StarCraft II shakes up S. Korea's 'national sport'

[ducknesseyes.livejournal.com]

(click on screencap for link to video)


In South Korea, the launch of "StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty" is more than just a follow-up to one of the PC industry's top-selling games -- it could shake up what many see as the North Asian country's national sport.

In high-tech South Korea -- which has one of the highest broadband penetration rates in the world -- the StarCraft video game series has spawned devotion more akin to professional sports teams.

Indeed, video game players there can get lucractive contracts from professional teams with corporate sponsorships. Games of large tournaments are broadcast live on television in South Korea.

"In Korea, a lot of factors came together to make it a big thing," professional gamer Greg Fields told CNN's Kristie Lu Stout.

The first StarCraft game, produced by Blizzard Entertainment in Irvine, California, came out in 1998 when the South Korean economy was melting down during the Asian Financial Crisis.

"It was in the middle of an economic recession and (StarCraft) was easy, cheap entertainment. It really took over and just captivated a nation," said Fields, a 20-year-old New Jersey native recruited two years ago to play StarCraft for the South Korean team CJ Entus.

In a nod to the game's popularity in South Korea, Blizzard first announced plans for StarCraft II at the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational in Seoul in May 2007.

About 90 percent of South Korean households are connected to high-speed broadband and the nation has some 25,000 internet cafes, which took in $600 million last year, according to government figures. The gaming market is expected to be worth $5.5 billion this year with a 17 percent growth rate, according to the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA).

StarCraft II was first released Tuesday in South Korea and other Asian nations. The original game sold about 11 million copies worldwide .

While gamers in South Korea are lining up to get copies of the new title, StarCraft II could be a game changer in the country's professional circuit, Fields said.

"In StarCraft II, the leagues aren't established yet, they're all building up -- it's going to be huge, but we don't know how long it will take, how huge it will be, whether (existing teams) will be good at the game or not," Fields said.


Source: CNN

Comments

STARCRAFT?

[ms-rancha.livejournal.com]

yes you!

Re: STARCRAFT?

[kms012.livejournal.com]

LOL, perfect first comment :P

[paper-berries.livejournal.com]

I really want SC2 ;A;

[little-dingo.livejournal.com]

Me too D= The urge to buy it despite not really having any money is rapidly growing too >

[buccal.livejournal.com]

lol my guy friends (SC stans) shared this the other day:

[sequinstilettos.livejournal.com]

(http://tinypic.com?ref=2q0ud74)

[sequinstilettos.livejournal.com]

i love that every starcraft/gaming-related post in omona comes with a gaemgyu gif

starcraft hihi

[myiuchan.livejournal.com]

Re: starcraft hihi

[kms012.livejournal.com]

ROFL, I love that gif! Probably one of my most favourite Kyu gifs ever :DDD

[solitaryanguish.livejournal.com]

so that explains @gaemgyu's absence in Twitterland. jk. now every time I see/hear StarCraft, I think of Kyu O_O

[lindeyyy.livejournal.com]

me too XD

[uchuu-kita.livejournal.com]

:3 I've done photoshoots with both of the players in that screencap. It's Lim Yohwan on the left, and Hwaseung Oz's resident cutie Lomo on the right. He is so precious;

(http://tinypic.com?ref=90zo5h)

[lindeyyy.livejournal.com]

What a cutie ;A;

[bumie.livejournal.com]

starcraft II .... oh uh

[malyo.livejournal.com]

I fucking love this game.

[lyuna.livejournal.com]

8D

[vizallati.livejournal.com]

LOL. Everytime I went on Youtube last week, there was a big ad for SC2 and I just kept thinking about Kyu~

[orangebondpaper.livejournal.com]

Can only think of Kyu.

[nudrive.livejournal.com]

Sport

orlly now?

[dullfangs.livejournal.com]

Competitive activity. Entertains the masses. People play professionally with sponsorships. Sounds like a sport to me.

[otae.livejournal.com]

really? hmm i'm pretty sure nevake uploaded all of the episodes...
i just finished that and nalra oldboy last week @__@

[czarny.livejournal.com]

I think South Korea DOES have the highest Internet speed in the world, you can go up to like 100Mbps but it's super expensive.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-10786874

Starcraft is really badly animated and simplistic =/.

[djkenz.livejournal.com]

I don't even play and this makes me wanna play.

[hushpuppet.livejournal.com]

Kyuhyun is going to be happy about this.

but... a sport? :S

[inuvampy.livejournal.com]

Starcraft has been a sport in Korea for a while now~ In April there was this big scandel because some players were being paid to lose... since there is lots of people placeing bets in the tournaments~

[vegasol.livejournal.com]

Lucky for Kyu they're done promoting, so he can spend all his time on this.
(http://it.tinypic.com?ref=zohkxe)

maybe starcraft is how they'll lose yet another member, lol

[sallysync.livejournal.com]

Um... they have upcoming concertssssssssss

[taecish.livejournal.com]

I kind of want it but I doubt my comp would run it well :( :(

[meatarashii.livejournal.com]

It's amazing how a lot of the comments connect to kyu...and how much I agree every time I see 'em. 8D

[chachanchan.livejournal.com]

[blezu.livejournal.com]

lmao at all the comments, but mine is basically the same
starcraft = kyu = do people realize we're never going to see him again?
i guess super junior only has 9 active members now. ;__;

[purplesilklace.livejournal.com]

Sounds like how my country is about Counterstrike or maaaaybe WoW or something (y)

other than that, here for the kyu

and the game, hehe<3

[kms012.livejournal.com]

(http://img227.imageshack.us/i/kyuhuhho.jpg/)

[dark-soda.livejournal.com]

SC 2.. It's not a game to Korea its a job.

[leap4detonation.livejournal.com]

I love Starcraft, both 1 and 2. Since 2 came out I've kind of been missing from Twitter, lol. I update less frequently now. ;;;>.>