Well, why did I start this blog? I just am a newcomer to Starcraft Broodwar as a competetive game. This includes pretty much every single aspect, be it 'gaming online', 'watching replays or VODs' or just being 'Wow, this whole thing is awesome'. I mean it.
Some years ago (Oh well, I think it has been nine or eight by now) I started playing Starcraft. I used to play at a friend's computer and we just enjoyed the game, playing campaign and some random skirmish (where the computer used to bash us). A few years later I happened to get some LAN experience with the game. We we're a dozen guys who just loved the game and played like there was no other day.
What happened next was just four things that changed everything: Counter-Strike, Warcraft 3, our A-grades and WoW.
No I don't intend to pick on the games, but that's what life is, ain't it. Things advance and what's left is just the memories of a past that used to be more fun then today.
I started playing my first online competetive games (and no it was not Starcraft). I rumbled on and got quite decent at what I did and well I got into E-Sports (just in reading and watching terms, to let you know!) and well there it all ended. Nowadays I study at university and got my real life up and running. This might be the reason why I am so scared to ever again try any competetive game from scratch (As I said I had found my passion in a game and I played on a competetive level I regard most entertaining, but for the sake of studies I quit.).
Now you might just be exhausted by this long monologue, but I hope you might recognize some of the stuff I wrote (I might get into more detail another day).
Ok let me get on with my first blog entry for this was not what I actually wanted to ramble about.
Where was I... Ah university and the difficulties of real-life and a competetive game. Well I just noticed that I won't have the time or mindset to play a game on a competetive level (at least not now). What did I do:
I surfed the web and read tons of news on E-sport. Finally I ended up at the GSI web and WOW, I was taken abash. What a great thing to see a Korean Starcraft Broadcast in English. Really, that took me. Until then I wasn't interested in Starcraft as a E-sport (and I mean absolutely no offence, but I must admit, that until then it slipped my mind that there still was such a strong community around. I had abandoned SC long ago! ). But here it was, a live broadcast of a real big tournament. I was consuming the streams and VODs like they were the water you need to live. I loved tasteless's commentary and the games were totally entertaining and fun to watch. The whole thing was of such big impact that I considered to get more. This way I browsed the web, read various German and English webs on SC and started to watch more VODs. This single tournament and my random encounter with it got me back to SC, at least as a person in the audience.
Now I browsed some more, read some 'noob' guides to get started playing again. I just think I might be ready for some games now and then, but I don't know where to begin. I considered playing the computer (and I did), but what competition can a computer KI be when there are tons of real players waiting to be challenged. I could learn more by playing these, I think. This way I considered BNet, but I feel like a scared cat to start my first games. I am a casual player, but on the same hand I love competition. This way I don't want to end up playing BNet or at least random games. I don't like the thought of random people flaming me to be a 'noob' or that my w-lan lags now and again (yes I got to use w-lan) , it's just not the way I want to enjoy a nice map of SC. First of all I know I am a newb, but what good is there to get flamed about it by some random dude. Rather I like a loss as a 'lesson learned' without the flaming. You know what I mean? This why I disapprove of puplic games alot. And this is one more of the reasons why I'm scared to play from scratch. Finding the right people to learn the maps, the different aspects to the game and actually making experience by playing, is quite hard when you just play at random times of the day and are to tense to just relax and play.
I also considered to try ICCup, but I don't get their system. Is it like the WC3 BNet ladder or more like you got to challenge people via mail or messages..? I don't know and this is why I can't be bothered (until I get the info and I will keep on searching).
That's it for now. I hope I won't get sewed for I think it might not be as productive. Still I hope to get some replies.
Regards
ionize