Starcraft Never Lied.

Posted by Lipton on May 30th, 2009 filed in StarCraft News

     So here I sit, with the daunting task of writing what Starcraft means to me.  Every single person who played Starcraft had a slightly different experience, and it means slightly different things to everyone.  For me, Starcraft represents most strongly the merits of Community and Competition.

    Starcraft has become such a massive Phenomenon that's it's hard to remember the days when it was just a computer game, freshly hitting the shelves.  I remember the buzz amongst all my high school friends about how much better it was than Warcraft II, how they couldn't understand how they even stood WCII before now.  I saw the ad in my local Best Buy flyer, and after some begging mixed in with some yard work, managed to pick up the Terran face alternate box, which I still have today.  I didn't know when I installed the software that I would be embarking on a journey that would alight my imagination, fine tune my dexterity and coordination, and most importantly, give me lifelong friends.

 

Terran Box Art.

 

The seedy world of the Terran Colonies.  The noble ideals of the mysterious Protoss.  The dark mystery of the terrifying Zerg.  Never before had a game compelled with an epic storyline like this.  I had played Final Fantasy VII, I would play Metal Gear Solid, but nothing immersed me like Starcraft.  Every unit portrait and voice became like familiar friends as I struggled through the epic, challenging campaign.  But I had only scratched the surface of Starcraft when I was witnessing it's story.

Arcturus Mengsk's Speech at the end of the Terran campaign still stand to me as the finest piece of monologue in video game history. The Sons of Korhal emblem is now tattooed on my shoulder.

 

The real show began once I logged onto Battle.Net.  It's there that hobby became obsession. Every night the sparks would fly as my friends and I battled for Space supremacy. Backstabbings, dirty tricks, and unblievable heroics were the norm in our games, and the competition was fierce.  Whoever pulled off an unbelievable comeback, or dominated the records the night before, would arrive to school the next morning to congratulations and vows of vengeance.  Internet gaming had arrived in full, and most class times were spent daydreaming about strategies and ways to improve my speed. Port-a-potties outside the window became Terran Bunkers.  Cumulo-nimbus became Carriers.

 

This wasn't an isolated incident.  Now that I can look back at Starcraft's Legacy, I see that it wasn't just us few nerds who got hooked by a game, but the incredible uniqueness of the game itself that captivated an entire generation.  A decade later, I am following the Korean pro gaming scene like my father follows baseball, with a loyalty and passion that never dies, and my heart still races during a close match.  In college I won my University's 1v1 and 2v2 Starcraft tournaments.  It's no Starleague, but it was still a ton of fun.

E-Sports has become a favorite pasttime.

 

The first BlizzCon was one of the greatest 2 days of my life.  I entered the sound-alike contest, and I knew from the start that the only game that I would accept doing an imitation from was Starcraft.  Maybe you were there, maybe you saw the video: I was the big guy who did "Battlecruiser Operational."  And guess what? I won. Now I'm typing this blog on my prize.  This year I wanted to go back with those old friends and celebrate the magic that is Starcraft one more time, but unfortunately, although i was refreshing the page 15 minutes before the tickets went up, I still wasn't able to access them until i was over 10K in the queue.  Ah well, sometimes you eat the bar, and sometimes, the bar eats you.  But that doesn't mean I'm giving up! I'm here now, talking about the world's greatest video game with you, hoping that I can earn myself a trip through this contest: http://starfeeder.gameriot.com/blogs/The-Starfeed/2009-BlizzCon-Ticket-Contest-on-Starfeeder/1#comment_406387  Alright!

 

 I got my first experience with Starcraft 2 at the first BlizzCon. I had been salivating for a sequel for years, and the same friends that i played with on Battle.Net all those years ago joined me, and not one of us was disappointed.  As soon as I felt the way the game paced, and "clicked", i undoubtedly knew that one undeniable fact: this WAS Starcraft.  The people making the game clearly had the same passion for the game I did. it's been a long wait since then. Now the beta is almost here, our wait is nearing an end. Here's to you. I pray that I can make a new generation of friends with this new era of online competition. I would love to be a well known writer/blogger/analyst for Starcraft II.  See you on Battle.net!

 

To future battles.

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