In the last culture post, I discussed korean food and its cultural importance. In this cultural post, I would like to concentrate on Korean gaming culture since it’s a big part of contemporary korean culture and what I would like to focus on for the final research project.
The artifacts I am using for this post are an article from NewYork Times, an article from BBC news, and a documentary made by Red Bull.
Gaming is a huge industry in Korea. In some other countries, gaming is still in progress for getting recognized as a real sport and regulations are developing to support professional leagues, but South Korean esports has already made its progress that younger Koreans view gaming as a legitimate career path.
“Pro gaming exists in its current form and size in large part thanks to the people who made it possible in South Korea,” said Manuel Schenkhuizen, a Dutch pro gamer. “Other countries took years to catch up and are to this date trying to mimic some of their successes.”
Esports players have become role models for younger people in Korean and as an equivalent of a K-pop or K-drama celebrity. Gaming is THE leisure activity in Korea. Statistics show that 28.9 million people play games in Korea, more than half the population. Twenty percent of the Korean population watch esports tournaments several times per month, and sixty-four percent are permanent esports viewers.
The bbc reporter was able to score an interview with Lee Sang-hyeok (이상혁), better known as his game id--- Faker. He is recognized as one of the best professional players of the game League of Legends. He dropped out of high school to join a professional league team-SKT and has won many awards and honors since then. Professional gamers’ life is actually not as interesting as people would imagine. Faker said in the interview that his day was composed of mostly just eating and repetitive practice. Players must practice relentlessly, spending their days in front of a screen. In the New York Times article, the coach of CJ Entus, Kang Hyun-jong, said he tried to encourage players to enjoy themselves, the real goal was clear. “The best way for players to enjoy themselves is to know how to win,” he said.
One of the most famous members of CJ Entus, Hong Min-gi, said he still enjoyed playing the game, despite the commitment. In part, he said, it was because he usually won. “I still get motivated when I beat someone,” he said. What faker said in the interview also comfirms this. Faker started his career for the awards and prizes, but gradually, it’s more for the sense of achievement.
Though gamers and industry insiders have different theories about how e-sports became so popular in South Korea, nearly all versions start in the late 1990s.
At the time, in response to the Asian financial crisis, the South Korean government focused on telecommunications and Internet infrastructure. By 2000, a vibrant community of gamers emerged, largely thanks to PC bangs that used the new connections. South Korean currently has over 20000 PC-bangs, where people play games together and learn how to play games better. A lot of professional players’ career started with playing the tournaments hosted by these PC-bangs.
The government also became involved, creating the Korean E-Sports Association to manage e-sports. Cheap television stations took off as well, a result of the new infrastructure, and it was only natural that one, then more, would focus on e-sports.
Companies also started to sponsor teams since they see the potential for business profits.
sources:
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20180329-inside-south-koreas-intense-gaming-culture
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