there really be any debate that there are SIGNIFICANTLY more people for Blizzard to market to in the Americas, Europe, Southeast Asia, and Korea than in Africa? That's why there's no African server. Simple economics.

On April 10 2012 05:24 SupLilSon wrote:


Really, it blows my mind that this thread is still on the first page. I glanced at the OP when the thread first appeared and figured it was a joke or troll post... LA doesn't have it's own server anymore and it has a much much larger Esports community than Africa. There is absolutely no way to justify an Africa server... Play on TW/KR, I have almost negligent delay playing there from US East Coast..

On April 10 2012 05:01 Acritter wrote:
Can there really be any debate that there are SIGNIFICANTLY more people for Blizzard to market to in the Americas, Europe, Southeast Asia, and Korea than in Africa? That's why there's no African server. Simple economics.

On April 10 2012 04:40 ScLogan wrote:


Another sign of ignorance here - absolutely wonderful.

On April 10 2012 05:41 Egyptian_Head wrote:

I bought a new pc for $233.13 (exact conversion), not including a moniter. No I did not have to build it myself but I am capable of doing it. The local pc shop does it for free with a purchase. Runs sc2 on medium at a good frame rate. Where on earth did that guy pull that $700 from? Is that how much pcs cost in America? You guys are getting ripped off big time if that is the case. For $700 I could build a top of the line pc or pretty close to it.

On April 10 2012 04:40 ScLogan wrote:


Another sign of ignorance here - absolutely wonderful.

On April 10 2012 05:51 SupLilSon wrote:


Don't forget that the average income in America is higher than in Africa. So it may be around the same relative price. But yes, I'm sure companies hike up their prices for products sold in the US. The average American consumer will be scrambling to give you his/her money if they see a comercial with Football and Tits.

On April 10 2012 06:14 FabledIntegral wrote:


Oh really? The thread is about Africa as a whole, not a fragment of the population. Technology is generally more expensive in Africa, while income is significantly cheaper, with the vast majority of people making less than $4000 per year. It's not like other continents, where there's a massive population AND market that wants these products. You're utterly ridiculous.

It's not like any computer, with broadband, can run SC2, even on low. Costs of parts are high, and most people don't know how to build a computer themselves. Please.




Generally this is not the case. They don't hike up the prices that much simply because the product itself is very expensive to make. They can't cut prices significantly for poorer income places or they'll lose money.

I'd like to know exactly what he bought for $233.13. America has some of the lowest prices for computer components in first world countries. I'm not sure I know any country with lower prices, in fact. And I was including peripherials, since people would need them, aka monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc. You do in fact need those to play SC2, no?

On April 10 2012 05:29 Egyptian_Head wrote:

From someone who lives in South Africa, I would just quit if I were forced to play on a Africa server, I would have to wait years for a game and the level of opponent would be much weaker. I can connect to the EU server fine with no real lag most of the time. Why anyone would want an Africa server is beyond me.

On April 10 2012 06:36 bblack wrote:

Again, the thread isn't about getting a dedicated server for Africa. It's about allowing African players to participate in the Battle.net World Championship. I can understand that you feel like there might be downsides to having your own African server (even if you could still just keep your EU account and play there ), but wouldn't you want the chance to try out for the World Championship?

On April 07 2012 09:15 DashedHopes wrote:
First of all, a lot countries in africa have too much to worry about such as food, shelter, water, and diseases. Electricity is rare to conveniently have to play games, and they are a developing nation, to be honest i bet at least 3/4 of their country doesn't even know what starcraft 2 is.

On April 10 2012 06:33 Egyptian_Head wrote:

Keyboard and mouse were free with the purchase. They are very cheap ones, all you could do with them is give them away but they work sort of. The mouse for example is very temperamental just stops working occasionally and I have to replug it in and it starts working again. Admittedly a monitor would put the price up by about $100 if I remember monitor prices right. And lets face it you would need a modem which would be another $100 for a cheap one. And you would need an internet connection, I have the cheapest available uncapped which is $24 per month (i forgot how much the line costs so that is not included so it will be a little more). And yes even though this is way less than $700 it is out of the reach of most of the population.

On April 10 2012 06:42 Egyptian_Head wrote:

Oh yes, even if the African slot would basically be a free win for the opponent we are a continent, we have Sc2 players we should have the opportunity to compete. How can Africa get any pro players if we are not given these opportunities.

On April 10 2012 06:49 FabledIntegral wrote:


What exactly are your specs that allow you to play on medium? I don't believe your computer was new. Looking at sites in Egypt, the price of Windows itself is over $100. Of course, PC stores can have deals with Microsoft to get it significantly cheaper, but you don't have that option if you're building the computer yourself, so you'd have to deal with storebought prices.

Also, looking at http://www.pcegypt.com/, the prices in Egypt are nigh identical to the United States, if not marginally more expensive. As I said previously, the U.S. generally has the cheapest computer components you'll find anywhere. Generally speaking, and I'm not sure how pricing is particularly in third world countries, but out of first world countries, it's the U.S.

On April 10 2012 06:51 bblack wrote:

A few pages back someone smartly suggested that someone like yourself should contact Blizzard. Just say you are from SA and ask how you can compete. Care to give that a try?

On April 10 2012 06:51 Egyptian_Head wrote:

Firstly I am in South Africa despite the name. It was on special at the time, I will try find out what the same rig costs now without the special.

This is the place I got it from if you want to compare prices. Unfortunately they are no longer selling the same rig as I have.

http://www.zones.co.za/

edit:

It says Dual core 3.00GHz
2gb ram
It came with 250gb hard drive but I have improved that.

I have no clue what graphics card it is but it is really bad.

On April 10 2012 07:23 Egyptian_Head wrote:


Not actually a bad idea. I will give it a try not that I expect anything to come of it but unless people ask for it Blizzard have no reason to make it happen.

The number of students in higher education had risen from 100,000 in 1960 to 1.3 million in 1987, and the proportion of college-age students in higher-education institutions was second only to the United States.

On April 12 2012 05:26 Govou wrote:
OP you might be underestimating how many korean univerisites there. I think there are more than enough take all students.



though I dont know about how much money does it cost, you seem like you are talking about korea based on your imagination just like alot of people here. I think it's best to just remove that part all together. Like you said, it has nothing to do with your point.

On April 12 2012 05:40 bblack wrote:

Perhaps it is incorrect, but certainly not based on solely my own imagination. As I noted in an other post somewhere further down the line, it is something a Korean pro player once said in an interview.

it's very difficult to develop a school and work career over there. Even if you're smart, you might have difficulty of being successful.

On April 12 2012 06:16 Govou wrote:




maybe it was a mistranslation maybe he was talking about going to top university. Regardless, your statement is not true. I have a hard statistic to back up my point. You have one people's word.

On April 12 2012 06:37 bblack wrote:


I believe you might be wrongly convinced of your rightfulness. Your hard statistic simply says that there are a lot of people in 'higher education'. But like in some other countries that need 'top universities', a lot of the higher educations aren't all that great or worth all that much. I believe in the OP I talk about a career, not just getting a diploma. If a lot of the universities' diplomas won't help much in the crowded business world of Korea then your statistic doesn't mean so much anymore.
The point is, you might be right, but I see no reason for you to be just yet. On the other side there is someone who actually lives in Korea and actually knows how it works over there who backs up what I posted. This also isn't hard proof whatsoever, but you cannot simply quote a statistic and be convinced my statement can't be correct

On April 12 2012 07:10 Govou wrote:


very eloquently put, but then again I have to disagree. I just checked unemployment rate from CIA website and this is what I got

canada 7.4%
s. korea 3.4%
netherlands 5.2%
united states 9.1%

put the higher education rate and unemployment rate together, I think it's a pretty conclusive case. maybe your friend is telling you his true feeling. But one people's perception is not always true.

On April 12 2012 07:29 bblack wrote:

Forgive me, but I find it hard to see this as conclusive evidence :p
Perhaps I'm too academically schooled and skeptical because of it, but a reported unemployment rate still isn't very impressive. First of all they are mere statistics, one can find backing evidence for any case if one dives into the wonderful world of statistics (which I teach at our university :p). Second of all, being employed only means having a job. If it's boring, dead-end and for minimum wages, then it's still not a very good result after having put a lot of time and effort into getting schooled. The career world over there may still be very though indeed.
PS, unfortunately it wasn't a friend of mine, but a Korean pro.

On April 12 2012 08:02 Govou wrote:


hehe this is getting interesting. It seems we have reached a deadlock situation. well then, let's take a look at your reasons.

1) sure you could claim 'hey every statistic can be twisted' but then what do we use for measurement? Basically all you have given me is your theory. I gave you my theory and statistic. What you are saying can be easily interpreted as you trying to throw out my evidence because it does not work for you and you dont have any. If you have any researched evidence that my number is somehow skewed, I'm more than interested to listen to the counter statement. Other than the statement 'I'm too smart to believe this shit' :p

2) It maybe a deadend job, maybe it is not. I dont think both you and I know enough about this matter to say definitely. However I do know this, if I try to become a progamer in korea, I would know it is a INCREDIBLY hard job that requires insane amount of work with little of no return for majority of the players. at least in SC2 case. That much dedication would probably lead me to a decent future even if I started in a pos part time shift job.

As for me, I think this is why SC has grown so large in korea. The internet boom of early 2000 and the emergence of PC cafe. You have to remember SC wasn't only popular amongst serious gamer but played by enormous amount of ppl in s.korea.

On April 07 2012 09:17 GamiKami wrote:
I remember there was a tournament going on in a while ago, and they only managed to scrounge up around 8 players and the finals was a plat level player vs a gold level player. There are very little players in africa, and you cannot expect anyone to be higher than diamond in all of africa. Imho its due to the general lack of technology and the very different culture.

On April 07 2012 09:12 clickrush wrote:
sc2 is not supported there as far as I know

On April 07 2012 09:11 bblack wrote:
With the StarCraft II World Championship Series being announced there have been many questions about the way the world gets divided into 5 continents. Although most people are commenting on Asia-related divisions, to me the most remarkable observation lies in there not being an African continent representative.
While I follow the pro scene quite fanatically and am well aware that there aren't any African pro players, it did get me wondering.

I always figured that SC (and other skill / practice related professions like break-dancing) has grown so large in Korea because it's very difficult to develop a school and work career over there. Even if you're smart, you might have difficulty of being successful.
Then I imagine that the same goes for a lot of less developed countries in, for example, Africa. If you can make a living by becoming successful in SC, as it is right now, why don't any Africans seem to go train full time as a career path?
Is it something to do with technology and internet being unavailable, or lack of teams to support starting pro's, or just ignorance of the possibility, or.. ?

Looking at previous posts, there is some SC action going on in South Afrika, but that does overall seem to be the most 'western' country of the continent anyway.

So, it comes down to this:
I feel like there aren't many African SC players, am I right?
Why is that the case?

EDIT: lot's of people get bogged down on one-liners, saying Africans need food, not gaming, or that I'm retarded for even posting this.
Perhaps I've been unfortunate in my choice of words or the example of Korea (it was just something that got me thinking, not all that relevant to this post). So, to be more clear:

My point is, here in Europe everyone can get into college if you are intelligent enough and want to. You don't need to have money to back it up, and there are more than enough spots for everyone. If you happen to live somewhere where that is not the case, then it might be more tempting to pursue a career in gaming, if there is enough money to be gained by doing so.
If that's a risk that you are able to take, and the alternatives aren't all that safe either, I imagine more people would try to turn pro. The could go for people in some African countries.

I'm not suggesting anything here, merely posing a question. Africa isn't entirely as underdeveloped as you might think, and as it has been pointed out: a lot of African people get into soccer in hopes of being a paid pro.
So why not SC?

On April 07 2012 13:11 Chriscras wrote:


Wow an entire continent and no one in their Grandmaster's league T-T

On April 08 2012 03:10 PandaTank wrote:
Wow, so many ignorant comments in this thread its disgusting.

Really? You think the highest player in the WHOLE of Africa is only in diamond? I suppose you also think we have ride elephants to work here.

On April 13 2012 02:19 NeThZOR wrote:

And you seem to not know much. Please people, this is not a troll post, but stems more out of concern for the general populous of the WORLD. Become informed before posting such things.

Taken in the February 2012
http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm
http://sc2ranks.com/

Users in Korea: 39.4 million. Users in taiwan: 16,147,000 Players in South Korea/taiwan: 770,582. Ratio: about 72 internet users for each starcraft 2 player.

Users in Americas (North and South): 488,005,400. Americas server: 1,317,394 ratio: 370 internet users per starcraft 2 player

Users in Europe: 476,213,935 Europe Server: 993,488. ratio: 479 internet users per starcraft 2 player

Users in China: 477,000,000. China Server: 322,863. ratio: 1477 users per sc2 player

I am not even going to do Southeast Asia because I am not 100% sure who players there.

Notes: Please note that this does not take into consideration players that play across servers and continents.

Please remember the starcraft 2 scene in South Korea seems to be (correct me if I am wrong) more widespread so it would make sense that there are more players per internet user.

Let us now look at Africa (as a whole). They have 118,609,620 internet users.

If it had the same e-sports scene as Korea, they would have a total of 1,647,355 players. But as even the Americas and Europe don't come close to its 1 player per 72 internet users, it is highly unlikely Africa does as well.

Let as assume they are the same as Europe, then they would have 247,619 players. If we compare it to America, they would have 320,566 players. But it is highly unlikely the SC2 scene is as developed in Africa as in America and Europe. If I am wrong on this. please correct me.

If we say Africa is the same as China, then they would have 80,304 players at its best. Call me racist, call me ignorant, but I highly doubt the SC2 scene in Africa is as developed as China. I would suspect perhaps half that number at best. Africa as a whole simply has not had the same exposure to the game SC2 as have other countries (I am not saying e-sports there is non-existent/small, I am saying that SC2 there is probably not one of the big videogames. So at its best by my estimates, they would have around 40,000 SC2 players, and who knows how many of those are serious gamers (and in my opinion, this may be very generous). The LA server was merged with the US due to major issues. I do not think Africa warrants a server if these statistics are true. I would opt for the European server being extended to Africa.

On April 13 2012 05:25 omgimonfire15 wrote:


How is this a troll post, he is merely stating the truth. There is no Africa SC2 server, so it would be harder to play due to connection issues.

On April 13 2012 05:31 cellblock wrote:
Are there mostly white South Africans and Namibians that are gamers?

On April 13 2012 05:44 omgimonfire15 wrote:


I posted this is a past SC2 thread talking about Africa. I can conclude they do have players, but they need to make themselves known if they are good. But they do not warrant a server. They also need to prove the need for qualifiers.

On April 07 2012 09:15 DashedHopes wrote:
i bet at least 3/4 of their country doesn't even know what starcraft 2 is.

On April 13 2012 05:44 omgimonfire15 wrote:


I posted this is a past SC2 thread talking about Africa. I can conclude they do have players, but they need to make themselves known if they are good. But they do not warrant a server. They also need to prove the need for qualifiers.

On April 16 2012 00:02 SuPern00b wrote:
Hi, i am from egypt, and i play sc2 and i am masters, i play on EU account, and i would love to know if more people from around here that play this game =D

On April 16 2012 00:04 JiPrime wrote:
If they want to be acknowledged, then get good first, like how Korea did.
It would be awesome to have a black pro-gamer.
You can never have too much diversity.

On April 26 2012 06:31 TumNarDok wrote:
*ressurect due to new information.

Info
http://www.esl.eu/eu/sc2/national2012/news/191707/
Dates
http://www.esl.eu/eu/sc2/national2012/


The Combined European National is open to players with the following citizenship: Austria, Switzerland, Romania, Czech Republic, Hungary, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, Portugal, Croatia, Ireland, Belarus, Slovakia, Lithuania, Serbia, Slovenia, Iceland, Estonia, Luxembourg, Moldova, Cyprus, Malta, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Georgia, Armenia, Monaco, Liechtenstein, Andorra, Albania, Montenegro, San Marino, Vatican City, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Latvia, Israel, South Africa, Faroe Islands

On April 13 2012 10:45 superbarnie wrote:
I think its because SC2 is such a small deal in Africa that those who play at all do not have any encouragement to try it full time.