Starcraft II is without doubt the king of e-sports and reigns supreme over a field that are more than capable of holding the same title. Like the mesmerizing Leo Messi in an outstanding Barcelona squad it earns all of the plaudits even to the extent of people failing to recognise the contribution made by others.

The popularity of the game started well over 10 years ago when its predecessor was released by Blizzard and instantly gained a massive cult following from many Asian countries, Korea in particular. Before long matches between the best players on the continent were attracting hundreds of thousands of viewers and players were earning the same in dollars. The game gave birth to massive organisations which built houses for their squads of players to live and practice in and they would be paid huge salaries for doing so. As an added incentive they would be flown out to compete at regular prestigious tournaments with hundreds of thousands of dollars on the line.

By the mid 00's the game was at its peak and being televised Nationally, even subway stations screened matches for commuters to watch on their way to work whilst bars and pubs hosted events where fans could watch their idols battle it out over a few refreshments. The Korean military even took notice and got involved, recruiting their own SC:BW team from the pool of players who had to serve their manditory National Service. To this day the game is televised nationally and attracts huge audiences, despite the introduction of its younger, sleeker brother last year. Starcraft II is yet to take the crown from its predecessor and thousands of players are still reluctant of making the switch to the game despite obvious interest from fans and spectators growing day by day.

It's difficult to force such a massive change in a scene that has so much invested in the game, with many players earning a living and organisations making a lot of money it's seen as a risk to make the switch to Starcraft II, and until it's too lucrative to turn down it appears that Brood War will remain the big dog. In the Western world it's been a very different story, a tale of prosperity and unimaginable growth, growth which shows absolutely no signs of slowing down. The rise in popularity of Starcraft II in the West is something that many can't believe and at times threatens to leave us behind, but it's got to the point where - after just under 18 months - e-sports, in the outside world at least, is Statcraft II.

When I think of how popular the game has become to people who have little or no idea what e-sports is it used to leave me speechless. My main issue was that SC2, despite it's "dumbing down" from the original, remains one of the most complicated and difficult to master games currently played at a competitive level. The various races that can be used take some learning but it's made more complex by the thousands of different builds and strategies implemented by players whilst the maps throw another spanner in the works given how dependent the game is on positioning. Even with basic knowledge of how the game works it's extremely difficult to follow a high-level match, let alone for complete new comers to the game and the genre.

That was always the major reason the original Starcraft failed to amass such a cult following in the West, because it was just too complex and too hard to get into unless you were immensely patient and persistent. Although the game did have a competitive scene, especially in the USA it was nowhere near the level of WC3 or Counter-Strike - the games which, back then, ruled the roost. Why then has it taken off on such a grand scale now, twelve years after the original was released and off the back of a remake that doesn't differ all that much? Well, that's exactly what I'm here to discuss because I don't think it's because the game is superior to its predecessor. Neither is it because the players who play it are hugely entertaining to watch and follow - with only a few real personalities in the scene. It's partly down to advancements in technology but also thanks to the tireless efforts of the men and women who constantly promote the game and the talent of the people tasked with bringing it to a mainstream audience, something that every other e-sport title lacks.

One thing that BroodWar and most competitive games lacked when they were in their prime was an ideal way to showcase the action to the audience. Streaming was available but the quality was sub standard and the reliability of most hosting websites caused serious problems whilst television remained a very un-interactive way of reaching an audience, and when the audience consists mainly of gamers (who have the attention span of a goldfish) interactivity is the key. These days thanks to websites such as Twitchtv people can stream live matches in high quality directly to their PC, where they can also chat to thousands of other players in real-time about the match. These kind of websites have supported the burst in activity the SC2 scene has enjoyed and in turn helped to pay for the services of people who are good at what they do, people who then attract new players and fans with the quality of their work.

Given that competitive gaming is still such a small industry trying to attract people with talent has proven a problem in recent years. For the most part the writers, commentators, managers, businessmen or media moguls were here either because they loved it or because it was easier than doing it out in the real world. This meant that those areas remained sub-standard and in most competitive titles still do. Thanks to the money being made through advertising, Starcraft II has given birth to a whole new breed of professionalism and attracted numerous talented shoutcasters and media savvy fans of the industry to help with its promotion, something that has been sorely lacking and something that is required if new players are to ever understand and enjoy the game.

I like to compare Starcraft II to House Music. It's a weird analogy but bare with me: When you first listen to a progressive house track you are attacked by a fast paced kick drum which soon grows tiresome; then, slowly but surely new layers are introduced which can at times sound cluttered and confusing. The breakdown arrives by the mid way point as the layers are stripped down again, leaving us with nothing but the melody. The melody is beautiful and exciting and it draws you in before the crescendo brings the return of the entire assembly of sounds in harmony. Trying to play Starcraft II without the fantastic work of the casters and commentators would be like listening to House music without a breakdown. A difficult to follow, cluttered, mess of effects and actions which follow no real pattern or trend.

Commentators such as the hugely popular duos of Tasteless and Artosis or TotalBiscuit and Apollo keep the attention of spectators because they break-down the game so well for newcomers whilst remaining hugely entertaining and detailed enough to keep the experienced crowd happy. iNControL remains hugely accessible to his huge fanbase and remains one of my personal favourite casters, with his work at the NASL Finals in particular keeping me hooked. People such as Slasher and djWHEAT, although both popular figures beforehand and not exclusive to Starcraft II have worked tirelessly to promote the title and, by proxy, promote e-sports to the mainstream and the production value of their shows make them easily accessible to people who are new to the industry. Then we have arguably the most famous name in the industry, Sean 'Day9' Plott.

Since the games release the former BroodWar player has become the face of Starcraft II and can be found casting and presenting at pretty much every single major event worldwide. His entertaining persona makes him instantly likable for people tuning in for the first time and when on stage he exudes charisma whilst also being incredibly knowledgeable about the intricacies of the game. His tireless work behind the scene also make SC2 vastly more accessible to newcomers, mainly thanks to his Day9 Daily show in which he regularly critiques the performance of players, breaking down high level matches in order to give the viewers a greater understanding of the game.

Without the efforts of these people trying to get into Starcraft II would be a lot more difficult whilst learning about the intricacies without investing an insane amount of time would be almost impossible. Starcraft II would have suffered the same fate as its predecessor in the West had it not been for the likes of Tastosis, Wheat, Slasher and Day9. They are the main reason that the game is as popular as it is today and the constant driving force behind SC2 and e-sports, bringing in thousands of new players and fans on a daily basis and keeping them here thanks to the quality of their work. Other games with an eye on the crown should take notice of the work being done by the Starcraft II community because the bar has been raised and that is what is required to be considered a truly elite e-sports title. Screw the players, these guys are the real stars of Starcraft II.