Great article yet again. Well written, brings up valid points that make logical sense, fun to read, and supports a side of an argument that may not be given enough though.
However, I still disagree. I recognize that that mixing old gaming nostalgia in new experience is a great tactic. But I think it's running thin for Nintendo. Most people I talk to just don't care anymore about the Nintendo experience.
For me, I'll get it if it's good. But I don't think most of the "hardcore" community wants to buy in yet again. "Casuals" will pick it up, but I think it may be a failure to the dedicated community, maybe even more so than the Wii.
My biggest problem with difficulty is that it is usually artificial. For example in Call of Duty, on easy I might be able to stand up and kill three guys before hiding behind cover, but on veteran I stand up and kill one guy before crouching to hide. That's not challenge that's just spending more time to accomplish the same task. This compared to Doom which I started playing recently, that game on hard is just hard because I can't regenerate my health so it's not about standing up, popping a few guys then waiting. It is about figuring out effective ways to deal with the demons around me.
I like watching people play games. More comptetitve games or speed runs is what I personally like watching. (Siglemic on Twitch for example for Mario 64 speed runs or Flamesword for Halo). But I'll watch whatever I'm in the mood for, marathons are also fun to watch.
Wow, I had no idea he was even injured. I'm glad mainstream media sites are starting to pick up competitive gaming news. Thanks Gamespot staff and Slasher, this and your insightful articles like "The Limitations on Genres" keep me coming back to your site day in and day out.
@onlypc That's interesting, instead of being welcoming to a community and trying to spread your viewpoints in a positive manner, you instead decide to insult their intelligence.
I am a 17 year old console gamer. I am a big fan of Halo, especially in the competitive scene, however I also love Starcraft even though I don't play it, I merely spectate tournaments. If I was not a fan of either Halo or Starcraft, why would I want to join a community that thinks I'm ignorant? You're not helping to grow e-sports with your comment, instead you are detering people who might have an interest and may not understand fully yet.
@shanthjibu While in North America it is not the most popular thing (however, probably the most popular "e-sport"), it is very popular around the world. Surprisingly "e-sports" has quite a following in Europe, obviously Korea, Australia, etc. The place it is least common is North America. So saying "fans all around the world" does come at quite the shock. When I first heard of how big e-sports were, I was in disbelief as well.
Maybe they are trying to educate themselves about Starcraft 2's competitive scene. Perhaps they don't know a lot about it, therefore they think it is a joke. It is up to the rest of us as an "e-sports" community to stand our ground as it being entertaining and an important part of video game culture, but to also respect people who may disagree with our views and tell them why we think it's cool.
@supwidit So you decide the best way to try and get someone into the "e-sports" community is to call them stupid and to swear at them. People who don't get or like e-sports, they are the ones you should be nice to. Why would anyone join a community where they all think the person is stupid?
While I disagree with you skullandbones91, I do respect your opinion. However considering how much depth is involved in Starcraft I do think the skill gap is wide enough where it can be entertaining to watch a "professional" player. However I don't think your Kingdom Hearts reference really matters in this article. Kingdom Hearts is an RPG, story driven game. There is no room for competition in Kingdom Hearts, or any Square Enix game for that matter except perhaps Dissidia.
However Starcraft (at least in multiplayer) has a wide competitive mode utilising three races that all have different strengths, weaknesses, and strategies. Therefore watching two players of similar skill "duke it out" is very entertaining. Perhaps try watching an MLG stream some time, it is surprisingly fun (funner than I expected). I've never even played Starcraft 2, only played a little Starcraft 1, but as I learn to understand the game more from watching tournament streams, I'm starting to understand it more and therefore enjoy it more as I appreciate the complicated moves the players use.
I don't believe the shoulder injury was caused because of Starcraft, I believe it was caused by other means and now he can't play Starcraft. I may be wrong, but it doesn't say anywhere in the article how the injury was caused.
Silos911's comments