Okay, so here I was reading time magazine, which occasionally has articles relating to computer games. I didn't expect to see coverage of South Korea's 'e-sport industry' though. What really flipped me out was the fact that the article actually treated the subject very seriously. TIME's online article is linked and quoted but it got me thinking...
Link to the online article.
Some choice quotes for those too lazy to read the whole thing.
Do you think that it is a viable industry or a passing fad brought on by the economic downturn in South Korea in the late 90s? Do you think that, to quote the article in the magazine, 'e-sports is the ultimate spectator sport'? Can the highly successful model be adapted for other countries or is the situation going to remain unique to South Korea?
Will get the magazine tomorrow and update the post with some of the more interesting things mentioned. Maybe.
Link to the online article.
Some choice quotes for those too lazy to read the whole thing.
The magazine article also mentioned some statistics and history on the 'industry'. The only one I can remember off the top of my head is that e-sports employs 25,000 people in Seoul.The online article wrote:
"I don't have any hobbies," says 24-year-old Choi Yeun Sung, who arguably works longer hours at his chosen career than does South Korea's president. "I just practice as much as I can, so I will improve." Of course many parents the world over would consider Choi's career itself a hobby, but in South Korea, being a professional video-gamer is a serious business.
Gamers at Choi's level of skill can earn several hundred thousand dollars a year off their keyboard and mouse — and the adulation of the nation's twenty- and thirty somethings, especially young women.
The international competitor must have the focus of a Buddhist monk and the hand-eye coordination of a neurosurgeon in order to defeat rival combatants in contests that typically last about 20 minutes. During that time, a gamer's heart rate can race to 160 beats per minute (equivalent to that of pro basketball player), while both hands work the mouse and keyboard at speeds of about 500 clicks per minute. They may be sitting down in a chair, but the sweat that pours off them suggests they're anything but couch potatoes.
"You need absolute mind control," says Ju Hoon, head coach of SK Telecom. And like most other professional sports, pro gaming takes a physical and mental toll on players — crippling backaches, shoulder pain, headaches, tired eyes and sore wrists are par for the course, explains Hoon, a graduate in sports psychology.
Do you think that it is a viable industry or a passing fad brought on by the economic downturn in South Korea in the late 90s? Do you think that, to quote the article in the magazine, 'e-sports is the ultimate spectator sport'? Can the highly successful model be adapted for other countries or is the situation going to remain unique to South Korea?
Will get the magazine tomorrow and update the post with some of the more interesting things mentioned. Maybe.
Whoa... Can't believe these forums are still kicking.