The soso column #16: MLG Re-imagined

Remember back in early April when Major League Gaming kicked off their 2011 tour with a lag-filled unwatchable tournament in Dallas? Spectators and competitors alike were forced to put up with countless delays, infuriating lag, and promise after promise that things would be fixed in time for Columbus. The fact that NaNiwa went on a ridiculous 26-2 run through the open bracket to be crowned champion was sort of a moot point since we were all too busy captioning frozen screenshots of DJWheat and Day9 to even notice.

Well if the Dallas disaster was like the comically awful Batman movies from the mid 90s -- remember, when Arnold Schwarzenegger starred as Mr. Freeze -- then last weekend’s MLG Columbus was like Batman Begins. The superhero story was reborn with a spectacular re-imagined story, a brilliant script and superb acting. Director Christopher Nolan did an awesome job taking something that we thought we already knew and turning into something we’d never even imagined was possible. Similarly, MLG CEO Sundance DiGiovanni not only fixed the stream issues from Dallas, he also struck a deal with the GSL to bring in top Korean competitors, put up a second SC2 stream featuring the beloved casting archon Tastetosis, and made brilliant real-time decisions like electing to delay the final few series so that every single critical game would be broadcast live. It was hard to believe it was part of the same tournament circuit as Dallas.

But we all know it takes more than a good director or ambitious CEO to create a satisfying final product. You also need an award winning performance by your leading actor -- Christian Bale as Batman or Greg Fields as IdrA. I know what you’re thinking, IdrA is better suited to play the villain than the hero and physically speaking, he more closely resembles Christian Bale’s gaunt, emaciated character from the Machinist than the ripped bad-ass in Batman. But consider the parallels between Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins and IdrA’s StarCraft II career.

Both IdrA and Bruce Wayne travelled to the Far East in order to learn their ass-kicking techniques. Wayne trained in China under Ra's al Ghul while IdrA went to South Korea, the StarCraft Mecca. They both stayed away for a number of years while they perfected their craft. When they eventually returned they were ready to dominate the dojo in the US, either by fighting crime or winning StarCraft tournaments. But when their Asian nemeses showed up -- Ra’s al Ghul and his clan for Wayne or oGsMC and his Korean cohorts for IdrA, our heroes faced their toughest challenge yet.

Unfortunately for IdrA, his version of the story featured an alternate ending where Batman chokes during the climatic final battle, trips over his own cape and impales himself on one of those pointy bat-throwing-star-things while the Asian ninjas go on to fight amongst each other for dominance over Gotham. Clearly this ending didn’t test well and Nolan went with the more popular “good guy beats the bad guys” ending for the theatrical release.

Despite the fact that IdrA, the hero in this now painfully drawn out analogy, lost prematurely and the Korean ringers swept the top three places it didn’t diminish what a phenomenal event we all witnessed at MLG Columbus. The live crowd was like nothing eSports has seen before, at times chanting “USA, USA, USA” when an American underdog upset a Korean powerhouse or cheering “MC, MC, MC” when the fan favorite Protoss God began marching his way to a much anticipated (albeit wildly disappointing) rematch with IdrA. The atmosphere was electric and the enthusiasm from the fans could even be heard on the live streams.

That amazing live environment is really what sports are all about. It’s why we pay hundreds if not thousands of dollars to sit on cold aluminum benches in football stadiums instead of relaxing at home in our La-z-boy recliners. It’s why we pay $10 for a beer that will probably end up getting spilled on our pants anyway when we celebrate the next touchdown. It’s something that has been around for decades in traditional sports but is now making its way to eSports, and not just in South Korea. In Columbus, fans were packing around the main stage long after every seat was filled. They were waving homemade signs and passionately cheering for their favorite players and even glaring at “opposing fans” who were rooting for the other team. That kind of excitement is contagious -- that’s what will attract new fans into eSports.

And to think, Columbus was only the second event in the MLG circuit this year. If the uncanny parallels to Batman have taught us anything, we can expect the next sequel in Anaheim to feature a new villain who will mercilessly taunt IdrA about his complete lack of emotional expression: “Why so serious... IdrA?”


Woody "soso" Favinger is the author of The soso column, published weekly(ish) on GosuGamers.net. To contact him, visit his website at www.eSportsGuy.com or follow him on twitter at twitter.com/wfavinger