StarCraft: The Catalyst of the Pro-Gaming Revolution

It is important to reinforce that a player may not necessarily be required to be excellent in all of these categories, and even excelling in only one can still result in a win and enjoyable experience with the game. What this meant to Koreans was that there was no one way to approach the game of StarCraft. There was no single dominating play style, players were free to play the game any way they wished, and were encouraged to exercise critical thinking in developing new and innovative strategies and unit management tactics. Similarly to other professional, major league sports where players gain reputation for their individual and unique play styles, so would StarCraft players.

More and more Koreans added StarCraft to their daily routines. The media began to actively investigate the gaming sensation sweeping the nation and it didn’t take long for the professional gaming circuit in Korea to take shape. With organized matches and tournaments became an almost religious affair even beyond the game rooms and no sign at all that StarCraft was losing any of its explosive momentum, there was one question on the mind of many Koreans gamers, who was the best?

As the level of play Korean StarCraft players were capable of increased so did the interest of spectators. By 2000 the first televised matches of StarCraft were taking place and were met with the open arms of the public. Millions were tuning in to witness the high caliber of play being showcased by Ongamenet, a dedicated video game television channel. Two gaming computers took center stage beneath a massive monitor to present the action, surrounded by a sea of StarCraft fans. This stadium also featured a panel of commentators whom would call the game as it unfolded, adding their own insight into what the next move by either player could possibly be. With so many talented players embracing the call to fame, the first Starleagues were formed and worked in a similar manner to any professional sports league. Players win and loss records were maintained throughout a season, with top players qualifying for a final tournament to crown a champion. This mass recognition of gamers’ skill drew StarCraft players from all over the world to Korea. Top ladder players on Battle.net were even being partially sponsored by Blizzard Entertainment to travel to Korea to compete. One notable Canadian player during of this time was from Guillaume Patry (StarCraft name: X’Ds~Grrrr…) from Quebec. Patry was considered the best player for quite some time, and won an Ongamenet Starleague (OSL) in 2000. Patry would soon fade from the scene however, as Korean players surpassed his skill.

Around 2002, with two immensely popular television channels providing coverage for StarCraft, Ongamenet and MBCGame (founded in 2001), corporate sponsorship found its way into the mix. Large technology companies such as Samsung, SK Telecom and KTF all wanted their brands behind the ever expanding StarCraft leagues. The inherent corporate rivalries of these companies would soon manifest itself as StarCraft players became organized into teams, each team sharing common sponsorship. Naturally this meant endorsement deals for the players, not much different from what we experience every time we turn on the television and see professional athletes telling us to buy some power drink.

Top StarCraft gamers had indeed become professional (cyber) athletes in every right. Following strict training regimes, and long practice sessions, the skill of Korean StarCraft teams would quickly outmatch that of any other nation in the world. Korean players had achieved celebrity status within their country, as well as with StarCraft fans worldwide, complete with the fame and wealth that went with it. The most famous StarCraft player of all time being Lim Yo-Hwan (StarCraft name: SlayerS ‘BoxeR’, commonly Boxer), also known to many as the “Terran Emperor” has an official fan club with over 500,000 members. Boxer’s earnings for a single year have been confirmed at over $200,000USD, some sources even report this as much higher. If this doesn’t sound like much, keep in mind that the average annual income in Korea is a little over $16,000USD.

Professional gaming in Korea has inspired other gamers and entrepreneurs of other countries and proven that there is real money to be made in video games. German television features the very successful GIGA Games, a television program which covers a myriad of games including StarCraft. Currently, there is no regular television coverage of StarCraft in North America.

Not to be discouraged by lack of international television broadcasts, the StarCraft phenomenon has naturally found its way into other forms of media. Six official StarCraft novels have been published, and countless fan fiction is available online. There have also been rumors for some time about a StarCraft movie being in the works, though nothing is officially confirmed regarding it.

The massive leap forward in professional gaming that took place in Korea with the release of StarCraft has yet to be duplicated again by any other game on the market. No other game has advanced the level we compete at further or faster, making StarCraft truly unique. There is still much room to grow, however, as professional gaming competitions are still largely unknown to the North American demographic, gaming’s potentially largest market, and competition on an international scale is still in its infancy. Blizzard has recently announced that StarCraft II, successor to StarCraft, has been in secret development since 2003 and estimates its release for 2008. Can the most anticipated game of all time, StarCraft II, truly succeed its predecessor and spark another revolution in professional gaming?