The Devil Plays Protoss: ParentCraft
By Jacqueline Geller
Any opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of compLexity Gaming or its parent company.
If you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen a tweet or two about my parents and StarCraft. My parents are funny, and when they discuss StarCraft, what they say is easily translated into a 140 character message. For example, I sent my dad an article at the end of June on Major League Gaming and the Rise of eSports, and his reply was both entertaining and witty: “Interesting. Maybe I should change careers and become a tournament player. Maybe this could be a career for Mom.” How could I not tweet that? The responses I receive are typically the same, ranging from “your dad is so cool” to “so jealous your parents knows about SC.”
The shocking truth about my parents and their relationship with StarCraft2: my parents are not gamers and don’t know much at all about video games.
When I was younger, my parents did now allow me to play video games because my mom was worried that it would affect my schoolwork. I did play a handful of PC games growing up, but I never owned a console until I bought an Xbox 360 in 2009. Today, my dad is in his early sixties, and my mother is in her late fifties. My dad does not endorse owning a cellphone, and I do not think he’s ever played a video game. As for my mother, she still asks me basic computer questions that could easily be answered with Google like how to add attachments to emails. When it comes to technology and gaming, my parents aren’t exactly with it.
So why did my parents becoming interested in the SC2 community? That answer is easy: because I’m interested in the SC2 community.
He was worried that I was joining an elaborate, international pyramid scheme, and that was my parent’s introduction to the SC2 community.
The first time I talked about StarCraft with my parents was at the end of January. During the Handsome Nerd Art Director selection process, I had a phone interview with Nick and Dan. I do not have a landline in my apartment and in order to have my bases covered, I wanted to check if I could go to my parent’s house just in case. I wasn’t sure what to tell my mom when I called her so I kept it simple: I had a job interview with Americans living in South Korea and was wondering if I could use the home phone if needed. Within the ten minutes, I had a panicked voicemail from my dad. He was worried that I was joining an elaborate, international pyramid scheme, and that was my parent’s introduction to the SC2 community.
Since then, my parents have watched me get more involved in the vibrant community. I’m excited and passionate about what I do, and I am chatty with them about the things that I do. Over time, my parents have become more interested in the SC2 community and the game itself. I have forced the game on them a bit, but it has been a slow and steady introduction. Last week, my dad even watched the first game in the FXOLucky vs LiquidJinro CodeA GSL series. It was a big step in my parent’s StarCraft2 101.
What’s the next step in their Aiur education? I’d love to get my parents on Battle.net and playing a handful of games against AI. If I lived at home, I would have introduced them to the game already. I plan to teach them a bit about each of the races, the units and a basic build or two. It will be a bit of a challenge to get my mom playing SC2, but I think it could be fun! My dad seemed a touch interested in learning more about the units and game mechanics when we were watching the GSL. I don’t except either of them to love playing the game or even like it, but I appreciate that they’re taking an interest in the things that I’m interested in. It makes me happy that they are willing to try SC2 because it’s important to me.
If you want your parents to be more engaged in your interest in SC2, engage them! Someone who doesn’t care about the game will have no interest in the phenomenal Zerg strategy you saw Destiny do on his stream, but there are ways to engage them in community on-goings. Parents will associate with aspects of the community more so than the game itself. I email my parents articles about eSports, and I know my parents regularly read my writing. The thought of your dad watching MLG may seem absurd and the thought of your mom knowing what a zergling is may seem ridiculous, but trust me, it might not be as crazy as it seems. Try it. You never know. Maybe your friends will be jealous of your cool parents.
GL HF,
Jacq
About the Author – Jacqueline Geller
After years of playing World of Warcraft, a friend introduced Jacqueline to Starcraft early last year. Jacqueline’s relationship with Starcraft started out slowly: a handful of casual dates, a little bit of flirting but nothing serious. She took her relationship with the game to the next level after BlizzCon 2010 where she experienced eSports magic first-hand and realized that Starcraft was the one. Despite being a mediocre player, she has been clambering the ladder at a glacial pace and has spent more time watching Starcraft online than she’d like to admit. In March, Jacqueline made the leap from eSports fan to eSports professional when she was hired by the Handsome Nerd as their Art Director, combining her design skills with her love of Starcraft. Since its start in April, Jacqueline has been a contributing writer for the North American Star League, writing coverage for Division 1. Offline, Jacqueline is a bookworm, a runner, a freeride snowboarder and has a Human Ecology degree with a Clothing and Textiles major.
View Jacqueline’s profile here.
Visit @jacquelinesg on Twitter
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