Dedication pays off in South Korea

Kim Yoo-jin, a South Korean StarCraft II professional gamer who goes by the gaming name sOs. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Lee Young-ho is another top South Korean StarCraft II player, a member of the team KT Rolster. Lee has been playing eSports professionally for several years now, joining KT Rolster in 2007, at age 14. Lee has raked in more than $500,000 in prize money.

South Korea has produced some of the best StarCraft players since the game was released in 1998. The game was an instant hit with South Koreans, and struck a chord with young males in particular. For some it was life-changing.

From elementary school to middle and high school, irrespective of gender, not knowing StarCraft could make one an outsider and ignorant of local customs.

The period of the game's release coincided with the proliferation of "PC bangs" or internet cafes, in South Korea. The two combined to create the right culture for e-Sports to grow.

It was also a time when the country was building its online infrastructure, and internet cafes were mushrooming throughout the back alleys of Seoul, providing an inexpensive as well as "morally acceptable" escape for young people.

Internet cafes were quick to pick up on the new gaming trend, and an hour of playing would usually cost just 1,000 won (90 cents). The businesses' computers were equipped with hardware for optimal gaming conditions－superior to PCs used in the average household－and the cafes would allow players to eat and drink while they played.

Internet cafes still thrive today and remain popular places for social gatherings of school-aged gamers. These businesses turned out to be nurseries for some of the country's best players.

Even with this supportive environment and the right infrastructure, it is difficult to become a world-class pro-gamer.

Kim says: "When you watch TV shows, they only show the good side of being a pro-gamer. However, these TV shows don't show the other side, the side where you first start walking the path less traveled.

"No one really knows the amount of perseverance that is needed in becoming a pro-gamer."

Kim notes that gamers do not always have a supportive environment to help them hone their skills.

"In the past, gaming was simply seen as gaming, nothing more. Now I feel that pro-gaming is finally considered as an acceptable career."