As a young gamer growing up in Irvine, Blizzard always seemed like the rich uncle you never got to meet. Its renown as a premiere game developer and publisher had begun to grow with successful titles like The Lost Vikings, Starcraft and Warcraft II, and there were many close opportunities throughout my formative gaming career where I came this close to gaining sneak peeks, early copies and other free Blizzard goodies from numerous friends and contacts. And yet, despite my close proximity to both those who played Blizzard games and those who made them, the fates always conspired to keep me on the periphery of Blizzard’s hits. Thus it was that Starcraft, Diablo and Warcraft III passed me by, with nary so much as an early peek or advance copy. The rich uncle had jetted off to Bali for Christmas once again, leaving the space underneath the tree conspicuously bare.