It has been an exciting couple of months for anyone who is a fan of competitive gaming. The two largest eSports in the world, League of Legends and Starcraft II, have recently held massive eSports events, sponsored by the games’ creators. As a huge fan of competitive gaming, and an avid player of both of these games, I often ask myself why are these games so great and what makes them such great eSports? But before I move on, this is not an attempt to prove one game is better then the other. In fact, I hope to show why in a way, these games are incomparable.
Starting with League of Legends, why is this game so popular? Well, obviously a huge contributor is that it is free-to-play. There is no risk in trying it out, so chances are if you have friends playing it, you will most likely at least try it out. That leads me to my next point. It is a team game, which many people are attracted to the idea of working together with a group of friends. These are all obvious, though. The main reason I think League of Legends is so huge is that it is easy to learn. After a few games, players can easily start to understand the basics of the game. That being said, it is extremely difficult to master. With over a hundred champions, and almost a limitless amount of compositions and strategies, League of Legends is by no stretch of the imagination an easy game when it comes to extremely competitive levels.
On the other hand, Starcraft II is everything that League of Legends is not. It is not free-to-play, but it is still an extremely popular game. Many people grew up playing the original, and as it is with most Blizzard games, are completely in love with the franchise. It is also a single player game, at least in at competitive levels. Yes, you can play with friends, but you are also able to play a lot by yourself. This game is a lot more appealing to players who are seeking self improvement, rather then working as a team. And finally, the difficulty is almost exactly the opposite as League of Legends. After watching or playing a couple of games, you may still feel lost. Becoming competitive in Starcraft requires a lot researching, watching other people player, and practicing. However, once you are able to get a solid grasp on the game, and if you put in a lot of time, you will see a huge amount of improvement in your play.
Once again, I am not trying to claim that one of these games is better then the other. It is almost impossible to try to compare these games. On one hand, their is League of Legends, with its team-oriented, high action gameplay, and on the other is Starcraft II, the one on one “thinking man’s game”. It is like trying to compare a game of hockey to a game of chess. Each has its pro’s and con’s, and each have their own target audience, but both are great games and can be extremely fun for fans to watch on a competitive level.
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