StarCraft was known as one of the most LAN-friendly games on the market when it was first released, giving players the option to install a "spawn" of the game on the other computers using one CD key. This spawned install allowed multiplayer with up to eight players, meaning that if you had one copy of the game, you could invite seven friends over with their systems and no one else needed to buy the game. Will the spawning feature be supported in StarCraft 2, now that LAN play has been removed completely? Our take is the chances are slightly above zero, but not by much.

Blizzard was so loved because it was a gamer-friendly company that gave us more than we asked for, and surprised us with things like a free online service and the spawned installs. Now, if you want to hook up a few computers in your basement without an Internet connection, you may not be able to play against each other at all. The LAN party is a dying thing in the world of built-in voice chat and high-speed Internet connections, but it's not dead yet... especially among those who grew up playing StarCraft.

LAN games, without the worry of hooking everyone up to the Internet (and without the distraction of the same) just aren't seen as important any more. Even Dungeons and Dragons, the table-top game, is using computers for more and more of the role-playing. Us old-timers who want our electronic gaming with less... well, technology, aren't happy with some of these changes.