Enjoy Starcraft as a Spectator

In the previous articles of this series, I have laid out the reasons for why the balance of Starcraft is what makes the game good and everlasting, why its low-tech graphics is one of its greatest strengths as an eSport, and why the global community – Korean & foreign – around the game creates a unique gaming culture. This post will show You how to best and with the most ease enjoy professional Starcraft as a spectator straight from the computer.

Having played Starcraft for countless of hours during its early years, I took a long break from the game, and it was not until early 2008 that I decided to start playing again. To my surprise and great happiness I then discovered that the scene had not only stayed strong but also grown beyond anything a young fanboy could ever had hoped for.

It was now incredibly easy to simply log onto Youtube and find the latest games played by the professionals in South Korea, where Starcraft-tournaments are broadcasted on TV as a genuine sport. Those shows are then ripped and uploaded by enthusiasts for all our viewing pleasure. The geek-dream was getting better and better, but that was not at all.

Fellow Starcraft-lovers with a knack for commentating were recording their own commentaries to these matches in the manner of real sportscasters, just like the Koreans had already been doing for years, but this time in English and from the grassroots of the community.

This meant that, quite literally, elite-level Starcraft – the most competitive eSport on earth – was now only one click away, and available in a familiar language. The happiness was great indeed, and since then more and more icing has been added to the already grand Starcraft-cake…

Where?

Most Starcraft-communities, though not all, who provide videos of matches use Youtube as their main distribution platform, for reasons of simplicity and keeping costs down. This post will point towards the ”mother-sites” and then give links to their primary Youtube-channels where that’s applicable.

SC2GG - Wizards of Starcraft Videos

Regardless of its name, this young and flourishing site is mostly concerned with the original Starcraft: Brood War, since at the time of writing, Starcraft 2 is not even yet in its beta-phase. This community is rich in members and it is probably the best place to go for a fresh newcomer who wants to learn more about the game and the larger eSports-scene in general.

However, the backbone of SC2GG is its strong force of different Starcraft-commentators. Together, these SC-loving enthusiasts (or ”Starcraft-scholars”, as I like to call them) produce English coverage of practically every match that is being broadcasted on Korean television, and that is a lot. None of them get any form of salary for doing this, only minor donations at best, but they do it out of Love for the Game, and they do it well.

I deeply recommend that You check out SC2GG as a whole community, but if You just want to see some kick-ass games, then look no further than to any of these five star commentators:

KlazartSC – Being the first ever Starcraft-commentator of this new school, he is often referred to as The Godfather. With quick speech, impeccable analyses and mind-warping metaphors he should be the first port of call for anyone interested in professional Starcraft. His Irish accent also adds to the atmosphere. Here is a link to one of my favourite (and longest, therefore divided into two parts) games by Klazart, the epic first clash between FireBatHero – the Dancing Terran & Bad Boy of Starcraft – and sAviOr, the Maestro of Zerg:

THE FOUR DISCIPLES:

CholeraSC – Perhaps one of the more entrepreneurial commentators of SC2GG, this guy from the American east coast is not only very good at what he does, he is also the brain behind projects such as the SC2GG Commentator Idol (he takes the role of Simon Cowell). I recommend that You watch this game by Cholera, the latest clash between the beforementioned FireBatHero and sAviOr, the bloodiest rivalry in the world of Starcraft in recent years:

Moletrap – Along with Diggity, this Californian commentator were among the first to be inspired by Korean Starcraft and the works of Klazart, and the rest is history. Moletrap is an absolute cornerstone in the SC2GG community, and currently he is saving up money in order to go the Holy Land (South Korea, that is) so as to walk among the true champions. Check out this match where the two grandest giants of recent Starcraft, Jaedong (Zerg) and Flash (Terran) meet in an intensely epic showdown:

Diggity – Being the other cornerstone of SC2GG, Diggity is a stellar commentator with a unique and very approachable style. With a clear yet smooth voice, straight analyses and absolutely wierd metaphors he delivers Starcraft like no one else. For some of the best of Diggity, view this game where two of Starcraft’s absolutely greatest champions face each other in the most ancient of SC-rivalries. SlayerS_`Boxer`against [NC]Yellow, Emperor against Usurper:

Rise – Having grown to notoriety a bit later than any of other commentators on this list, Rise is never the less nowadays a force to be reckoned with. He’s the Bad Boy of Starcraft commentaries, doesn’t mind to be rude and everything but P-C, but he knows his stuff. Together with Cholera the two of them produce hilarious games, and he is also the greatest fan of the other Bad Boy of Starcraft, which leads us to this game where his hero gets to defend his Samsung Khan-team colours in a fight against the opposing aggressors from eStro.

FireBatHero, the dancing menace, VS Hyvaa, a Zerg to be reckoned with:

Violetak – The collective Youtube-account for the best games by the most popular commentators. Here they do coverage of the most exciting matches, Korean and foreign, and often together in the form of double- or triple commentaries. This channel is probably the one place on the Internet with the highest concentrate of top level Starcraft in English, a bit like a geek-Las Vegas, in the good sense. Check out this game to see the final game of the EVER Ongamenet Starleague of 2008, where JulyZerg - the God of War and then already a two time-winner of the OSL-title - against the young and relentless Protoss-player Best:

GOMTV – the Bridge between Two Worlds

This Korean broadcasting company is doing more for bringing professional Starcraft closer to the people than any other single source in the world. Not only do they host their very own TV-broadcasted Starleague in Korea where the best progamers in the world battle against each other for whole seasons - but they also broadcast these matches in English and live via the Internet. Yes, it is great.

Nick ”Tasteless” Plott and Daniel ”SuperDanielMan” Lee make up the vibrant duo who every Sunday for most of the year commentate upon and enhance the action straight from Seoul to Your computer. The games are available for later viewing at any time and there is also a Premium service available that allows You to watch the matches in high resolution along with other perks, for $50 a season.

GomTV has understood that there are millions of gamers around the world who would love to watch elite-level Starcraft on TV if they only could. Gom makes this possible via the Internet for no extra cost whatsoever. They are experimenting with various monetisation methods at the moment, and had they only had Mac-support on their live-transmission I would have happily recommended You to buy the Premium service. It is however possible and completely easy to watch the matches on any kind of computer afterwards.

Sadly, as of autumn 2009, GomTV has ceased its operations as a broadcaster of professional Starcraft. The reasons are not entirely clear, but the prevailing rumour says that a dispute between Gom and the Korean eSports Assocition, KeSPA, turned out to be unresolvable. As sad as that is, the content and great matches of Starcraft that were played remain.

These is my pick of the most kick-ass games of Starcraft ever played on GomTV: Jaedong - the best Zerg to have ever worn a pair of sunglasses in a battle with Bisu, the Angelface-Toss and master of all things Protoss. Enjoy!

TEAMLIQUID – The Temple of Elite Starcraft

TL.net is the largest, most active and distinguished foreign Starcraft community in the world. There are no rivals that could challenge the authority and collective knowledge of the people that make up this site; this is where You go if You want to truly learn to play Starcraft at the highest level. All highly ranked players in the foreign scene can be found on their forums, and those ”SC-celebrities” who have made it over to Korea in any capacity (Greg ”Idra” Fields, Nich ”Tasteless” Plott, Dan ”Artosis” Stemkoski, Susan ”lil’suzie” Kim, and others) are all long-time members of Teamliquid.

Also, those enthusiasts who upload the videos of Korean pro-matches do so via TL.net, and it’s from there that people like the SC2GGers get them. From their site, you can download (via torrents, and legally) these same videos in high quality, or you can head over to their Youtube account and view them there. These videos are in ”raw” format, i.e with the original Korean commentaries intact without any additions.

The reason why I have not listed Teamliquid at the very top of my list is not that I think they are any less good than SC2GG or GomTV, not at all. I do however feel that this community is not geared towards the newcomer, but Polygon reVue is. In order to fully appreciate TL.net You will need to first become familiar with Starcraft to a certain extent, and then You are equipped to fully contribute to this established community. If You are falling in love SC, TL.net will be there for You when You need it.

However, Teamliquid do sponsor, produce and broadcast their very own Starcraft-shows, in which they organise tournaments and duels between the very best non-Korean players in the world. These events are very professional and an absolute joy to watch, and so I greatly recommend You to watch the finals of the first Teamliquid Starleague, the TSL, and some of the Liquibition-duels:

SCForAll - Like 60 Minutes, but with Hydralisks

Last but certainly not least, we have another Korea-based site for foreigners. This community could more accurately be described as the private news channel for Dan ”Artosis” Stemkoski, a former champion of Starcraft in USA and nowadays a commentator/SC-newscaster living and working in South Korea.

He provides the international community with semi-weekly news-updates on what is going in the world of Starcraft and eSports, and he also co-casts professional games with Nich ”Tasteless” Plott. Some notable tournaments that otherwise would have no English coverage are being featured on SCForAll.com, and the site is a very powerful appendix to the larger Starcraft-scene.

The reason why I call it an ”appendix” is that the site in itself could do with a well-needed design-update, as could their video stream. However, thankfully there is Youtube, where You can easily enjoy SCForAll as well. Speaking of which, check out this game between two of the very best non-Korean players - Idra and Fenix, who meet in a foreigner-only online tournament commentated upon by none other than Dan ‘Artosis’ Stemkoski and Nich ‘Tasteless’ Plott: