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Katowice25012 Posts
Recently I stumbled across a documentary about a Tetris competition. I'm a man with an unusually large interest in any kind of video game competition – even stuff like Nick Arcade – so this was right up my alley, and it was captivating. Particularly wonderful was the incredible and obvious passion these people have for their game. These guys go all out, there are scenes where players discuss and critique the style of one another. Styles. In Tetris. A game I had no idea could even display personality.
Then it struck me how strange it was that this was notable in any way. I live and breathe esports. My entire life revolves around TeamLiquid, a place built around people being passionate for a strange and niche competition. Maybe working too close to the heart has affected my perception, but I think StarCraft has lost a lot of this over the past year. Somewhere it became about esports, but not about StarCraft, and that has changed how people interact with the game and the community.
Thrust into the spotlight from the moment it was announced, StarCraft II has gone through an irregular and accelerated growth. The game grew up quickly, subject to tournament upon tournament even before release and finding it's way to MLG, IEM, and DreamHack nearly immediately after selling the first copies.
Not many games have that luxury. They start small and simple, a few events here or there purely because some guy wants to show his friends he is the best. Their roots are in living rooms, basements, and LAN centers. They spend time learning who they are, and those playing learn to bond on a level that only teenage obsession and love can form. Not many games have the curse of higher dreams.
StarCraft II hasn't had that beautiful adolescence. The time when gamers obsess about the game not because of what they see on stage, but because of what they see in front of them. What they experience on the battlefield itself, the magnificent combination of planning and execution that make up a game. We need to make ESPORTS happen was the rally cry of 2010, and set the tone for the community since. Topics about the players, their style, and unique strategies are lost among a sea of discussion regarding the state of the industry and daily gossip.
SC2 is an amazing game. It offers competitive depth and allows for a variety of playstyles completely unmatched in any game (at least anything not named Brood War). Yet it's rare that we celebrate it, instead choosing to spend hundreds of pages arguing over the crazy things Jessica does. We're in a community where the conversation is not about what brought us together, but rather about the entire system. The focus is on everything outside the game, it's a kind of bizarre meta ritual where the thing holding us together is the need to discuss the group.
When I started getting heavily into Dota the most striking aspect was how fanatical everyone is about the game itself. Dota has a longstanding tradition of professionals retiring and then coming back because they can't move on with their lives. It's not even noteworthy when Artstyle quits or forms a new team because he's done both too many times to count. The same was true for the Brood War scene on TL back in “the day”. People would try but they could never really leave.
The entire RTS genre is truly incredible. The variety in the types of actions a player can perform, the range of motion he has in ability to express himself through the game, far surpasses any other kind of title (even among other highly competitive games). It's an extraordinary, wondrous thing seeing Sting craft a non-standard TvP or JyJ try some funky proxy reaper-into-Thor build. If esports were a painting, StarCraft would be the largest canvas with the brightest colors sitting next to it, just waiting to be turned into a masterpiece of gigantic proportions.
I don't know that there is a specific purpose to this but it's been something I've been wanting to get off my chest. StarCraft is an awesome pastime, and it's frustrating and annoying to see that whining about irrelevant things is the hip way to be. I'm happy that there are now other big titles to take the focus off SC2 all the time, because our community needs some time for self reflection and actualization. We need time as something besides the esports title and all the pressures that come with showing the world what gaming competitions are. We don't need more people who like SC2 because it's the big thing, we need people who enjoy it for what it is and stay because they share an interest and will grow that passion.
Esports is a magical and amazing thing. We're taking the most whimsical of pastimes and seeing what happens when you introduce an arena to the equation. Why did it become about anything more? Play for the love. Develop the passion. Cherish the game, inside and out.
 
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Your post reminds me of two entries I had written about. Both the drama and the lack of "personality" within builds and strategies of players.
I attributed the lack of personality with builds due to the overabundance of tournaments. If you have to play in the open-brackets of three tournaments within a month (let's say IEM, IPL & MLG), then you are better off practicing your mechanics and endurance to play rather than creating new builds and styles.
In addition, tournaments mean more opponents and less specialty in plays. The emphasis on good macromanagement in-game, mentality and overall strategy becomes more demanded than training or preparing specifically for an opponent and their strategy (a la GSL or NASL). Endurance starts playing a larger value than one’s ability to really assess their opponent as well as out-think them. These tournaments potentially slow down strategy and competitive innovation for refining in mechanics and overall ability to play the game.
- Branching problem 2: With an influx of major tournaments, a player’s time is divided to preparing for all kinds of opponents as well as specific opponents in leagues. Preparation diminishes, strategy becomes stale and repetitive to what works most of the time.
It's about which net of builds will get you the farthest. The appeal to the GSL is the assumption that it is the highest-level of play, both on a player's mechanics as well as each match, presumably, being the summation of two players' preparation to understand one another and their strengths/weaknesses.
http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=384505
As for the emphasis and drama. More of the scene than the game, I think it's because the community is bored: both with the above issue as well as the fact that there is no proper story-telling or redefining of the players and their uniqueness.
Drama is the side-effect of an untold scene. My viewpoint on drama is that it is a byproduct of a bored environment. A boring scene is a culture without meaning in its crowning events or overall performance in entertainment. In my opinion, drama, rivalries, hype, nicknames and announcements are shapes and offshoots of story-telling for E-Sports. Why is story-telling so important?
http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=387328
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People should try doing what they like instead of trying to like what they think they should do. Perhaps then they would care less about things not being how they would like them to be and perhaps even care less about what other people liked.
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One big thing is the phenomenon of people watching SC2 but not playing it/playing very little. I think a lot of those people focus on drama rather than gameplay
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I blame some degree of my obsession with gaming on spending far too many mornings watching Nick Arcade as a kid. Actraiser, Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Paperboy, they played some baller games, and the final challenge where the contestants got to play inside a game blew my mind.
I think Sir Scoots really spoke to this concept really well, in that he advocated that we channel our passion towards the positive and not the negative; if you don't like a game or a race or an aspect of balance, than cheer all the louder when a Terran masterfully dodges a fungal or your favorite game ends up with an exciting final match at a local tournament. Constructive criticism can be useful, but I think a lot of people underestimate how constructive support can be.
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On January 12 2013 07:35 farvacola wrote:
I blame some degree of my obsession with gaming on spending far too many mornings watching Nick Arcade as a kid. Actraiser, Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Paperboy, they played some baller games, and the final challenge where the contestants got to play inside a game blew my mind.
I think Sir Scoots really spoke to this concept really well, in that he advocated that we channel our passion towards the positive and not the negative; if you don't like a game or a race or an aspect of balance, than cheer all the louder when a Terran masterfully dodges a fungal or your favorite game ends up with an exciting final match at a local tournament. Constructive criticism can be useful, but I think a lot of people underestimate how constructive support can be.
The issue is is that its almost human nature to be more quiet about areas you're satisfied with, since there is nothing advocate to change in that area.
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Well thought out, with extremely relevant points. All aboard the dota train if something doesn't change.
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To an extent, it may be just perspective. When you say "the community" I assume you mean the loud opinions on TeamLiquid and Reddit. If you dig around for some smaller communities or some non-conventional avenues, you'll find that the love for the actual game is still alive and well - it's just that these people's voices aren't as vibrant in the TL and Reddit space that a lot of esports enthusiasts frequent. Furthermore, I think if you make a conscious effort to focus on playing the game in a variety of ways (1v1, monobattles, UMS with friends), you'll find that its still a very enriching experience.
Another pespective to consider is your own as an outsider to the Tetris community. Being really involved in one community, I think the politics and drama become more visible for someone like yourself. Looking at other competitive scenes you are not as involved in, I think the most visible stuff is the awesome gameplay - but like anything in life it all has politics underneath.
StarCraft 2 and the esports community surrounding it thrives on user participation in a variety of forms. You can play the game, you can post on forums, you can make videos etc. There are many ways to participate in the game and community, and become a part of it and feel good that you're having an impact. The GROW ESPORTS mantra may be a way to participate that gives the highest sense of satisfaction with minimal effort - the 'industry' is still very young and malleable and everyone has an opinion that is not neccesarily right or wrong.
Everyone's thoughts is somewhat validated in the fact that they are players and consumers in the space, and can have an impact on the growth of esports.
I think the culture of StarCraft itself bleeds into community attitude. The game promotes a very merit based way of thinking - the most "right" or "skilled" player will win in almost every case. I think for most hardcore starcraft esports fans, the belief is the scene should develop in a similar way where there is little tolerance for mistakes and mishaps - when in reality growing something as new as esports is anything but easy.
I'm sort of in the same train of thought where it's sadly surprising to see people really enthusiastic about the game itself rather than the meta-esports around it. It's my personal goal this year to engage with those people more often rather than the meta-esports stuff.
I hate saying "the community should...", but in some way I feel there should be more highlights in the positive expressions of enjoyment for the game itself on TL and Reddit. I guess in the case of TL, it's a matter of how you will moderate and curate content and what your own internal policies are (as some news is drama etc). Reddit StarCraft on the other hand is at the hands of the community, and in larger numbers the negative still gets more attention. The mods in that forum may impose policy for some more positive content but they do little to interfere.
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Brazil1429 Posts
I relate a lot with this post. Makes me think of soccer here on Brazil: soccer is no longer a place for spontaneous manifestation of love and passion for the game; because of the world cup, soccer has became just the new fashion.
And what's really vile about this process is that tickets are now so expensive that it's really hard for the fans to go to the arenas and watch the game. It became a hobby for rich people that usually don't give a shit about the game.
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I think this is why it's so nice to get articulate pro players in as analysts or co-casters for big matches. Getting to hear how they think about the game, the details they hone in on, the strategic analysis is fascinating. The passion and depth of knowledge on display can be inspiring. When all the elements of good play come together, solid planning, solid execution, skillful reactions to the opponent's play both strategic and mechanical, the game is amazing. If you're skillful enough to play at the highest level you can enjoy it from inside the game, but for those who are lacking some elements of GM+ play, it is rewarding to be brought along for the ride by someone who can explain what's really going on.
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Straight outta Johto18973 Posts
I totally agree. I try to get closer to SC2, but it just seems so... cold and unreciprocated. SC2 is like a clinical display of eSports. All the technicalities but misses a lot of personal touch. So many arguments seem to be for the sake of having an argument or for some misappropriated ideal.
In its rise to the top, I think SC2 has forgotten that at the end of the day, it's a game to play and have fun with. I think taking a step back, taking a deep breath and remembering it's ok to be happy and have fun and it doesn't have to be serious all the time. It's not about everyone else. It's about us. It's about the game. And it's about having fun.
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On January 12 2013 07:43 WhatIsHip wrote:
Well thought out, with extremely relevant points. All aboard the dota train if something doesn't change.
I may be misundertanding him, or even you, but I don't think that was his point.
You shouldn't move on to Dota because they are telling you it will be the new big things, it's great and will change ESPORTS forever. It's not about Dota being better or worse than SC2, Dota was lucky enough not to have been forced to grow. People played Dota because they liked it, loved it even, and it grew into what we have now.
If you actually like SC2, you should follow it and form a community that deeply cares about it. If you like Dota you should follow it because you care about it. If you like LoL you should follow it because you care about it and if you like Tetris you should follow it because you care about it.
Artificially increasing Dota's popularity because we think it should be the better game/ESPORT/whathever would result in the same issues SC2 is having. You should give every game the opportunity it deserves, and you should play/follow what you love, not what people say will be cool. What needs to change is people requiring the game to change so that they are able to like it. That doesn't mean a game can't improve, but I just feel some people expect unreasonable changes for it to fit their tastes.
Play SC2 because you like playing SC2. There will always be a community, and it may be even better with less, but more passionate people. Even Age of Empires 2 is still going, it just got a new fan made expansion I believe.
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The entire RTS genre is truly incredible. The variety in the types of actions a player can perform, the range of motion he has in ability to express himself through the game, far surpasses any other kind of title (even among other highly competitive games). It's an extraordinary, wondrous thing seeing Sting craft a non-standard TvP or JyJ try some funky proxy reaper-into-Thor build. If esports were a painting, StarCraft would be the largest canvas with the brightest colors sitting next to it, just waiting to be turned into a masterpiece of gigantic proportions.
I don't know that there is a specific purpose to this but it's been something I've been wanting to get off my chest. StarCraft is an awesome pastime, and it's frustrating and annoying to see that whining about irrelevant things is the hip way to be. I'm happy that there are now other big titles to take the focus off SC2 all the time, because our community needs some time for self reflection and actualization. We need time as something besides the esports title and all the pressures that come with showing the world what gaming competitions are. We don't need more people who like SC2 because it's the big thing, we need people who enjoy it for what it is and stay because they share an interest and will grow that passion.
Well. fucking. said. Absolutely agree with the whole blog post.
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I couldn't agree with you more. Right now the Starcraft 2 scene is all about people trying to inject more ESPORTS into the current ESPORTS so there isn't a shortage of ESPORTS. I wasn't around for much of BW, but you could tell that everyone who played it, wanted it to grow and be more successful, did it because they loved it, not some ill contrived notion of helping ESPORTS despite a lack of passion for the game.
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5/5
i've been trying to take time off from watching a lot of events ever since i started feeling the burn of oversaturation from the latter half of 2012 and trying to rekindle my actual love of just playing the game, including the custom maps, which for me (and i'm sure a lot of people) was a big aspect even back in the SC1/BW days.
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Grubby said in a recent interview that in WC3 he had a folder of replays for everyone who could be a threat to him (around 20 players). In 2010 when he started SC2 he did the same. He gave up this goal rapidly. There was too many players.
SC2 tournaments lack personality. SC2 tournaments are saturated with a combination of faceless Koreans, one or two brilliant Koreans, a conveyor belt of average foreigners and a smattering of Stephano. There are no hype videos. There is no divergence in play, the same builds executed in the same way.
The community needs to rediscover the passion to make videos, to hype up a tournament and to discuss the game beyond balance.
The community needs stories. MKP getting silver. MVP fighting through wrist injuries. Huk the foreign hope in MLG.
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Katowice25012 Posts
On January 12 2013 07:31 SKC wrote:
People should try doing what they like instead of trying to like what they think they should do. Perhaps then they would care less about things not being how they would like them to be and perhaps even care less about what other people liked.
It's particularly true when referring to gaming competitions, because there is no real compensation aside from feeling good for participating. No one gets rich, we all just make some neat things and go home so it's silly to be motivated by anything aside from pure enjoyment of what you're doing.
On January 12 2013 07:39 Torte de Lini wrote:Show nested quote +On January 12 2013 07:35 farvacola wrote:
I blame some degree of my obsession with gaming on spending far too many mornings watching Nick Arcade as a kid. Actraiser, Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Paperboy, they played some baller games, and the final challenge where the contestants got to play inside a game blew my mind.
I think Sir Scoots really spoke to this concept really well, in that he advocated that we channel our passion towards the positive and not the negative; if you don't like a game or a race or an aspect of balance, than cheer all the louder when a Terran masterfully dodges a fungal or your favorite game ends up with an exciting final match at a local tournament. Constructive criticism can be useful, but I think a lot of people underestimate how constructive support can be. The issue is is that its almost human nature to be more quiet about areas you're satisfied with, since there is nothing advocate to change in that area.
May be human nature but it doesn't make it any less wrong. Look at Day[9], guy built a career just talking about things that are cool in a super positive way and he's far and away the most successful at what it is he does. Probably not a coincidence.
On January 12 2013 07:50 shindigs wrote:
To an extent, it may be just perspective. When you say "the community" I assume you mean the loud opinions on TeamLiquid and Reddit. If you dig around for some smaller communities or some non-conventional avenues, you'll find that the love for the actual game is still alive and well - it's just that these people's voices aren't as vibrant in the TL and Reddit space that a lot of esports enthusiasts frequent. Furthermore, I think if you make a conscious effort to focus on playing the game in a variety of ways (1v1, monobattles, UMS with friends), you'll find that its still a very enriching experience.
This is a good point and why the perspective caveat is in there. I've had almost nothing but positive experiences with people at live events of all sizes (from MLGs to tiny college inhouse LANs) and what makes them great is that the people tend to be there just because they find it fun to do stuff with the game - essentially what I'm ranting about.
On January 12 2013 07:50 shindigs wrote:
I'm sort of in the same train of thought where it's sadly surprising to see people really enthusiastic about the game itself rather than the meta-esports around it. It's my personal goal this year to engage with those people more often rather than the meta-esports stuff.
I hate saying "the community should...", but in some way I feel there should be more highlights in the positive expressions of enjoyment for the game itself on TL and Reddit. I guess in the case of TL, it's a matter of how you will moderate and curate content and what your own internal policies are (as some news is drama etc). Reddit StarCraft on the other hand is at the hands of the community, and in larger numbers the negative still gets more attention. The mods in that forum may impose policy for some more positive content but they do little to interfere.
I feel pretty strongly we can do a better job being more positive in general, but I also feel that way about basically every aspect of life and for everyone. One of the things I really like about talking to the TL writers (Wax and Monk specifically) is that they love finding out the little subtle things about each player's build and what makes it unique. It seems the small intricacies of each player's style often goes unnoticed and that's really the most wonderful thing about SC2 in general.
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Loud minority, silent majority.
I still love SC2 <3
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Canada5154 Posts
I know it's a little strange to spotlight a staff member's thread, but this is great and I think it's deserving.
5/5
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EPT
