What’s better than playing StarCraft II in Korean tournaments? Performing it live using Kabuki-like stagecraft!
Unless you’ve been hiding under a pile of minerals, you are probably aware that StarCraft is a huge cultural phenomenon in Korea. There are live broadcasts of StarCraft tournaments on TV, and the stars of the Korean Pro League make as much money as professional athletes here in the U.S. So it certainly makes sense that the Koreans would combine their love of Blizzard’s real-time strategy game with flamboyant physical comedy. I present to you StarCraft performed live at a Korean variety show:
The best part of this video is that the units being dramatized progress through the tech ladder for both the Terran and the Protoss. The Protoss guy on the right begins as a Zealot, then the Terran Marine shoots at him with a nifty sparkler trick. Going on all fours kind of looks like the Stalker, and the blue projectiles that the puppeteer in black shows really sell the illusion.
The Terran guy bellows “Siege tank!” and the real in-game audio cues do wonders for when he transforms into a stationary artillery battery. The spitting of foam balls for shells is just icing on the cake. When the Carrier arrives and the fluttering yellow gloves become the individual fighters, the Terran guy is toast. I’m not sure why his Ghosts decided to blow him up with his own nuclear blast, but maybe he just wanted to go out with a bang before throwing up the classic “GG” gravestone.
The stagecraft used to bring StarCraft to life – I know, I couldn’t resist – is really entertaining. It was definitely worth a chuckle or two from me.
