This post has not been edited by the GamesBeat staff. Opinions by GamesBeat community writers do not necessarily reflect those of the staff.
Editor's Note: During the 12 years between the release of Starcraft and its inevitable sequel, Rick has shared several heartfelt moments with Jim Raynor, Sarah Kerrigan, and the other nonplayer characters who populate Blizzard's classic universe. If this strategy game ushered you into adulthood, too, you may tear up while reading Rich's story. -Omar
I can only describe the feeling I get after each viewing of the new Starcraft 2 trailer with one phrase: nerd chills. I don't get the feeling, however, because the trailer is awesome (which it is) or because I’m super pumped about playing Starcraft 2 (which I am). The feeling emerges for a completely different reason.
[embed:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_E83GfWM-A ]
This Tuesday will be a momentous day. After an incredible wait, Starcraft 2 will finally become available to the public! But that’s not the only impact it will have — not for me, anyway. Allow me to explain.
Starcraft 2′s release inadvertently represents a checkpoint in my life. This upcoming milestone forced me to consider how my life has changed in the time that’s passed between the original Starcraft, its expansion, and the full-fledged sequel. It’s mind-boggling to acknowledge the length of time between now and my first experience with Starcraft, which happened 12 years ago at the tender age of 13.
I remember how my infatuation began. It was 1998 and my older brother was playing some game with aliens and spaceships using our living room computer. At the time, I didn’t pay any attention. Back then, my favorite pastime was cycling and stopping for Slurpees at the local 7-Eleven. I also used to wear a pair of large, round glasses that Harry Potter would steal from me years later. Ahead of my time? I think so.
Anyway, a week later a friend of the family asked if I could babysit her five-year old for a night. She offered me $60 — a considerable sum to a slurpee-drinking kid. I said yes without hesitation. When I was alone with the little guy, he told me about a fun video game his older brothers would play on the computer.
That game was Starcraft.
The kid may have been five and full of mischief, but he knew enough to teach me the ropes. After a few random missions, I knew I had stumbled upon something special. I don’t remember putting the kid to bed, nor do I recall the $60 his mom left me. I do, however, remember going home and playing Starcraft. I played it incessantly from then until Brood War's release, at which point I began to play that. This continued throughout my high school years and ended with the release of the original Xbox.
We installed copies of Starcraft on our typing class computers without our teacher knowing. We played at lunch and sometimes during class if we had a substitute teacher. One of our friends was even ranked in the top ten for Canada. We didn’t believe him until he pummeled my friends and me in a match.
The Starcraft series had it all: fun gameplay, a mature story, and a highly addictive multiplayer component. Once I grew tired of the normal matchups, the map editor and user-made content kept me playing for years.
Looking back, Starcraft is the reason I bought Diablo 2 and Warcraft 3. Heck, it's the reason I would come to love all things Blizzard.
Starcraft changed me in a way that I have never forgotten. This coming Tuesday, I'll continue a story I believed to be over. And although Glynnis Talken Campbell won't be reprising her role as Sarah Kerrigan, my man Rob Clotworthy is back and playing Jim Raynor. Him and I are going to finish this together.
So on July 27th, when I hear Raynor's voice on my computer for the first time, I will know how far I’ve come from being that quiet teenager in the suburbs.
What about you? Have you had a life-changing experience with Starcraft?
Rick Knight is a professional online copywriter, designer, and blogger who requires additional pylons. Follow him on Twitter @knightrick or visit his portfolio website, gamerwords.com.