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South Korea's 'e-sports' stars | ||||
In South Korea, the most wired country on earth, computer gaming is a national obsession. Top players, known as 'e-athletes', can earn hundreds of thousands of pounds and some are worshipped like pop stars. The girl in the pink fluffy sweater giggles when I ask about the roll of paper she is clutching in her hand. With a furtive glance at her boyfriend, she unrolls the poster. Written in felt-tip pen and decorated with hearts, it reads "Lim Yo Hwan - Marry Me!" The boyfriend laughs. "I do not really mind", he says. "I like him a lot too. He is aggressive, he knows how to push." Lim Yo Hwan, a pro-gamer who went undefeated for more than two years, is known as the Emperor to his legions of fans. Some call him the David Beckham of the electronic sports world. His boyish good looks - as well as his prowess with the mouse and the keyboard - have earned him dozens of lucrative contracts and sponsorship deals. We have come to watch him play in a vast underground shopping centre in the southern part of Seoul. National Service
Like all his male compatriots, he must complete two years of national service. Unlike most of them, he is mainly serving his country by playing a sci-fi themed strategy game called Starcraft. On a stage, Lim Yo Hwan and his competitor are locked in separate, soundproof, glass boxes. Fans scream and cheer as TV cameras swoop and circle, broadcasting the match live. The head of the team, Kim Pyung Gang, says pro-gamers have helped to carry out experiments in simulated warfare. The country's star player also makes an excellent recruiting tool. "Many more young men want to join the air force these days," he says. After the match, a victorious Lim Yo Hwan claims that "military discipline" has made him an even better player. His dressing room is filled with presents from his admirers, such as chocolates, snacks and hot pads to keep his precious fingers warm. A gaggle of girls is waiting outside, hoping for his autograph. For all the adoration heaped upon them, the lives of pro-gamers are rarely glamorous.
A lanky 19-year-old, known to his fans as The Stork, he trains for eight to 10 hours a day and spends a couple more hours lifting weights in the gym before collapsing into his bunk bed in the dormitory he shares with his team mates. "Only the most determined players will make it," says Kim Ga Eul, the Samsung coach, a charming but steely eyed woman with a pony tail. "They must be very focused." | ||||
@ BBC news
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