Upon buying StarCraft 2, it has become obvious to me that Blizzard understands me. Not just because the game hit all the right chords from the get go, but also because of the packaging and the included details. 

Inside the DVD box there’s a quick start guide that, aside from the mandatory installation instructions, includes a neat summary of the story so far – perfect for those of us who don’t have a super geeky memory seemingly solely dedicated to remembering every detail of every story we like.

But then Blizzard also included three stylish cards; one for a 10-day free World of Warcraft account (buy one drug and get one for free?) and two cards with 7 hours (or 14 days, whichever comes first) of free StarCraft 2 game time, with full access to all features, including multiplayer, which the also included guest accounts do not feature.

This is fantastic marketing. I am the kind of guy who likes to talk to everyone and anyone I know about games (excluding a few family members), and to be able to give them the ability to experience the awesome game I just rambled on about for an hour or two is pure genius. And did I mention these cards with the codes look awesome? They do. Which is why I want them back after my friends have used them.

Kudos to Blizzard for getting gamers. While a lot of people seem to utterly laud their success, I for one can recognize a good developer and publisher when I see one.