Mom's Minute

StarCraft II:  Wings of Liberty

Source of News:  Fox News, September 9, 2011

Article Name:  Locked-Out Jazz star turns Video Game Pro

What would you do if you were locked out of an NBA pro game and you admittedly have a competitive spirt?  How about turning into a  video game pro and making money on the side -- To the tune of a shared  $100,000, no less!

If you did the above, you would be joining the ranks of Utah Jazz basketball  star, Gordon Hayward, who is  competing for a share of a $100,000 prize jack pot  from a tournament put on by IGN Entertainment.  The tournament will be  held at Caesars, Atlantic City on October 6-9, 2011.

Hayward will be one of approximately 256 video game players to compete for a share of the $100,000 pool.

The tournament game being played is StarCraft II Wings of Liberty (pictured above).

Here is a picture of  one of the  game play screens.

Hayward mentions that he has been playing video games for as long as he can remember.  To further explain why he is participating in the tournament, Hayward compares playing video games to sports. 

 His words: 

  "Pro gamers are really sports stars themselves. The mental strategy that goes into planning your next move and what your opponent is going to do are skills you need to be successful playing basketball — and playing StarCraft II. If you want to be good, you have to put a lot of time and effort into it, just like with other sports. I've got the best of both worlds."

 Ms. H's take:  I think that video game tournaments are another fun dimension of video games, and add to the social aspect of game playing.  In this case, Gordon Hayward will be playing in the tournament in the same room as his opponents, while  a lot of  other tournaments are played on line, where you may never see the actual person you are playing against--unless, of course you are using technology that allows visuals of players. 

I had the opportunity to watch the previous version of StarCraft  being played recently.  I enjoyed seeing the different strategies that were used during the game play.  I recall it was always important to have some idea what the enemy or opponent was doing while at the same time, you were builiding up  and preparing for the attack. 

Even though you may not be playing in a tournament where the goal is to win money, you can still enjoy the game and get a lot out of it,  strictly based on the game play.

Sometimes, just a good natured GG, or Good Game from the opponent at the end of a game tournament is enough, and brings a sense of satisfaction just as much, and sometimes even more so, than a big jackpot of money..

My minute is up!  Thanks for visiting my website.  I look forward to sharing more video game news with you! Come back soon!.

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Bye now,

Ms. H

"Ms. H equals Win!"