From school dropout to Korean game superstar

A school drop-out nicknamed "Michael Jordan of eSports" has helped make South Korea a major powerhouse in the video game, and now leads its campaign to be recognized by the General public. 19659003] Lee Sang-hyeok's "Faker" in sunglasses is the best League of Legends player in the world, and in hyper-wired Korea he enjoys the same fame and fortune as the basketball or baseball players. 19659003] Faker, 22, will be one of the biggest stars of next year's Regional Olympics, the Asian Quadrennial Games in Indonesia, where eSports will be presented as a demonstration event for the first time.

It marks a step forward in the games Efforts to be considered a genuine sport, maybe even win a spot at the Olympics in the future, good news for the world powers eSports like Korea's South.

The South boasts a super-fast internet connection with powerful high-end computers. C "eSports Player" is consistently among the most popular jobs of future kids, coming eighth in a poll of Ministry of Education of primary school students last year, higher than "scientific".

Faker began playing video games at elementary school and excelled at "League of Legends," an online fighting game introduced by Riot Games in 2009.

formed a team with friends to participate in amateur tournaments.

He dropped out of high school after being offered a job as a professional, made his debut in 2013 and beat the best players one after the other while that was ################################################################################### He was heading for celebrity. 19659003] Electronic sport is fully adopted

Korea's eSport scene is reminiscent of the culture of German football, with grassroots talents nourished from a very young age, some of them being returning to Amat. eur leagues and, after years of competition and effort, professional teams.

Many large companies have their own eSports teams, with Faker supposed to be paid at least 3 billion won (US $ 2.6 million, £ 142 million a year by its sponsor SK Telecom, the first wireless operator in the world. South.

"It's a country where eSports has been adopted as a youth sport, and even university sports championships have eSports events" Kim Cheol-Hag, Secretary General of the Korea eSports Association [19659003] Last year, eSports was the third most popular sport among South Koreans aged 15 to 29 after football and baseball, according to a survey by Nielsen Korea. eSport competitions, held in large football stadiums to thousands of fans, or elegant special arenas designed to present games.

"Playing games has become a full-time career. In the mid-2000s, many pro eSports teams were established in front of other countries, "said Kim.

With 25 million players, or half the population, the South is the world's sixth largest video game market. Many South Korean players and coaches have been hired to work in the best teams in the world, especially in China and the United States, the two largest eSports markets

. United and China have the same systems we, "Kim told AFP. "But we have decades of accumulated know-how and culture helping us stay at the top of the game."

"Improving Your Social Status"

South Korea's obsession with video games dates back to the 1990s when Starcraft, an American science fiction strategy game, was huge popularity, so that the South accounted for more than half of its global sales.

Nowadays, teenagers hope to become professional or popular players. their crazy gaming peers, flock to a growing number of private schools, after hours of coaching allowing them to better play video games.

A typical "game academy" has rows of teenagers or men in their twenties playing "Overwatch" or "League of Legends", with a coach, usually a former pro, observing their performances and suggesting better movements.

"If you become a good player, it can improve your social status and help you make more friends." Kim Han-eo Academy student Six more players will accompany Faker to Indonesia next month to compete.

"The Asian Games are not only watched by the players, but they are watched by the whole nation," Faker told reporters. . "I will win the game no matter what." JB

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