StarCraft 2 was one of the biggest games in the early 2010s. Not only was it a massively successful RTS game, but it also had a flourishing esports scene consisting of new RTS pros and existing StarCraft 1 pros.
The game spawned several iconic events like ESL, GSL, EWC, Dreamhack, and IEM, many of which are still alive even after a decade. However, after Blizzard Entertainment pulled the plug on the game, its popularity slowly decayed, but only to a certain point.
StarCraft 2’s Popularity Might Have Declined, but It’s Still Getting Some Healthy Viewership Numbers
Even if StarCraft 2 isn’t regularly getting big tournaments with prize pool values close to what it was back in 2015 to 2018, there’s still a healthy number of good tournaments and viewership numbers from tournament VODs and faithful content creators likeuThermal,WinterStarCraft,LowkoTV, andSC2HL, just to name a few.
Content creators like WinterStarCraft, LowkoTV, and SC2HL cast amazing matches from tournaments or even just regular games that ended up being an exciting base race or an endgame back-and-forth macro match.
These videos, even if published late, would garner tens of thousands of views, with some reaching upward of 100,000 views. Given that these guys have been consistently publishing videos every day for more than a decade, achieving those consistent numbers is an incredible feat.
As someone who doesn’t consistently watch these videos but occasionally binge a lot of them in a short span, I was curious as to how the game is still relevant even if it hasn’t received massive updates for more than half a decade already.
Personally, I loved watching these tournaments back then, following pros like INnoVation, Maru, Soulkey, Dark, and many others. I still remember the iconic IdrA blunder or the Maru nuke over Solar that caused one of the most painful reactions in SC2 history.
Now, I still enjoy watching newcomers like Reynor, Clem, and even Serral take over the scene; at the same time, I’m sad to see my “Goat” Maru get toppled by Serral multiple times. I am still in awe of how these players get it done at the highest level. There’s really something oddly satisfying about watching these games, but I can’t put my finger on it.
What Makes StarCraft 2 So Fun to Watch?
For me, StarCraft 2’s forced action-packed gameplay, especially on the spectator side, is the core of what makes the game highly entertaining.
You’ll see constant Marine and Marauder splits against Banelings, a Warp Prism picking up an Immortals and Stalkers to avoid the tiniest amount of damage to win a fight, or an Infestor throwing perfect fungals as they micro their army to surround the enemy.
Even if you make some mistakes, it isn’t always over, unless it is a crucial mistake like losing a lot of workers for no compensation at all.
Every minute has some form of action going on because players are “forced” to go on the offensive to gather information. Even if the attack fails, it lets you react properly to what is going on.
This has been the core gameplay since the early days of StarCraft 1, and that’s what keeps me coming back: the mechanics of the game don’t change as much, and it is easy to understand what happened and why these pro players are so good. As things become easier to understand, the enormous skill cap required to compete at a high level makes each game unique, as the outcome can always be different.
If you enjoyed watching pro StarCraft 2 matches years ago, you’ll surely have fun watching this generation’s StarCraft 2 players. You might think the skills of these new players would remain stagnant just because there’s much less money involved now, but the game is still constantly evolving, and so are the players.
Enzo Zalamea
Enzo is a staff writer at Prima Games. He began writing news, guides, and listicles related to games back in 2019. In 2024, he started writing at Prima Games covering the best new games and updates regardless of the genre. You can find him playing the latest World of Warcraft expansion, Path of Exile, Teamfight Tactics, and popular competitive shooters like Valorant, Apex Legends, and CS2. Enzo received his Bachelor’s degree in Marketing Management in De La Salle University and multiple SEO certifications from the University of California, Davis.
