Editorial: If SOPA passes in its current form, it will be a disaster for gamers and the games media worldwide
In the next week, the US congress will return to Washington for a bit of work. The first item on the agenda is to debate and pass the Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA. SOPA is intended to give media owners the tools to act against those who infringe their copyright in all forms of media, be it audio, video or text. Be it the movie industry, the music industry, the publishing industry, and yes, the games industry.
But the legislation is awful, and it affects gamers worldwide. Under SOPA, e-sports is under threat. Game streaming is under threat. In-game voice chat is under threat. In-game text chat could be turned off. Gaming forums are under threat. And the gaming media (us!) will no longer be able to exist in its current form.
The powers SOPA will grant if it passes are broad and troubling and spell doom for certain sections of gaming. Copyright holders will be allowed to seek court orders against infringing websites, and in its current form, against companies that provide services for them. That means that under a SOPA order, a copyright holder could demand restrictions from not just the site itself, but partner companies and clients such as the hosting domain, the advertising networks that provide ads, payment facilitators and search engines.
StarCraft II Protip: Baneling Bust
Are your Zerg rushes constantly being hampered by filthy buildings? Stupid industrious capitalist jerks—always getting in the way with their “progress.” Stick it to Ayn Rand with this Protip, in which Josh teaches us how to clear a path with a StarCraft II tactic that’s as explosive as it is gooey: the Baneling Bust. Watch the introduction above, and see the strategy play out versus both Protoss and Terran bases in the following videos.
Watch the world’s best pro-gamers at MLG Providence live this weekend
A portion of PC Gamer has just got back from Bristol’s very first Barcraft event, to watch the Providence Major League Gaming finals. Many drinks were drunk and much StarCraft II was watched, making it a turbo-excellent night. It’s getting close to kicking out time here in the UK, but fans of tip-top level pro-gaming, don’t panic: the MLG Providence finals are still ongoing, closing up tomorrow. If you want to watch them – and you really should, as they’ve been brilliant so far – get over to their website and catch the live stream. There’s some incredible games still to go, and the whole event to play for.
We’ve also got two high-quality MLG Providence passes to give away to the first two people who comment with the name of a previous MLG StarCraft II winner below. Be quick about it, mind.
Got a Blizzcon ticket and cash to spare? Buy some limited edition tat
I’m a sucker for official merchandise. Not so much t-shirts and hoodies but classy stuff like plushies and figurines. That’s why the official post-Blizzcon sale has got me interested. These products might be overpriced (and some might qualify as girl-repellent) but they’re official and limited in number.
The special merchandise is available from now until November 18 at 10 a.m. PT. To gain access to the items, sign into the site with your Blizzcon 2011 ticket, virtual ticket or Blizzcon 2011 Pay Per View pass. Then enter your credit card details and bankrupt yourself!
Let us know what’s in your basket/wishlist in the comments. I want the Diablo 3 t-shirt featured in the thumbnail image, lots. Whoops! I just contradicted the first line of this post. Sorry.
Why Blizzard invited the world’s best StarCraft: Brood War players to Blizzcon 2011
Jaedong, Fantasy, Bisu, and Jangbi are some of the world’s premier StarCraft: Brood War players. This year, these four StarCrafting superstars were invited to Blizzcon.
But why were they there? Sites like Teamliquid swirled with rumours prior to the event: they were there to perform show matches, playing 1998′s Brood War on the big screen to foreign fans. They were there to test out the next StarCraft II expansion, Heart of the Swarm. They were there to mark their transition from professional Brood War – still the majority esports share in Korean viewing schedules – to StarCraft II. But Blizzcon came and went, and the four players were absent from headlines outside of citizen-papparazzi snaps and videos. Why were they there, flown out to Anaheim from their Korean home? The answer is simpler than you might expect. Read on to find out why.
Official list of unit changes in Starcraft II’s Heart of the Swarm expansion
New units, changed units, retired units: a ton of changes are coming for StarCraft II with the next expansion. Just revealed today at the opening ceremony for Blizzcon in Anaheim, CA, we have the full official list of changes. Read on to see what’s happening to your favorite race!
Blizzcon 2011 kicks off today, here’s what to expect
The annual festival celebrating all things Blizzard is set to kick of later today. We’ve flown Rich out to kill ten wordboars and level up his reporting skills till he finds us some news, and there’s sure to be plenty. Blizzard are pretty guarded as to what’s on the agenda, but there are some huge potential announcements. We’ll be covering them all for you throughout the two day event.
PC Gamer Digital Episode 2 now available!
Last week we announced the landmark launch of PC Gamer Digital, and today we’re excited to let you know that Episode 2 is now available on Steam – you don’t want to miss it! In the second episode of PC Gamer Digital, you’ll climb into the ethereal world of BioShock Infinite for a self-guided, 360-degree tour of Columbia, go behind the scenes of upcoming free-to-play shooter Tribes: Ascend, discover the cerebral tactics of Frozen Synapse, and much more!
Purchasing PC Gamer Digital Episode 2 also scores you the Killer Exclusive hat in Team Fortress 2. (It’s extremely sexy!)
Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm multiplayer unit teased
Blizzard have started teasing Heart of the Swarm’s new multiplayer units. That’s one of them up there! Click through to see his legs and for the first snippets of info.
Watch the world’s best StarCraft II players at Major League Gaming Raleigh live now
Hey you, internetter! If you’re reading this on Sunday evening, you’re just in time to catch the planet’s best professional StarCraft II players at Major League Gaming’s Raleigh finals. If that sounds interesting – and it sure does to me – then have a look at the stream above. Some quick background of who’s left and who’s playing who below the cut: people who’ve got family over for the weekend who inexplicably don’t play games and are instead waiting for the VODs and killing people who spoil the winner for them (hello!), might want to avoid looking below.
PC Gamer US, September issue: BioShock Infinite
BioShock Infinite stole the show at E3, and now it steals our September issue cover with an in-depth look at the high-flying shooter sequel and interviews with Ken Levine and his team at Irrational. We also got hands-on with two real-time strategy heavyweights, StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm and Age of Empires Online, took an exclusive look at Diablo III’s followers, and reviewed indie tactical strategy hit Frozen Synapse and gorgeous racer DiRT 3. Oh, and we show you how you can strap a heavy machine gun to a cow in Arma 2.
Nerd chills—watch this StarCraft 2 esports sizzle reel
This commemoration of StarCraft 2′s first year of release, entitled “One Year Down,” has got it all; the highs of tournament success and worldwide recognition, the lows of crushing defeat and near misses. Praise be to Laxx for putting it all together, and kudos to the SC community for embracing their passion.
Hm? No, I’m not crying. I just got something in my eye, that’s all.
Starcraft 2 region linking incoming. Quicker matchmaking, wider audiences, more friends
As reported on Blues News, Blizzard are planning on combining some of Starcraft 2′s region-specific servers. It’ll result in an improved player experience no matter where you’re playing from.
A very merry StarCraft 2 weekend: get ready for the NASL Finals
Today at 11 AM PST (that’s 7 PM in the UK, for those of you counting on your fingers), the finals of the North American Star League commence. To help you enjoy what should be a world-class tournament, we’ve prepared a guide on everything you need to know and a collection of all relevant links.
On paper, the highlight of the day may be a match between MC and BoxeR—an historic meeting of the young, current SC2 master and the former Brood War champion. Start popping that corn (or preparing creative methods to watch at work), and read on for more details.
Editorial: Sorry Kotaku, but you’re wrong about pro-gaming
I love e-sports. I mean, I really, really love e-sports. I love e-sports so much that when IMNestea played the then-named BoxeR in the Global StarCraft II League’s season 2 final, I woke my girlfriend up at some unearthly hour in the morning and crowed at her about marine splitting until she had to physically leave the room. I’ve organised parties based solely around the activity of watching other people play games, many thousands of miles away. I say it here, on this wide internet, and I don’t care who knows – I love e-sports.
But I didn’t always love e-sports. If I went back in time to exactly one year ago, found myself, and said “YOU WILL LOVE E-SPORTS IN A YEAR’S TIME!”, year-younger me would’ve scoffed in my face. I’ve been aware of e-sports for as long as I’ve been a PC gamer: I lived through the false dawns of the early 21st Century, the Sujoy Roys and the Jonathan Wendels coming so close to pushing the activity of pro-gaming into the spotlight, then falling short at some intangible hurdle. Time and again I was promised the rise of Quake, or Counter-Strike, or some other competitive game in the televised market; time and time again they failed to ignite among the wider gaming community.
I could well have reacted like Kotaku’s Jen Schiller did, when she repurposed an interview between Team Dignitas‘ David ‘Zaccubus‘ Treacy, and top-end PC hardware types Alienware. Her post treats e-sports as weird and unnatural: a vestigial limb on the wider gaming animal that we’d all do better to hide under a coat. She makes her feelings about pro-gaming clear:
“Don’t get me wrong, I love watching people who are better than me at video games play them for money, especially when I don’t know those people.
Oh wait. No I don’t.”
Jen penned another response, after seeing the reaction her original post dredged up from the e-sports community. Jen defends herself by claiming ignorance of the scene. A year ago, I could’ve claimed the same.
