Korea and i37
Hey all readers, thought I would write up a little blog about my recent trip to South Korea, which many people already know about and then sum up my time at
i37!
Korea
I just arrived back from a 2 month trip in South Korea, and wanted to share my opinion and thoughts about the country and culture which so many people are oblivious too.
Many people believe that Koreans are naturally more talented than any other gamer, that if a Korean wanted to dominate a game of his choice he would do so in a spectacular fashion, crushing any other non-Korean that tried to cross his path. Has anybody actually thought or questioned why they are better or why this myth has occurred? Do people believe that Koreans are born to be better than other gamers at games? I think not. Koreans are human just like the rest of us, they are not born with extra high APM, they are not born with incredible control and sick game understandings. The reason why Koreans are good and the best at what game they play is because of their culture, it is simply superior than any other country's in terms of casual and competitive gaming.
In England, our top 3 watched sports in are:
- Football
- Rugby
- Cricket
In Korea its:
- Football
- 2.E-sports
- Baseball
Where do you think E-sports comes in our most watched sports?
Korean culture allows for everyone to participate in every form of gaming because it is considered standard, it is just how Korea works. I remember walking through Seoul and realizing that there are two internet cafes for every stone throw; gaming is simply life there. In England every 6-14 year old aspires to be the next David Beckham or the next Wayne Rooney. In Korea they want to be the next E-sports star, following the path of their favorite
Starcraft players. E-sport gamers in Korea are literately super stars, they have such large fan bases and are respected by boys, girls, women, and men. This culture and attitude towards E-sports allows for Koreans to play more, to experience more, and desire the ultimate goal of becoming a 'pro-gamer', where every other country just does not understand and could not undertake this kind of culture at the current time.
These are my thoughts as to why Koreans are the best at games such as
Starcraft,
Warcraft 3, and other RTS games, just because of the way they are brought up from a young age not because they suddenly start playing games and have this hidden talent and natural learning curve that nobody else has. If a white child was born and brought up from his birth in Korea and enjoyed and played
Starcraft, then he would also have this potential to be the next Jaedong, the next
Starcraft Gosu.
I spent time with pro-gamers, pro-team coaches, managers, and legends such as Artosis and Tasteless who are working extremely hard for Korean E-sports. Everyday I was exposed to gaming, whether it be playing
Starcraft, watching my house mate ToTMidiaN play, watching E-sports on television, visiting lan cafes, meeting with players and associates, or actually attending events. Because of this exposure, it instantly revived my competitive gaming nature. I feel motivated to play again and to take my gaming to a entirely new level from what I have previously accomplished in
World Cyber Games and other European and national events. My ultimate goal would be to move to South Korea for the release of
Starcraft 2 and play and train with the important idols I was lucky enough to meet. I hope that this Korean culture can translate over into different countries, and I believe that
Starcraft 2 will help this a lot as the game completely refreshes players who are already established in
Starcraft Brood War, giving other players such a chance to compete at a high level.
