A city that never sleeps and the Mecca of esports – discover more about one of Asia’s most trendsetting capitals, Seoul, which will become the hub city for the VCT Pacific League next year.
Get to know Seoul
Seoul, the capital of South Korea, is a metropolis where modern, cutting edge technology and pop culture coexist with traditional street markets, Zen Buddhist temples and palaces. It is a 24-hour metropolis with an intense work-hard, play-hard culture and a growing multicultural influence that can be found on every street corner and alley.
Seoul’s nightlife is delightful for a change of pace. After the sun goes down, there’s nowhere in Asia hotter than Gangnam, Seoul’s glittering district that translates to “south of the Hangang River” and the setting for Psy’s dance hit Gangnam Style.
You’ll notice the term “bang” — meaning “room” in Korean — attached to words plastered all over the city. From karaoke to PC bangers, one night just isn’t enough to discover Seoul’s biggest attractions. There is still a lot to discover about Seoul that you may not know about.
Esports in South Korea
(Photo courtesy of LCK – Riot Games)
In addition to its rich culture, the city has a rich history of esports spanning decades and strong government support for the industry’s growth. As a result, Korean society has accepted esports as a way of life, with the public juxtaposing professional players alongside pop stars and prominent athletes.
The country as a whole is known for its enthusiastic gaming culture and is one of the world’s largest export markets. The esports culture, as we know it today, started in South Korea and quickly spread to other parts of the world, including the United States, Europe, and Southeast Asia. It all started with Internet cafes, known as PC bangers, which fostered an environment of competition as far back as 1998. With the growing number of areas covered by the country’s national broadband network, online video games gained huge appeal in the country in the early 2000s. , and so the rise of South Korean esports began.
- It is home to some of the most decorated esports players:
- Some of the most prominent esports organizations are headquartered here in South Korea:
(Photo courtesy of HLTV)
- All five WMF players in the photo above are still actively involved in the VALORANT scene:
- According to Esports Earnings, more than US$119,335,668 in prize money has been won by 4,804 Korean esports athletes, ranking them third globally behind the United States and China.
- In 2015 and 2019 alone, the city of Seoul played host to the 7th and 11th Esports World Championships respectively, in which more than 900 team members from different countries participated.
- The 2018 World Championship was hosted in Seoul, with 24 of the world’s best winning a share of the US$6,450,000 prize pool, which Invictus Gaming won.
- According to T1 CEO Joe Marsh, League of Legends superstar Lee “fakeSang-hyeok turned down a $20 million a year contract with an LPL (Chinese) team to stay with the organization.
- After the Korea Pro Gaming Association (KPGA) was established in 1999, the government, through the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, supported the organization and transformed it into the official Korea e-Sports Association (KeSPA) one year later in 2000. who is now also a member of the South Korean National Olympic Committee and an associate member of the Korea Sports Association.
(Photo courtesy of Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games)
- It is home to some renowned game developers and publishers, including the “big three” Netmarble, Nexon, and NCSOFT, as well as Pearl Abyss, NHN, Com2us, Kakao Games, and PUBG Corp.
- Gamer penetration is high in South Korea, with 71.3% of the population playing video games by 2021, according to a survey conducted by Statista.
- For the past two decades, the South Korean government has been aggressively supporting the gaming industry. It recently released a five-year plan to further promote and expand the industry.
- The National Assembly of South Korea passed the Esports Standard Contract Act in 2020, which contained prevention measures for unfair trade contracts between professional teams and underage players.
- Instant noodle maker Nongshim Co Ltd launched its professional League of Legends gaming team, Nongshim RedForce, in late 2020, joining other South Korean conglomerates that have seen potential in the industry. Among them are SK Group’s SK Telecom Co Ltd, Hyundai Motor Co subsidiary Kia Corp, Hanwha Group’s Hanwha Life Insurance and KT Corp.
PC Bangs – How important it is for South Korean esports
Without a doubt, when discussing South Korea’s massive success in esports, PC Bang should always be included in the conversation.
According to a survey by the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), more than 71% of the country’s population are gamers; this figure is higher than the estimated 65% of the population in North America who enjoy gaming. And of South Korean teen gamers across all platforms, 43.5% attended a PC bang more than once a week.
For South Korean youth, PC fear is a lifestyle. Often misinterpreted as a local version of an internet cafe, pc bang is a social space that traverses online and offline simultaneous presence; a space associated with the phenomenon of online gaming and the online/offline communities it reproduces. It allows young Koreans to come together and bond through computer games. According to a file obtained from the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, you can find about 20,000 PC firecrackers across the country.
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VCT Pacific League – The next step for South Korean VALORANT
The international VCT competitions run with ten teams each on LAN in the following three cities:
- EMEA – Berlin, Germany
- Pacific – Seoul, South Korea
- America – Los Angeles, USA
Ten selected organizations have the months of September to January next year to prepare for their activities in Seoul, the VCT Pacific hub city. The logistical challenges should be minimal to non-existent, at least from the tournament organizer’s standpoint, as Riot Games already has a strong presence on the south side of the Korean Peninsula with its long-established office in Seoul.
“From a modest handful, the Seoul office has grown to an accomplished team of agitators who are happy and incredibly humbled to serve one of the most vibrant gaming communities. Riot Games Seoul has made autonomy and entrepreneurial decision-making an art, along with collaborating with central teams for the core functions needed. By working fast, hard and collaboratively, the Seoul office is committed to delivering the best possible player experience.” the writing on the official Riot Games Seoul office page reads, which also listed eight job openings, including one for an Esports Event Manager for the new VCT Pacific League operation.
In addition, Riot Games Korea has unveiled the 500-seat LoL Park Stadium, an exclusive venue for the League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) circuit. In addition to the main arena, the infrastructure consists of a Riot store for some merch, an interview room, and a booth for fan interactions.
For more insights on the Asian VALORANT scene and upcoming content like this, be sure to like and follow VALO2ASIA on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.
Cover photo courtesy of Zequn Gui
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