After reading the other Starcraft thread, I thought it would be a good idea to make another one, with all the general info you could need in the first post. If you're here, then I assume you already know what Starcraft is and how it works. If you don't, then I recommend visiting this website for more information. This thread mainly serves as a way for Starcraft players on FFR to find out who else plays, meet up, and play some games!
However, many Starcraft players may not know about the professional side of Starcraft, and that's where this next part comes in. Information on meeting up can be found in the second post.
Professional Starcraft gaming
In South Korea, professional video-gaming is an extremely popular sport, with two television channels (MBC and OGN) dedicated entirely to it. Starcraft is by far the most popular competitive game, even though others are also shown.
Currently, there are 12 professional Starcraft teams:
Samsung KHAN
KTF MagicNs
Lecaf Oz
SK Telecom T1
STX SouL
OGN Sparkyz
MBCgame Hero
Air Force ACE
Hanbitstars
eSTRO
CJ Entus
WeMade Fox
They consist of extremely talented Starcraft players, practicing hours on end in a "stable" environment--the same type of environment used to train Japanese sumo wrestlers. The players all live together in a large house where all their needs are taken care of, allowing them to train without worrying about sustenance, paying the bills, or anything like that.
These 12 teams participate in four major Starcraft leagues:
MBCgame Starleague (MSL)
Ongamenet Starleague (OSL)
Shinhan Bank Proleague (Proleague)
Averatec-Intel Classic (various nicknames)
The Averatec-Intel Classic is in its first year, but is not sanctioned by the Korean e-Sports Association (KeSPA), and thus only seven teams sent players.
Each league has its own structure and rules, which I won't get into here. But they are all very popular, the finals drawing thousands in a live audience, and many more watching at home.
How can I watch?
There are various media players you can use to stream these events straight to your computer. The Daum PotPlayer, the GOMtv Media Player, a p2p program called TVants, and occasionally a VLC stream provided by a community member can all be used to watch these games. I made a tutorial video about downloading and using Daum, and you can view it here. That link will probably give a 404 until the video is done encoding.
Keep in mind, however, that these games are played during Korean prime-time, so viewers elsewhere may have difficulty finding an ideal time to watch. For instance, East Coast Americans will often see games start at 1AM or 5:30 AM. Europeans, then, will see games between 4AM and 1PM, depending on where you are.
However, the YouTube accounts Nevake and Jon747 upload videos of the games not long after their completion, so you can catch them there. In addition, there are many English commentators providing commentary of the games.
In addition to Internet streaming, DirecTV and Dish Network provide Korean international programing. DirecTV offers a package with MBC, Dish Network offers OGN. They're around $25 each a month, though, so if you've got money to burn, go for it.
Fansites
There are many popular Starcraft fansites, each with their own merit.
http://www.teamliquid.net - The premier BW fansite. Provides a wealth of information on both playing and watching Starcraft at a high level. They have so much influence, they've even convinced professional Starcraft player Sea[Shield] to play their community, streaming the matches for entertainment. In addition, they have contacted professional team CJ Entus and convinced them to sell uniform t-shirts outside of Korea.
http://www.gosugamers.net - Covers both the high-level non-Korean ("foreigner") scene and professional gaming scene, not just the games, but the news as well. Has a reputation for a less-than-great community, however.
http://www.scforall.com - Videos and news coverage aplenty. Definitely a great source of progaming news.
http://www.sc2gg.com - The home of English-commentated Starcraft. If you're looking for English commentary, this is where you want to go. You can check their homepage for a list of commentators, as well.
www.iccup.com - The International Cyber Cup, the premier ladder for BW gaming. Even the lowest ranked are at a high level.
Hopefully more of FFR will join up and play some Starcraft, as it is undoubtedly one of the greatest games ever made.
However, many Starcraft players may not know about the professional side of Starcraft, and that's where this next part comes in. Information on meeting up can be found in the second post.
Professional Starcraft gaming
In South Korea, professional video-gaming is an extremely popular sport, with two television channels (MBC and OGN) dedicated entirely to it. Starcraft is by far the most popular competitive game, even though others are also shown.
Currently, there are 12 professional Starcraft teams:
Samsung KHAN
KTF MagicNs
Lecaf Oz
SK Telecom T1
STX SouL
OGN Sparkyz
MBCgame Hero
Air Force ACE
Hanbitstars
eSTRO
CJ Entus
WeMade Fox
They consist of extremely talented Starcraft players, practicing hours on end in a "stable" environment--the same type of environment used to train Japanese sumo wrestlers. The players all live together in a large house where all their needs are taken care of, allowing them to train without worrying about sustenance, paying the bills, or anything like that.
These 12 teams participate in four major Starcraft leagues:
MBCgame Starleague (MSL)
Ongamenet Starleague (OSL)
Shinhan Bank Proleague (Proleague)
Averatec-Intel Classic (various nicknames)
The Averatec-Intel Classic is in its first year, but is not sanctioned by the Korean e-Sports Association (KeSPA), and thus only seven teams sent players.
Each league has its own structure and rules, which I won't get into here. But they are all very popular, the finals drawing thousands in a live audience, and many more watching at home.
How can I watch?
There are various media players you can use to stream these events straight to your computer. The Daum PotPlayer, the GOMtv Media Player, a p2p program called TVants, and occasionally a VLC stream provided by a community member can all be used to watch these games. I made a tutorial video about downloading and using Daum, and you can view it here. That link will probably give a 404 until the video is done encoding.
Keep in mind, however, that these games are played during Korean prime-time, so viewers elsewhere may have difficulty finding an ideal time to watch. For instance, East Coast Americans will often see games start at 1AM or 5:30 AM. Europeans, then, will see games between 4AM and 1PM, depending on where you are.
However, the YouTube accounts Nevake and Jon747 upload videos of the games not long after their completion, so you can catch them there. In addition, there are many English commentators providing commentary of the games.
In addition to Internet streaming, DirecTV and Dish Network provide Korean international programing. DirecTV offers a package with MBC, Dish Network offers OGN. They're around $25 each a month, though, so if you've got money to burn, go for it.
Fansites
There are many popular Starcraft fansites, each with their own merit.
http://www.teamliquid.net - The premier BW fansite. Provides a wealth of information on both playing and watching Starcraft at a high level. They have so much influence, they've even convinced professional Starcraft player Sea[Shield] to play their community, streaming the matches for entertainment. In addition, they have contacted professional team CJ Entus and convinced them to sell uniform t-shirts outside of Korea.
http://www.gosugamers.net - Covers both the high-level non-Korean ("foreigner") scene and professional gaming scene, not just the games, but the news as well. Has a reputation for a less-than-great community, however.
http://www.scforall.com - Videos and news coverage aplenty. Definitely a great source of progaming news.
http://www.sc2gg.com - The home of English-commentated Starcraft. If you're looking for English commentary, this is where you want to go. You can check their homepage for a list of commentators, as well.
www.iccup.com - The International Cyber Cup, the premier ladder for BW gaming. Even the lowest ranked are at a high level.
Hopefully more of FFR will join up and play some Starcraft, as it is undoubtedly one of the greatest games ever made.
, or pm me so i can add you.
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