Will StarCraft 2 Be a Game You and Your LAN Friends Can Play?

LAN parties have long been a staple of the basement warrior. Friends arrive, carrying computers on their backs, in pull-suitcases or by cleverly designed straps for a night of Mountain Dew consuming and friend-conquering. I myself have been known to host a raucous LAN party from time to time, something about being across the table from your opponent is just a lot of fun. A great majority of these LAN parties revolved around a few games. Starcraft was one of those games. The RTS classic brought me and my friends together on more than one occasion, and I saw my fair share of sunrises because of all-nighters spent with friends playing that masterpiece of a game. With the release of Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty looming oh so close on the horizon, I busted out my old tower PC, excited by the opportunity for more LAN parties. I did a little background research about the upcoming title, expecting to find all kinds of news that would send me careening to my nearest game stop, saliva frothing from my lips, to pre-order a copy. Instead I found an announcement stating that there would be no out-of-the box LAN support for Starcraft II.

When I read this my slathering was instantly postponed. No LAN capability? That would be like eating cheesecake without the crust or taking Han Solo out of the original trilogy! I have so many fond memories of sitting around all night with my friends, whooping and hollering and crying over Zergling rushes. Why would Blizzard take that away from me. According to them, their purpose is to combat piracy. After a moment's thought I can understand where they are coming from. Starcraft II stands to be a very popular release, and I'm sure pirates will be hoisting their Jolly Rogers to get their hands on the game without paying. But I'm no pirate! I fully intend to pay for the game and I would be happy to submit my game to authentication prior to my playing on a LAN with my friends! Why is that a problem?

With a small amount of further reading I have concluded that I will survive, and so will Starcraft II. The fact is Blizzard is constantly stating that Battle.net is being revamped to take care of this shortcoming. If Battle.net 2.0 is as reliable, easy to use and game-changing as Blizzard says then why would I need LAN? My friends could still come over and play... my house does have the Internet, after all. Why should I complain when we can just as easily join each other's games on Battle.net?

For me, it's principle.

I don't like being told what I can and can't do by game developers. It leaves a nasty taste in my mouth and makes me feel untrusted. Maybe it was the vast success of World of Warcraft, but Blizzard, my old friend, I implore you: protect yourself from pirates all you can, but don't forget to respect your fans and not treat us like criminals. Put post-authentication LAN support in Starcraft II.

Thank you.

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