Don’t Forget Our Esports Dream

Don’t Forget Our Esports Dream is a narrative-driven visual novel set in the competitive world of South Korean esports. Players assume the role of Bolt, a professional StarCraft: Brood War player navigating pivotal career decisions, training challenges, and personal relationships. Through branching storylines and guided StarCraft gameplay segments, the game explores the pressures of professional gaming culture while interacting with fellow players, international rivals, and passionate fans.

Don’t Forget Our Esports Dream: Review

Introduction

In an industry dominated by high-octane FPS titles and sprawling MOBAs, Don’t Forget Our Esports Dream (2018) stands as a poignant love letter to the South Korean Brood War scene and the human stories behind the APM counters. Developed by indie studio Team Eleven Eleven, this visual novel/RPG hybrid immerses players in the cutthroat world of professional StarCraft, weaving personal ambition against the backdrop of PC Bangs and international tournaments. With its thesis rooted in the bittersweet tension between competitive glory and personal sacrifice, the game elevates esports drama from spectacle to intimate character study.

Development History & Context

Studio Vision & Technological Constraints

Team Eleven Eleven emerged during indie gaming’s mid-2010s renaissance, leveraging the accessible Ren’Py engine to craft narrative-driven experiences. Their prior work on the SC2VN franchise laid groundwork for Don’t Forget Our Esports Dream, which aimed to humanize esports’ often-mythologized figures. Released November 20, 2018, for Windows, macOS, and Linux, the game faced constraints:
– Budget limitations: Zero voice acting (replaced by text-driven storytelling).
– Licensing hurdles: While featuring StarCraft: Brood War mechanics, it was an “independent project not affiliated with Blizzard” (Steam), necessitating artistic reinterpretations of units/maps.
– Market timing: Launched amid the Overwatch League’s franchising boom but deliberately focused on Korea’s pre-League of Legends esports culture.

Gaming Landscape

The late 2010s saw esports transitioning from niche to mainstream, with Epic Games’ Fortnite World Cup (2019) funneling billions into infrastructure. Yet Don’t Forget Our Esports Dream defiantly looked backward, capturing Brood War’s twilight era (1998–2010) when Korean players like Lim Yo-Hwan (“BoxeR”) became national icons. This nostalgia resonated with veterans fatigued by live-service models.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

Plot & Characters

Players assume the role of Bolt, a rising Zerg prodigy grappling with:
– Burnout: Intense 16-hour training regimens mirroring real-life Korean gaming houses.
– Ethical dilemmas: Match-fixing pressures (echoing 2010’s Brood War scandals).
– International rivalries: Encounters with smug foreign players like Wan (Goon) critique esports’ globalization.

Supporting characters—a washed-up Terran veteran, a fan-turned-coach, and a corporate sponsor—embody industry archetypes. Their arcs dissect agency vs. exploitation, particularly when Bolt’s team owner demands: “You’re not here to think. You’re here to win.”

Dialog Systems & Themes

The Star Sense dialog system innovates by letting players “present” esports terminology (e.g., macro, cheese) to unlock deeper motivations. A conversation about sunk cost fallacy with Bolt’s retired mentor reveals the game’s core theme: esports as a collective dream sustained by individual sacrifice.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

Hybrid Structure

• Visual novel segments: 70% of runtime focuses on Bolt’s relationships via branching dialog.
• RTS sequences: Guided Brood War scenarios teach mechanics (hotkey usage, worker splits) while tracking real APM (Steam forums note players averaging 150–300 APM).
• Codex glossary: Explains terms like “6-pool” or “GG”, accommodating newcomers.

Strengths & Flaws

• Innovative APM feedback: Post-match analytics show efficiency percentages, praised for educational value (Steam reviews).
• Pacing issues: Sudden difficulty spikes in S-rank challenges (e.g., “Bug? [update3: solved!]” thread details hotkey recognition problems).
• Limited replayability: Linear narrative undercuts RPG progression claims.

World-Building, Art & Sound

Visual & Environmental Design

• Anime/manga aesthetics: Bolt’s angular character design contrasts with photorealistic backdrops of Seoul’s neon-lit PC Bangs.
• Authentic locales: Team houses modeled after KeSPA-accredited facilities; tournament stages evoke OGN’s StarLeague broadcasts.

Atmospheric Sound

• Synth-heavy OST: Tracks blend chiptune nostalgia with K-pop beats during training montages.
• Diegetic audio: The constant clack of mechanical keyboards reinforces immersion—players noted ASMR-like satisfaction (Steam reviews).

Reception & Legacy

Initial & Lasting Impact

• Critical reception: “Very Positive” on Steam (91% of 117 reviews), lauded for emotional depth. Lacked mainstream press coverage but cultivated a niche following.
• Commercial performance: Free-to-play model limited revenue but boosted accessibility (620,000+ downloads via GOG/Steam).
• Legacy: Pioneered the “esports drama” subgenre, influencing later titles like Valorant Chronicles (2023). Its glossary system became a blueprint for onboarding non-gamers.

Industry Influence

• Cultural preservation: Captured Brood War’s decline amid StarCraft II’s rise—a eulogy for Korea’s “golden age.”
• Community impact: Speedrunners still compete for “Under 10 APM” achievement (Steam), exploiting intentional misclicks for comedic effect.

Conclusion

Don’t Forget Our Esports Dream succeeds not as a competitive RTS but as a melancholic examination of fandom and attrition. Its refusal to glamorize esports—instead highlighting wrist injuries, contractual traps, and communal han—cements its place as gaming’s equivalent to The Wrestler (2008). While technical limitations and pacing flaws prevent broad appeal, its earnest storytelling remains a vital artifact of esports history. Team Eleven Eleven’s magnum opus whispers what tournaments shout: Remember the humans behind the heroes.