StarCraft: Legacy of the Real-Time Strategy

StarCraft, a real-time strategy video game released in 1998 by Blizzard Entertainment, has had a significant impact on gaming culture and the marketability of previously niche interests. The game's ability to foster foreseeing skills and its unique insight into changes in gaming culture have contributed to its status as a landmark game. The book explores the game's design decisions, technological infrastructure, and the contribution of its gaming community to its success, highlighting its role in the transition towards foreseeing play and competitive gaming and e-sports.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 168 pages
Publication date: 28 February 2024
Publisher: The University of Michigan Press

StarCraft, developed by Blizzard Entertainment in 1998, is a groundbreaking real-time strategy video game that immerses players in a universe where three alien races engage in intense battles for control of resources, terrain, and power. In his insightful examination, Simon Dor delves into the game's history and explores the two core competencies it fostered: decoding and foreseeing. While StarCraft was not initially designed as an e-sport, its impact on developing foreseeing skills played a significant role in the emergence of one of the earliest e-sport communities in South Korea.

Apart from its iconic status, StarCraft offers a unique perspective on the evolution of gaming culture and the marketability of previously niche areas of interest. The book contextualizes StarCraft within the history of real-time strategy games in the 1990s, including Dune II, Command & Conquer, and Age of Empires. It highlights how design decisions, technological infrastructures, and a strong contribution from the gaming community through Battle.net and its campaign editor were crucial factors in enabling the game's flexibility and subsequent success.

StarCraft's exploration of the fanatic clusters of competitive players who formed the first tournaments and professionalized gaming sheds light on the game's pivotal role in the transition towards foreseeing play. It demonstrates that StarCraft was not only essential to competitive gaming but also played a significant role in shaping the e-sports landscape.

In conclusion, StarCraft is a masterpiece that has left an indelible mark on the gaming industry. Its innovative gameplay, compelling narrative, and cultural significance have made it a timeless classic. Through its examination of decoding and foreseeing, the game has provided valuable insights into the evolution of gaming culture and the potential for previously niche genres to achieve mainstream success. StarCraft's legacy continues to inspire new generations of gamers and enthusiasts, and its impact on the world of e-sports is undeniable.

Weight: 252g
Dimension: 152 x 229 x 13 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780472056774