Order

WCG is a disgrace. The self-proclaimed “International Olympics” of electronic gaming is characterized by values, principles and procedures that would make the original namesake cringe in horror. As Incontrol has implied more than once, the governing body of the event needs to look after itself with great urgency. We Broodwar fans and players care so dearly about WCG because it is the only event of any importance we can play for. With SC2, the whole dynamic will inevitably change – just look at the Warcraft 3 scene, where WCG just one of the many events the players compete in, and is not even the most prestigious of the bunch.

Justice Be Served
There is no Justice in WCG USA" - 88)Machine

“I suggest that everyone hack for this wcg, because apparently it's completely okay to do so.” – Chill

The most prominent and visible instance of abuse during the qualification process was without a doubt the LastShadow vs Nesh series, feat. KawaiiRice. Nearly everyone examining the replays agreed – KawaiiRice (an observer in the games) was tipping off LastShadow. Why a friend of a player was allowed to referee a game in the first place, I have no idea. LS was seen attacking towards a starting location despite not having scouted him at all, and also stopped his dts before going up the ramp to check for a turret. The abuse was so blatantly obvious that most of the reactions were of disbelief and comic relief, rather than outrage.

Blind, Deaf and Mute

Recall: The maps for WCG were originally set as Tau Cross, Shin Peaks, Blue Storm, Python, Gaia. However, in June we were hit with the news that Tau Cross, Shin Peaks, Python and Gaia were being removed, with Troy, Andromeda and Othello being added ( Source ). The vast majority of national qualifiers had already started, with several approaching the end already! Why were they doing this? Did they ask for any feedback from the players outside of Korea? Did they not even bother? Were they catering to the Korean professionals at the expense of 90+% of the participants? No one had any idea what was going on, why this decision was being made, nothing!

Then a good 3 months later, the map pool was changed again!! So now the maps would be Blue Storm, Python, Shin Peaks, Tau Cross, and Ride of Valkyries. They essentially reverted to the original map pool, swapping Gaia for RoV. Again, why? If the new map pool were an issue why did they wait three months to announce this change? Countless national qualifiers were affected, not to mention the players’ practice routines as well. Everything about this has been an absolute disaster, without any saving grace.

They Chose What!?

Some of the game choices WCG has made are simply incomprehensible, while others are driven by ulterior motives. Looking at the history of WCG game lineups, we can see how poor their selection has been. WCG game lineups are analogous to the sports included in the Olympic games, and ought to be determined with the utmost precision.

The game list looks completely normal from 2000-2002, with games such as BW, CS1.6 and Quake3, along with legitimately competitive and proven titles. However, with 2003 we see the paradigm shift. Halo makes its grand entrance, despite being largely unproven as a competitive game. Can we really take this inclusion at face value, when Halo then was hardly what it is now, in addition to Microsoft dollars? The situation worsens in 2004, which Project Gotham Racing and Need for Speed coming into the mix. Really? Racing games? Really? *cough*EA*cough*Microsoft*cough* Did I just hear a cash register? Must be getting old…

"WCG is truly beyond the game" - 88)Artosis