StarClass: What is "competitive" StarCraft 2?

I would classify a game of StarCraft 2 as "competitive" if the players are playing for stakes outside the game, such as a competitive ranking or prizes.

Given that definition, there are plenty of opportunities for players to play competitively, ranging from the online ladder available within the game to professional players playing for sponsored teams and traveling around the world to compete in high paying events.

Here is a tour of the many levels of competitive play:

Battle.net Ladder

Within the StarCraft 2 game client, players have the option of competing in the online ladder provided by the game developer, Blizzard. This is the most accessible form of competitive play, and non-professional players often refer to their ranking within this ladder as an indicator of their skill level.

Online Tournaments

There is a large variety of tournaments being hosted at any time, for almost any skill level. Many have no entry fee and have no prize or small prizes for 1st place. You might even see some top-level players dropping in for some easy money.

A great resource for finding online tournaments is the TeamLiquid.net tournament page:
http://www.teamliquid.net/tournaments

Collegiate Star League (CSL)
http://www.cstarleague.com
Yes, there is organized college-level competitive SC2! The CSL has over 200 college teams registered! In my home state of Colorado, there are 4 colleges represented, including my alma mater, Colorado State University.

After-Hours Gaming League (AHGL)
http://afterhoursgaming.tv
There are even leagues for company employees. This particular league is made up of 8 teams from major tech companies: Amazon, Dropbox, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Twitter, Yelp, and Zynga. The finals were played at Facebook headquarters and the $5,000 prize went to the victor's charity of choice.

LAN Tournaments

These events usually have an entry fee and often require players to bring their own computers. They usually have cash or computer hardware prizes, but the big value to players is gaining experience playing in a live competitive event.

Major Tournaments

Now you're into the big money - with big name sponsors, professional casters, and prize pools in the tens of thousands. These events often have local talent attending, but the top tier players will likely be playing for sponsored teams. Besides providing other pro-level players to practice with, teams may pay a salary and travel expenses and sometimes even provide team housing for players to live and train in.

• Major League Gaming Pro Circuit
  http://pro.majorleaguegaming.com - Wiki page on TeamLiquid.net
  This was my first exposure to live eSports programming. MLG hosts a series of events at different locations throughout the United States. In 2011, each SC2 event has a $14,000 prize pool and the finals has a prize pool of $120,000. These are large enough to attract overseas players, including players from South Korea. I highly recommend these as a spectator - although if you're like me, you'll likely have to watch most of the games later in the video archive - kids and spouses aren't really compatible with 3 non-stop days of watching SC2!

I haven't watched these myself, but have heard great things about them:

• Intel Extreme Masters
  http://www.esl-world.net/masters - Wiki page on TeamLiquid.net
  This is the main competition hosted by the Electronic Sports League (ESL), a European league.
• DreamHack
  http://www.dreamhack.se - Wiki page on TeamLiquid.net
  This is a series of events held in Sweden. I believe it holds the world record for the largest LAN party. Look it up on Wikipedia ;-)

Professional Leagues

Only professional or semi-professional players need apply at this level. Not only are most of the players on sponsored teams, but participation becomes a serious time commitment - seasons can last several weeks to several months. The intense schedule of the GSL basically requires that you live in South Korea! However, for all this commitment, the payout is much larger - with prize pools hitting (or exceeding) $100,000!

• North American Star League (NASL)
  http://nasl.tv - Wiki page on TeamLiquid.net
  This league started this last spring (2011) as somewhat of a grassroots effort to bring a major league to North America. They only had a handful of staff, but with support from the competitive community and the largest prize pool outside of South Korea at the time ($100,000), the event got top talent and broadcast pro SC2 matches 5 days a week for several months before a live finals in California.
  
  As a spectator, this was like having my own SC2 cable channel - every day there were several matchups back-to-back, and the casting was great. One downside was their lack of organization, the website, and technical difficulties. I didn't get to see any of the open bracket play or the playoffs since it wasn't clear when those would be broadcast or how to view them. I'm looking forward to this next season and hoping they have worked out the kinks - the first broadcast is next Wednesday night!
• IGN Pro League (IPL)
  http://www.ign.com/proleague - Wiki page on TeamLiquid.net
  This league, hosted by the website IGN, started this spring (just after NASL started!). Season 1 was an invite-only $5,000 tournament for North American players only. Season 2 added qualifiers and European players, and a $50,000 prize pool. Season 3 has a prize pool of $100,000 and the finals will be played at a live event at Caesar's Palace and Bally's in Atlantic City, NJ.
  
  After NASL, this is my favorite league to watch. Great production values, good casters, and all the VODs (video-on-demand) are free and well organized. I mainly watch from the video archive, but they also have scheduled broadcasts called IPL TV, with other video content such as player interviews.
• GOMTV Global StarCraft II League (GSL) and Team League (GSTL)
  http://www.gomtv.net - Wiki page on TeamLiquid.net
  And last, (but certainly not least!) is the GSL in South Korea. StarCraft (the predecessor to SC2) is a mainstream sport in South Korea (no joke here), with 2 dedicated cable channels, an entire industry of professional teams and training houses, several tiers of organized competitive play, and final competitions held in stadiums with rock concerts and TV coverage.
  
  The Korean players and fans haven't moved 100% to SC2 yet, but the GSL for SC2 is already running strong. I see NINE events for 2011 on the Wiki page so far, and all of them have a prize pool around $130,000. Korea is by far the best place to train for SC2, likely because it has such a large and dedicated player base. Several "foreign" players have visited or lived there to train or compete - and have come back with amazing skills and a deeper, more refined knowledge of the game.

As you can see, there is a lot going on in the world of competitive StarCraft 2! There is something for everyone, both players and spectators, and at every level, from beginners to professionals!