Slashdot Mirror
The Real Scars of Korean Gaming
An anonymous reader writes: Professional e-sports have been slowly but steadily gaining a following in the U.S. over the past couple of decades, but in South Korea, it's already arrived as a popular form of entertainment. An article at the BBC takes a look at the e-sports scene there, which is generating huge salaries for the top players, but also injuries and insular lifestyles. It's growing more similar to traditional pro sports all the time. From the article: "A scar, half an inch wide, stretched from just above the elbow and up over his shoulder. 'Our company paid for full medical expenses, so he had an operation,' explained his coach, Kang Doh Kyung. [He] is the best player in StarCraft and has won everything in this field and is still going strong.' Repetitive strain had injured Mr Lee's muscles, deforming them and making surgery the only option to save his illustrious career."
Can Mr. Lee fly around the world delivering lectures on free software?
That depends on how long until a game's publisher makes the news for using copyright to stop "public performances" by a league that the publisher doesn't like. An article by Kyle Orland mentions that Nintendo has already shut down Smash Bros. tournaments, and Capcom routinely requires royalty payments to hold Street Fighter tournaments. Once more publishers adopt that practice, e-sports leagues may have to move to developing games for distribution under a free software license.
Bobby Fischer was on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1972.
No. Competition does not equal sport: I've heard professional chess players do weight lifting, but chess and StarCraft competitions are not a sport.
That's why it's an e-sport. There's a distinction and everyone knows what it means.
"First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."