Playing Sports in front of a TV/Computer Screen

Been watching Evo 2012 highlights and got really stoked about fighting games. Watching Street Fighter IV and Marvel Vs Capcom 3 and even King of Fighters was a blast, but Soul Calibur V was confusing. I realized it was because I understood the mechanics of 2D fighters better so I could better tell what was going on and with a good commentator, the match was way more exciting. Watching other games like Starcraft 2 and Warcraft 3 The Frozen Throne was great because they were games I played. I found FPS boring and DotA styled games too slow for my liking.

This could be why it's hard for eSorts to kick off in most places other than Korea. Non-gamers probably won't be interested in watching eSports while gamers will only be interested in games that they play and understand.

How then did Starcraft take off in Korea? My guess is Blizzard made a game that's not just fun, but very watchable as well. Two armies killing off one another isn't hard to differentiate. And while build orders might not be immediately intuitive, a good commentator will be able to draw people in.

Watching fighters is a different story even though 2 people beating each other up should be understandable. Fighters have deep mechanics and most commentators do not readily focus on the action and on what's going on, or they use too much jargon in their commenting. Games like these are difficult for the general population to watch unless the commentators make it easier to understand.

Check out the first 3 minutes for an exciting match.

Do you watch eSports? What games hype you up and why do you watch the games you do? Are there ways to make more games enjoyable by the general masses so pro-gamers can get more recognition for their abilities?