Professional Starcraft 2

Computer games have come so far that people can actually make a living out of being professional gamers, in very much the same way as athletes of more conventional sports. I really like this development since the concept of winning fame and money gives a legitimacy to the phenomenon of playing games that it would lack if they were "only" played for fun.

Screenshot of Starcraft 2, taken from the official website.

A huge electronic sport is Starcraft 2, which I probably hardly even need to mention since most people with an interest in computer games know about this already. Several talented players even dedicate time to comment and upload matches to YouTube, to much appreciation. Starcraft 2, rivaled by the original Starcraft, is in my humble opinion the e-sport that is the most fun to watch. It's easy to get a rather clear view of what's happening and if you watch a game with a good commentator it's easy to follow the game and get an insight into the motivations of the players. As many know professional Starcraft and Starcraft 2 is really at its peak in Korea, where the game has become a part of the Korean pop culture. This is also where the best players reside.

I recently watched the Korean Starcraft 2 tournament G-Star Allstars featuring the very top of Korea's (and hence the world's) Starcraft 2 players. The games were good, as was expected,  with a very convincing winner of the finals. I can really recommend watching these games and thought I'd point you in the direction of one of the aforementioned YouTube commentators who has uploaded the series to his account.

The first game can be found here. If you check out the games, I'd be very happy to hear your thoughts on them.

All the best