Why some of us just watch
Inspired by a recent thread, I thought I would write a short story about my life as an SC2 spectator. Many people seem to assume that everyone who watches the game plays as well, but that couldn't be further from the truth. I've never even picked up a copy of SC2, let alone play the game.
However, I’m not so different from many of you reading this. I often have an SC2 stream open in the background. I watch the Day[9] Daily, tune into major tournaments, get hyped about TL Attack! and scream like a schoolgirl whenever a TSL is announced. I even participate in a community dedicated to the game and sport that is StarCraft.
So why do I spectate and make SC2 a part of my life when I don't even play the game? Well, let’s look at how I first got involved in the SC scene...
Enter 2006, my first semester in college. My roommates and I competed fiercely with each other in SSB:M, and we would play every day for hours on end. So a friend who often visited our dorm thought I would be interested to learn how seriously some people took video gaming. He hopped onto the nearest computer, navigated to YouTube, and he showed me a VOD of a Korean “progamer” doing vulture micro.
Now, I had never heard the term progamer before, so I naturally assumed he meant programmer. After seeing the VOD myself, my belief that these people wrote programs that played SC:BW at high levels was reinforced. No human being could possibly do that. Well, I couldn't have been more wrong.
So I became interested in these progamers, and I browsed YouTube for more VODs. That’s when I came across the Midas vs. Draco game as WCG. To this day, I remember that game as one of the most amazing games ever cast. Tasteless did such an amazing job commentating it and expressed such genuine enthuism in the game that I fell head over heels in love.
Now, I did try to pick up SC again and play with my roommates. It was a lot of fun, even though I look back at those games with shame. Every game we played, I would 2-gate all-in, and I would always win. Around this time, I stumbled across TeamLiquid, and I learned about the upcoming match between Bisu and Savior in GOMTV MSL season 1. I thought I would tune in even though I had never watched a live game before and cheer for the underdog Protoss.
Spoiler alert:
+ Show Spoiler +
Why so sexy?
And so, my love affair began. I was terrible at SC so I didn’t continue playing, but I sure as hell tuned in to every game Bisu played and to every production TeamLiquid put on.
Fast forward to 5 years later, and now I'm watching SC2. So why have I continued to spectate the game over the years?
Well, what a lot of players don’t take notice of is that SC really is a great spectator sport. The competition is fierce, the personalities are great, and the majority of games carry with them a lot of strategy and suspense. Not to mention, Korea vs. the World is one of the more epic struggles in all of sports currently. It doesn't get much more entertaining.
There's nothing intrinsically difficult about just observing the game. I, as a spectator, understand how the game is played and the basic strategies involved. I have a decent grasp of a lot of timings, despite never having been in the driver seat myself. It isn't any different to me than watching a game of basketball, football, tennis or any other sport.
Now, this isn't meant to be an all inclusive tale about why people spectate SC2. It's just my story that I wanted to share with you. SC2 is a great game, it's not just gamers that enjoy it, and I'm definitely not alone as an observer.