eSports is growing in popularity worldwide, but nowhere is it more popular than in South Korea.
Here, gaming and eSports are a way of life, from professional gamers to casual spectators. The country is built for the pastime.
But what is it about Korean gaming culture that has captured the hearts and minds of so many people? In this guide, we'll explore the fascinating world of Korean eSports and discover why it has become such an important part of Korean culture.
An Introduction to the Korean eSports Culture
Even before digital eSports, Korean culture has always placed great importance on gaming and competition.
Koreans have enjoyed traditional games such as baduk (go) and yutnori (a kind of Korean chess) for centuries. These games provide entertainment and teach important skills like strategic thinking and planning.
This is the kind of mindset that stems from the very heart of Korean culture.
In recent years, however, Korea has embraced a new kind of gaming: electronic sports or eSports.
eSports are video games that are played competitively for spectators to watch and for prize draws to be won. While competitions were played for fun in years gone by, nowadays, competitions can offer prize pools in excess of several million dollars.
In fact, the highest prize pool ever was the Fortnite World Cup Finals back in 2019, which reached a staggering $15.9 million.
eSports first gained popularity in the West in the early 2000s, but they have been a part of Korean culture for much longer.
In fact, some of the first professional eSports tournaments were held in South Korea in the late 1990s. These early tournaments were small affairs, but they laid the groundwork for the massive eSports industry that exists in Korea today.
Currently, the latest figures show there are around 33 million gamers in the country, which is impressive considering the country is only the size of the State of Indiana. That also makes it the 6th largest gaming market in the world.
To put this in perspective, the country has a population of only 51 million, meaning over half the people play games regularly.
And, of course, if you have any connection to the eSports scene already, such as following gaming communities like League of Legends, DOTA 2, Valorant, Overwatch, and so on, you will already know the reputation that Korean teams have and hold on the world stage.
For example, in League of Legends, Korean teams are featured yearly in the World Championship finals. There's a meme that low-level Korean players are at the same level as the professional US players.
This was again proven in the recently finished LoL 2022 World Championship where, out of 24 global teams, the final was dominated by two Korean league teams, meaning that Korea took home the world's top spot.
Across the board, this has been shown time and time again as Korean eSports teams continue to dominate tournaments around the world.
Why are eSports so Popular in Korea?
There's one very clear reason why Korea is the home of modern eSports, and all stems back to the country's attitude towards digital gaming for the past few decades.
South Korea was the first country in the world to legitimately recognize eSports as an official job back in 2000, ahead of the rest of the world. Some countries won't even recognize it to this day.
Because of this mindset, South Korea offers a range of official programs that actually pay people to play games professionally. These programs fund the country's 19 eSports teams and help source talent, and train players in their own creative ways.
This means if you're good enough, you could make a living out of playing games in Korea, just as you could as a footballer or athlete.
This country-wide attitude towards eSports has massively influenced why eSports are so popular and clearly explains why such a small country dominates the playing field.
It's also clear that this is something that's always been lacking in the West, as eSports has largely been seen as a hobby for gamers rather than a legitimate profession, with professional teams only popping up due to private investment.
In Korea, it's different. Gaming is taken seriously and is seen as a pathway to success. As a result, Korean eSports teams are some of the best in the world.
The History of Korean eSports
Korean eSports has a long and rich history.
Some of the earliest professional tournaments were held in the late 1990s, which laid the groundwork for the massive eSports industry that exists in Korea today.
As before, this happened before the year 2000 when tournaments were small affairs but laid the foundation of what was to come.
However, the competitive sports scene goes much further back before computers and game consoles were around. It started with traditional table and card games.
Games like Go, Baduk, and Yut were (and still are) incredibly popular in Korea and have always had a competitive element to them.
Then, in the 1980s, video arcades started to appear in Korea. Most notably, the country's first full game was Sin'geom-ui Jeonseol, or Legend of the Sword, which was released on the Apple II computer back in 1987.
With games taking off worldwide, so did the invention of arcades, which were deemed wildly popular in Korean cities.
People would go to the arcades to show off their skills and try to beat their friends at the latest games. This was arguably the start of the Korean eSports scene as we know it today.
From here, things really started to take off in the 1990s with the advent of PC bangs.
"PC bangs" were types of LAN gaming centers that started to spring up across the country, allowing people to play full PC games against friends and other players for an hourly cost. The first one opened back in March 1988.
This continued to pick up pace as technology improved. What we would now see as internet cafes started to open, centers that contained leading, state-of-the-art tech and connections for players to play some of the best games in the world.
Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) were very popular, but genuinely competitive gameplay truly hit the scene in 1998 when StarCraft was released to the world.
As players learned the games and competition was high, the first professional eSports teams started to appear. These teams would compete in tournaments for cash prizes. This was the start of eSports as a profession in Korea. The most notable here was KT Rolster, formed in 1999.
The growth of eSports in Korea really took off in the early 2000s with the introduction the Korea eSports Association (KeSPA). This association was founded by the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism and is so highly recognized that it's actually a part of the Korean Olympic Committee and the International eSports Federation.
KeSPA manages the gaming communities and official happenings of the Korean eSports culture and includes games like Starcraft, Warcraft III, Counter-Strike, and League of Legends. It also hosts some of the biggest eSports tournaments in the world, like the OGN Invitationals.
The introduction of KeSPA really legitimized eSports as a profession in Korea. This, combined with the popularity of PC bangs, helped to propel Korean eSports to the forefront of the gaming world.
Today, Korean eSports is a massive industry with professional teams, dedicated TV channels, and some of the biggest tournaments in the world. It's also an important part of Korean culture and is widely known and celebrated.
The Korean Culture of Gaming
eSports culture is evident throughout Korea. Just take a look at the cosplay community.
There are tens of thousands of cosplayers throughout Korea, many of them creating the aesthetics of their favorite video game characters. There are even professional cosplay groups, like Spiral Cats. Formed in 2010, they were hired by Riot Games and Blizzard to represent their characters.
As mentioned before, most major Korean cities are home to cafes, arcades, and other gaming establishments.
Steam, the worldwide gaming platform, reports there are over 3,000 registered internet gaming cafes in the country already, which rose by 1,000 in 2021 alone.
And that's just the Steam-registered establishments, accounting for around 30% of all internet cafes in the country.
Korean eSports players are also some of the most passionate in the world. They train for hours daily to be the best at their chosen game. Of course, the victory and glory that Korea holds in eSports tournaments only help inspire other players across the country to follow in their footsteps.
This dedication has helped make Korea a powerhouse.
Who are the most popular Korean eSports players?
There are a few Korean eSports players who are considered to be legends in the scene and being the global home of eSports, you can expect them to be some of the best in the world.
Lim Yo-Hwan
Also known as "Boxer", Lim is a retired StarCraft: Brood War player. He was one of the world's most successful players and is considered one of the best ever.
Lee Jae-Dong
Also known as "Jaedong", Lee is a retired StarCraft: Brood War player. He was one of Lim's biggest rivals and was also considered to be one of the best players in the world.
Lee Sang-Hyeok
Also known as "Faker," Lee is a League of Legends player. He's considered to be the best player in the world and has won multiple world championships. As of 2022, on the world stage, he has a win rate of 71%.
Cho Sung Choo
With an in-game name of Maru, Cho is a StarCraft II player famous for being one of the most skillful Terran players in the world. He's considered to be one of the best players in the world and has won multiple tournaments, earning over a million dollars over the course of his career.
What are the best Korean eSports tournaments to watch?
There are a few Korean eSports tournaments that are considered to be the best in the world. This list includes internal and global events, allowing you to experience the skills of some of the best gamers in the world.
The Intel Extreme Masters
This is one of the world's biggest and most prestigious eSports tournaments. It's held annually and has prize pools of over a million dollars. The games that are played at this tournament vary each year but have included StarCraft II, League of Legends, and Overwatch.
The tournament is the longest-running pro gaming tour in the world, founded in 2006.
The League of Legends World Championship
This is the biggest tournament for League of Legends and is held annually. It has a prize pool of over $2 million and is watched by millions worldwide.
The Korean Open
This is a StarCraft II tournament that's held annually in Korea. It has a prize pool of over $100,000 and is one of the biggest events in the Korean eSports calendar. However, the league has opened and now contains tournaments for all of Korea's most popular games.
How to Get Involved in the Korean eSports Culture
If you're looking to get involved with the eSports culture, there are ways to go about it, all without leaving the comfort of your own home.
The first is to watch some of the biggest gaming tournaments. These are held all over the world, but some of the most prestigious are held in Korea (like the ones noted above). You can watch many of them online, or if you're feeling dedicated, you could make the trip to see them in person yourself.
You can also try playing some of the most popular games.
Many of these games are available in English, so you don't have to worry about not being able to understand what's going on. In fact, if you're playing a game like League of Legends, you can create a regional account for the Korean servers and play with other Korean players.
Some of the best games include the likes of:
- League of Legends
- Overwatch
- PlayerUnknown Battlegrounds (PUBG)
- Fifa Online
- Sudden Attack
- Lost Ark
Trying these games out for yourself is a great way to compare how the players in this region play against how players in your country do.
However, be mindful that your ping (internet connection speed to the Korean servers) can vary dramatically, and you may be playing with lag if you have a slower internet connection.
Finally, you can also try joining an online community of Korean gamers.
This is a great way to meet new people and learn more about the culture. You may even be able to find some tournaments to compete in.
The Korean eSports culture is one of the most passionate and dedicated in the world. You can learn more about this fascinating culture by getting involved and maybe even making gaming your new hobby.
Final Thoughts
Korea has one of the strongest eSports scenes in the world.
The players are incredibly skilled, and the events are extremely exciting to watch. If you want to get into eSports, watching or playing Korean games is a great place to start.
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