This week Erica left me unsupervised while she is road-tripping across the country with Diana of d travels ’round (you can follow their adventures on twitter with #winosontheroad). I know a week and a half isn’t a very long time, but it’s the longest Erica and I have been apart for pretty much our entire 13 years together. So while she is having her Thelma and Louise girl-time, I’m going to let my razor collect dust and keep myself occupied with a gaming-fueled man-fest. And what man-fest would be complete without watching sports and drinking beer?
Well, to be honest my sport of choice is a little… unconventional. In fact, the most serious injury to ever occur is probably carpal tunnel. However, what it lacks in chest hair it more than makes up for with strategic warfare directed by mind-blowingly-fast mouse clicks. That’s right, I’m talking about the national sport of South Korea- StarCraft 2.
Where most countries opt for more traditional sporting pastimes, South Korea fills stadiums and televises matches of professional gamers battling it out in soundproof booths. And while there are only a handful of non-Korean players that can even attempt to compete, StarCraft 2 is a fairly popular spectator sport in many other countries around the world- including the US.
Though it is here that e-sports, and specifically StarCraft 2, reached a new pinnacle of awesomeness by adding beer to the equation. Thus, BarCraft was created.
What began as a simple viewing party at a local bar has grown into an international phenomenon, of which Austin quickly jumped on the band wagon. And while I will attend a competition in South Korea one, BarCraft is the best possible substitution until that day.
BarCraft is generally organized locally, so get involved with the community in your town or start your own viewing party!
