{"product_id":"starcraft-1","title":"StarCraft","description":"\u003ci\u003eStarCraft \u003c\/i\u003e(Blizzard Entertainment, 1998) is a real-time strategy video game, placing the player in command of three extraterrestrial races fighting against each other for strategic control of\u003cbr\u003e resources, terrain, and power. Simon Dor examines the game’s unanticipated effect by delving into the history of the game and the two core competencies it encouraged: decoding and foreseeing. Although \u003ci\u003eStarCraft \u003c\/i\u003ewas not designed as an e-sport, its role in developing foreseeing skills helped give rise to one of the earliest e-sport communities in South Korea.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Apart from the game’s clear landmark status, \u003ci\u003eStarCraft \u003c\/i\u003eoffers a unique insight into changes in gaming culture and, more broadly, the marketability and profit of previously niche areas of interest. The book places \u003ci\u003eStarCraft \u003c\/i\u003ein the history of real-time strategy games in the 1990s—\u003ci\u003eDune II\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eCommand \u0026amp; Conquer\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eAge of Empires\u003c\/i\u003e—in terms of visual style, narrative tropes, and control. It shows how design decisions, technological infrastructures, and a strong contribution from its gaming community through Battle.net and its campaign editor were necessary conditions for the flexibility it needed to grow its success. In exploring the fanatic clusters of competitive players who formed the first tournaments and professionalized gaming, StarCraft shows that the game was key to the transition towards foreseeing play and essential to competitive gaming and e-sports.","brand":"The University of Michigan Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Product","offer_id":54248786035032,"sku":"9780472076772","price":76.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0278\/1295\/4195\/files\/9780472076772__6765039384352.jpg?v=1741149936","url":"https:\/\/agendabookshop.com\/products\/starcraft-1","provider":"Agenda Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}