Ok it's Starcraft and not chess but for a long time chess player like me it may well be the same as watching an exciting live chess match.

I recognize the exact same elements in Starcraft. Creative openings, practiced strategies, tactics, time / clock control, middlegame, endgame etc. What's more the new techniques of SC2 grandmasters used there is so refreshing that you want to pick it up yourself in your own games. Something you won't be able to do watching GM chess because so much of the ideas is lost to us mere mortals (unless there are good commentators). And SC2 has excellent commentators.

So you can see the appeal Starcraft has for me. The world's best is contesting these 2 days and it's broadcasted live. This is the equivalent of those high category tournaments like the old Linares days.

Even Astro is broadcasting live on one of their channel. Now tell me when have you seen the World Chess Championship on Astro ?

The prize pool is a whopping USD 1.6 million.

link : http://us.battle.net/blizzcon/en/live-stream/

Right now the trend in Malaysia is kids and parents (with sufficient funds) will travel overseas for international exposure in chess. In future we will start seeing the same but instead of chess it's Starcraft. It's more exciting, clean (politically not controlled by the wrong people), more money and much healthier than chess. That's just my opinion :)