Victor Bleichner

Christian Croona

Starcraft: A spectator sport for a wide audience?

Abstract

E-sport, videogames played under competitive forms, is today a growing phenomenon, especially among the hardcore players. This study will examine what opportunities Starcraft 2 has to become a spectator sport for the non-Starcraft players. The focus of this investigation is on the spectator but we have also conducted interviews with two companies that are involved in the broadcasting of Starcraft.

Today Starcraft has drawbacks as well as opportunities to become a spectator sport for the broader mass. The results of this paper indicate that there are interesing elements like the game´s dynamics and intensity. However, Starcraft is a complex game for the broader audience and there are difficulties in understanding the evolution of the game. For a broader audience the games need to be broadcasted in another format that eases the understanding of the game events. There are also external factors that would increase the interest of the game as a spectator sport like nationalism, betting, worldwide tournaments similar to other sports and increased media coverage.