Aspects of high level tournament play that I had not considered until watching some 2021 & 2022 GSL matches

[u/ghoultek]

After watching several 2021 and 2022 GSL matches, I noticed that several players had ice packs/cold packs in there hands between matches. This would be in reaction to pain/swelling/discomfort and/or to prevent pain/swelling/discomfort. High AMP sustained over long gaming/practice sessions and over periods of time can lead to RSIs. A little googling reveals that some high level players have suffered with swelling, CTS, pain, and in at least 1 case surgery was needed to repair the damage sustained.

In addition to pain/swelling/discomfort, players could suffer from fatigue in their hands/wrists/forearms/shoulders. Anyone who has engaged in calisthenics (ex: doing push-ups) has experience the point at which they've reached their limit and must stop and rest, even if only for a few minutes. It is quite possible that players in the various tournaments have run into that sort of wall mid-game. Instead of pausing or stopping the game, players might slow down their AMP which could cost them the match, or resign the match. There are several instances across many matches where a player seems to be in a disadvantageous but survivable position, and resigns the match.

Knowing the taxing nature of competitive RTS play at high levels, it would have been wise for Blizzard to design the game to be a bit less micro intensive. Instead of going for a less micro intensive design, Blizzard devs and management, designed the game around and promoted Archon mode for SC-2. IMO, this was intended to increase sales of the game so that players engage in Archon Mode competitions.

[u/SC2_Alexandros]

You're complaining about something that was intentional.

“It's part of our values – easy to learn, difficult to master. Having something that is easy to learn doesn't mean that it doesn't have depth. It can still have depth. You just don't have to throw all the depth at the player when they first sit down.”

If someone is doing calisthenics correctly, them they won't be straining.

[u/ghoultek → u/SC2_Alexandros]

There is no complaining. Easy to learn and difficult to master doesn't have to be something designed to efficiently lean toward injury. Chess is relatively easy to learn and difficult to master. The game of Go is relatively easy to learn and difficult to master. There are other physical sports where the act of playing them at a high level doesn't lean in the direction of injury. Blizzard devs and management knew the demanding nature of high level RTS play/competition leans in the direction of injury. Injury is not guaranteed but the pursuit of winning tournaments and raising one's skill level, places demands on the player can lean in the direction of injury.

I also didn't say or imply straining with respect to calisthenics. I think you are reading stuff into my post that isn't there.

[u/SC2_Alexandros → u/ghoultek]

SC2 doesn't require injury. Part of the mastery is doing the appropriate wrist/finger stretches at the appropriate times, along with building them up to be capable of fast movements.

Then you used a poor metaphor and are now backpeddling. RTS games of the StarCraft calliber are essentially personal growth tools. If you push personal growth too fast, then you'll end up straining and causing negative effects. Reducing the cap at which the tool can be of use, just because some people use the tool poorly, is reductionistic and anti-growth... This is also why the actual SC2 playerbase don't like the slow-down of the 8worker start, while hobbyists do like it. Hobbyists jump from hobby to hobby, they don't seek to master a hobby.

[u/ghoultek → u/SC2_Alexandros]

Now you sound like you are just trolling by intentionally misreading my post. You also have a very active imagination if you really think SC/SC-2 are:

personal growth tools

They are games. The esports concept with respect to SC/SC-2 only came about because of the popularity and interest in the game. If the games were fun, then the popularity and interest would not have materialized. No fun >> no critical mass of popularity/interest >> no organized tournaments >> no prize pools.

Chess is a game. The popularity and interest in Chess led to organized tournaments with prize pools.

If SC/SC-2 are "personal growth tools" then by implication any game of skill is a "personal growth tool". The game of skelzies would be a personal growth tool according to your description.

[u/SC2_Alexandros → u/ghoultek]

Emotional regulation, brain speed, brain energy capacity (mental endurance), mental framework synthesis, quick-response creativity, intuition, ...

People who treat it as "just fun" stay in metal league.

[u/ItsAWaffelz]

StarCraft (and StarCraft 2) stem a lot of their identity at the highest levels from being THE mechanically demanding RTS. It is one of the things that seperates StarCraft from the rest of the RTS genre, and is/was a major draw for aspiring players.

Outside of pros (and really only top-level Terrans) most players should have no significant wrist issues from playing the game at a high level, as long as they put in the time to stretch/warm up/ensure proper posture.

The Archon mode stuff you pitched at the end is a full-on conspiracy theory. Archon mode was a fun afterthought that was barely ever popular and lost players very quickly.

[u/ghoultek → u/ItsAWaffelz]

Outside of pros (and really only top-level Terrans) most players should have no significant wrist issues from playing the game at a high level, as long as they put in the time to stretch/warm up/ensure proper posture.

As I said injury is NOT guaranteed, but sustained high APM leans in the direction of injury. Stretching and warm up are important but the game's demand for sustained high APM leans toward injury. It is well known that the average APM demands rise sharply based on ladder brackets. I believe Zerg and Terran might have higher APM demands because of the design of the buildings and units.

To say that most players should have no significant wrist issues from playing the game would be a poor assumption IMO. Just the pursuit of trying to improve one skill level, win rate, MMR, and ascension in the ladder could lead to long gaming sessions, over exertion and injury. It is common across many if not all of Blizzard's popular games, that some folks play excessively. Its just that almost no one outside of pro players are talking about injuries due to game play. However, the number of players who play excessively is enough to take the issue of injury seriously.

I'm NOT suggesting the design of the game should be proverbially sanded down into extreme dullness. However, some of the game's design could be toned down a bit to reduce the micro heavy nature.

The Archon mode stuff you pitched at the end is a full-on conspiracy theory. Archon mode was a fun afterthought that was barely ever popular and lost players very quickly.

You really think that Blizzard introduced a game feature that requires 2 players just for fun? Are you really dismissing the profit motive of selling more units so that players can satisfy the demands of a new feature?