EPT***Warning this blog/post contains spoilers from MLG Columbus.***
Nowhere to go but UP
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MLG Columbus was billed as the first definitive test of the strength of the SC2 foreigner scene. With huge names from Korea such as MC, July, and MMA going up against such Foreign Titans as Idra, Naniwa and Thorzain it’s hard to argue that either side was lacking in talent. With astronomical expectations, foreign players entered the halls of the Greater Columbus Convention Center goaded on by the cheers of the raucous crowd expecting nothing less than complete and total victory. It was, therefore, a huge disappointment when the first rounds of the foreign-Korean rivalry went off with a seemingly resounding *thud*. However, the apparent misfire masks a less apparent (but more exciting) truth: MLG Columbus put a spotlight on the “green shoots” long growing beneath the surface in competitive Starcraft in North America.
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Several North American "Starcraftistas" have lamented about the failure of the foreign Starcraft players “on their own turf.” The following results have reinforced their belief that the foreign scene’s competitiveness is behind and quickly fading:
- The highest placing foreign player (IdrA) finished in fourth place.
Every single Korean eliminated from MLG was eliminated by a fellow Korean. Even “weaker” players such as Moon could only be eliminated by MC.
July made the open bracket look like bronze league. Winning as many as four games in the course of 25 minutes.
Rising European stars ThorZaIN and Naniwa, widely regarded as the best foreign players outside of Korea, fell disappointingly to Korean powerhouses.
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While the above results have caused despair among many of the excitable fans of foreign players, there are several factors that mitigate the above disappointments:
- Many of the foreign – Korean matches were close. Ridiculously close. IdrA was one anxiety attack away from besting MMA in the winners bracket. Sjow had MMA on the ropes during a well thought out base trade which went wrong because of banshee cloak tech. Despite claims of a non-working keyboard INcontroL took a game off Losira and could have easily taken the series with a little bit better timing. Naniwa was three dancing zealots away from detecting MC’s dark shrine and effortlessly defending his main with a single cannon.
Over 250 starry-eyed gamers participated in the open bracket – the first time MLG competitor’s passes have sold out. The sheer number of players registered exposes the interest in competitive Starcraft in North America. Its entirely possible, perhaps even likely, that the next Maynard, IdrA, etc just got his first taste of competitive gaming
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The reason Koreans are better at Starcraft is because they have put the “pro” into progamer – practicing typically 10 hours a day. MMA said it best himself -
“The reason Koreans did better than foreigners is because they work harder, doing what they love with professionalism, putting in long hours with perseverance and passion.”
In order to develop similar institutions in North America a sustainable tournament circuit needs to be developed. This circuit must be free of game developer money and influence or else it slowly will die on the vine from the vampiric attacks of money-sucking gaming mercenaries (like many other promotional tournaments have).
Many factors emerged at MLG Columbus which show that MLG could be the sustainable tournament we have all been hoping for:
- The crowd was amazing. The apparent surprise on face of the usually steady duo of Artosis and Tasteless during the final between MMA and Losira shows how far North American LAN events have come. Artosis has gone on record saying that he does not believe E-Sports will ever be as big in NA as it is in Korea. Perhaps this event was the beginning of a change in heart? Even MMA was taken aback:
“It's my first time in the USA, and the crowds, passion, cheers were reminiscent of the 2002 World Cup in Korea. It was so great, and it would be awesome if GSL could be as popular.”
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Perhaps even they were taken by surprise?
The personalities that support MLG Columbus’s success are very strong. One does not need to look deep into MLG’s forums to find glowing reports of Starcraft’s excellent production quality and casting teams:
“I'm not a Starcraft 2 player, and I hardly know what is going on in the game at all, really, but jesus does Day9 really make watching the SC:2 stream extremely enjoyable. I wish this was the kind of caster each game for MLG had, no disrespect to the other commentators. Day 9 is a boss, the end.
Thanks for casting an amazing show!”
Thanks for casting an amazing show!”
Finally, the attendance (in stream and in person) MLG Columbus shows that the reports of the death of the PC used in competitive gaming have been greatly exaggerated. The general thesis among the gaming elite over the past 10 years has been to emphasize the importance of the console, and to largely ignore gaming on the PC. This has increased the focus of game makers, marketers, tournament organizers, and competitive gamers on the console as the obvious “weapon of choice.” However, disruptive technologies such as Facebook, cloud computing, YouTube, and streaming video have caused consoles to become more like PCs – with downloadable apps, flexible control devices and internet connectivity. It is entirely feasible to imagine a future where PCs and consoles are essentially the same. This leaves a huge market for potential gamers that is untapped.
In closing:
The despair that grips the Starcraft competitive foreign scene over losses at MLG Columbus has very deep roots. Experiences in Broodwar have propagated the mistaken belief that Koreans utterly dominate at RTS games simply because they have better genes. This fallacious argument often leads to calls for a form of “Starcraft protectionism” – protecting foreign tournaments from Korean involvement. But, just as trade protectionism leads to stagnation in sovereign nations, so to does Starcraft protectionism lead to stagnation in its gaming community. Therefore, it is incumbent upon our community to continue to invite skilled Korean to our tournaments – allowing it to build on the successes of MLG Columbus so that one day we may match the Koreans in skill and professionalism.
Let the games continue.
