Land of the Videogame Star

The New York Times has up an article today looking at the phenomenon of videogame players treated like rockstars in the forward-thinking nation of South Korea. There, where televised gaming is all the rage, the appearance of a favorite player can provoke a reaction not unlike a teeny-bopper concert. From the article: "The objects of the throng's adoration were a dozen of the nation's most famous athletes, South Korea's Derek Jeters and Peyton Mannings. But their sport is something almost unimaginable in the United States. These were professional video gamers, idolized for their mastery of the science-fiction strategy game StarCraft. With a panel of commentators at their side, protected from the throbbing crowd by a glass wall, players like Lim Yo-Hwan, Lee Yoon Yeol and Suh Ji Hoon lounged in logo-spangled track suits and oozed the laconic bravado of athletes the world over. And they were not even competing. They were gathered for the bracket selection for a coming tournament season on MBC Game, one of the country's two full-time video game television networks. And while audiences watched eagerly at home, fans lucky enough to be there in person waved hand-lettered signs like 'Go for it, Kang Min' and 'The winner will be Yo-Hwan {oheart}.' " ESPN, take note.

Comments

As a real athlete, I find this somewhat offensive

[pHatidic]

Not the fact that gaming is popular is South Korea, but rather the fact that the submitter describes it as forward thinking. I love Nethack and Q3A as much as the next guy, but there are some things playing a real sport will do that videogames won't.

*Get you in shape
*Teach you teamwork
*Teach you leadership
*Teach you commitment
*Get you laid

Make fun of athletes all you want, but the fact is that varsity collegiate athletes make more money than non-athletes after they graduate college. Competing and being part of a team that's bigger than yourself teaches you something that I'm not sure videogames can replicate. Years of studying Go is one thing, Starcraft is another entirely.

I know lot of Slashdotters like John Taylor Gatto's work. He used to be very much against sports, but after analyzing the differences between public and private schools he has since changed his position. He now says that playing sports in high school isn't just an option, it's the only way to achieve grace.