Back in the saddle

So, some of you (all 2 of you that I think reads this :P) have probably noticed that I stopped posting here...
I could come up with a bunch of excuses for this, work being crazy, preparing to move back home to Denmark and tons of other reasons, but the truth is it the inspiration simply has not been there. I run this post as my own little sanctuary so if I don't have anything to write down well.... nothing will be written down.

But, today I do have something to post about. This weekend, Assembly 2011 was run in Finland, a large media-arts convention that over the years have grown into a central avenue for E-sports, in particular this years Starcraft 2 tournament, bringing some of Europe's best players together for a weekend of challenges and matches. I had the immense pleasure of watching this being streamed live by Total Biscuit and co-commentated by Starcraft 2 E-sports player, dApollo. I highly recommend checking out TBs Youtube channel by the way, he is incredibly entertaining, even if you aren't that interested in video games. Check him out at http://www.youtube.com/user/TotalHalibut

Well, that was kind of a long-winded introduction to what I actually wanted to talk about, critique. We've all felt the harsh sting of truth when people tell us we suck at something and we've all felt the desire to defend ourselves.
However, looking at the chat during the livestream, I saw too many damn idiots complaining that this and that player "sucked".
Now sucking at something is an objective statement. Either one is good at something or one is not, so I consider it odd that people, who for one reason or another, wants to denigrate others in this fashion. What is it about success that makes people so keen to criticize others? Stephano, a world class SC2 player does not suck. Do you know how I know this? Because he plays the damn game in an environment where the top prize is 8000 Euro. A massive sum of money for a weekends dedicated gaming.
And yet, both him and so many others are often named as crap players.

 I suck at Starcraft 2 miltiplayer. Do you know why? Because I've played all of 3 matches in total, none of which I won. The people who play Tennis, soccer, paint or play video games at such an incredible level that they are often capable of making a living out of it, does not, in any sense of the term, suck at what they do.

What is it about humans that makes us so incapable of accepting the success of our peers? Is it some vague aspiration to elevate ourselves above all others? Or simply a desire to lash out at anyone that could be construed as superior at something. I don't know, but this problem flourishes to a dangerous degree on the internet, where you can criticize someone as much as you want, using as many personal insults as you desire simply because no one is going to bother confronting you about it.

Why can't you asshats just accept the simple fact that these people are about a billion times better than you will ever be? By all means, comment on their gameplay "I think he is having a bad day" or "He really is not playing very well today". These statements at least acknowledge the fact that yes, they are normally extremely capable individuals, rather than simply bashing them for not doing things like you would.
And always keep in mind, whether it is a soccer match, an artist creating a painting, or an E-sports tournament player in League of Legends, it is always much easier for us as observers to get a full picture. This is not the case for the person sitting in front of the PC, running on the field or going through the thought process of choosing the correct colour.

It's easy being a critic. And even easier to be a complete fucking asshat with no reason to exist. Be the former, not the later.

See you all on the bounce.