Starcraft

I’m trying to pinpoint the date this all started. Well not this, the sitting at a desk trying to think of words, I mean the thoughts of what I am going thinking about right now. If you know what I mean.

You don’t know what I mean. I don’t even know what I mean. Let me start over with this and maybe get to a point that actually makes sense. It had to have been either the late 90s or early 2000s, but I am leaning closer to the late 90s. The game didn’t come out till 1998, and it wouldn’t have been too long after that, when I first installed it on my PC.

I’m referring to the game Starcraft (1998 Blizzard Entertainment). It couldn’t have come out too long after Warcraft (the original version) had come out. No, I am not going to go and look that one up. I did play the original version of Warcraft but it didn’t infect me the same way that Starcraft did. They were both story driven real time strategy games, but the mechanics and such of Starcraft made a much more pleasant experience.

Anyway, the thoughts on the games and their timelines are not where I am taking this. I am actually leading up to the graphic novel by the mostly same name, Starcraft HC (Wildstorm 2010). Notice the publication date on this. It came out 12 years after the original game. And I haven’t played the game in much longer than that. But this is the power of the story.

As I have been reading this I am taking on the memory roller coaster that drags me through the spotty visions of the game as I had played it years ago. The story is filling missing bits of information and connecting parts of the story that would not have been easy to bring into a video game back in the early 2000s, let alone the late 90s. Computers back then weren’t the powerhouses we have now. Yeah, those of you that lived through the dark times will know exactly what I mean. Most of us were playing games through dial up modems if we were getting into games online at all.

But this is a thing I have grown to like about comics that tie into various video games. The comic is a space where the writers can dig a bit deeper and add more depth to the worlds created. We are able to become more a part of the story than we have been able to in the past. As much as we might want the old days at times, there are benefits to the world today that were unheard of in the ancient past (by that I mean as little as a couple years ago). But I digress…

I don’t know if I actually was looking to make a point. I mean, I am a bit more interested in talking about the comic and the games I used to play than trying to find meaning in the story. Granted this is a great story to dig into. It plays out very well with what I remember about the game. It’s a fun journey down a dark hallway you didn’t know you wanted to explore. I like bonus stuff.

Anyway, I feel a bit like I have been spending a good portion of my time with media tie ins. But all of them have been tie ins to games that happened somewhere around 20 years ago. And I haven’t played the games in close to that long. Next thing I might explore is the time I spent addicted to the Everquest experience. Can you imagine, that one has been around forever and still has a loyal following.

Or maybe I won’t because that is one long dark road that no one should have to relive. Or something…

Yeah, I slipped away from the topic at hand again. All I can say is, you knew what you were getting into when you started reading this. I ramble and sometimes I actually make a point or two. Or maybe I just ramble and the only one I really amuse is myself.

Essentially, it all comes down to a bit of nostalgia, while at the same time bringing in a story that can be followed whether you played the original game or not. In a way I feel a bit lost because I didn’t get into anything that came after the original game. Some of what is going on in the story may have relation to all of that. But I didn’t feel it. Instead I was able to pick up where I remember things and see the connections to the story as I had played it.

I have a feeling that this is the most we can expect from much of our entertainment, at least what we have a right to expect. We should be able to walk into something and figure out what is going on fairly well and enjoy it for what it is. If you have a history with the subject matter then it should play to the nostalgia while still being accessible to the average person coming in. This sounds easy but too often we are given stories that throw it all under the bus. Nothing worse than leaving people out of the stories. Maybe this line of thought is something for another time.

All that said, it was the original game that began my love affair with Blizzard. And subsequently, Diablo that defined much of my time playing computer games for a long time. It’s great to find graphic novels and novels that play into that bit of my life. You probably have something similar that clings tight to your feels. Don’t worry, I won’t judge you.

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If you enjoy these stories, consider leaving some coffee money in the jar or you could buy a book or two. Either way helps keep the stories flowing.