Our trusted webmaster (Will / tots) has asked me to whip something up about my experiences in Korea and the progaming scene. I often find these kinds of articles an interesting read, so I guess it's high time I put together something of my own.

Here goes. Towards the latter half of 2001 I was informed of the World Cyber Games (WCG). I hadn't heard of it before then, nor any other international scale gaming tournament. Like the bulk of the population, I was completely oblivious to the hardcore gaming infrastructure that existed offshore. To put it bluntly, I was just your average 15 year old kid who enjoyed playing Starcraft.

And so, my totally excellent adventure was to begin. The qualifier at Sydney wasn't too bad. Back in the day, gaming to me was half-addiction, half-enjoyment. However, it was never work. A lot of the hardcore gamers nowadays practice 24/7 (more or less). You can ask them how much they play and a typical response is "I practice X hours a day". I guess if you're consciously practicing a computer game it means you've crossed over the for fun borderline and entered into the serious gamer category. I wasn't a serious gamer at 2001 WCG, but I guess I played like one (in Australia, at least).

For anyone who's experienced LAN tournaments you'll know that it's a completely different battle net than online, excuse the humorous pun, ha ha.. You can feel the pressure 10 fold, and your gaming setup isn't the same as what you're used to at home. In any event, I ended up with a pleasing result at the end of the day. I didn't lose a game; and while this might sound impressive, it's a whole lot easier to win that way than to lose games throughout the tournament. Here's a few reasons why; a) you have to play more games if you lose any games, b) people in the losers bracket are more desperate because it's do or die for them and c) when you've lost a game you're psychologically not as strong for your next game.

A number of my friends took the liberty of bragging for me … others were not so ecstatic about my result. One of my mates mentioned to me "I don't know if I'd be proud of winning a computer game tournament." Can you say wake up call? Australia obviously wasn't ready to take the progaming industry seriously. Good thing I was going to South Korea.

As you can imagine, things are very different in Seoul. The weather in winter, for one, is distinctively cold (often hitting negative figures on the thermometer). Summer is humid and clammy. I guess this is why Korean pastimes are so heavily based indoors, including of course, computer gaming. But do these indoor activities include sex, you ask? Well I wouldn't know. Public acts of affection are practically non existent. I didn't see one person holding hands (or two, for the smartasses), or any kissing going on anywhere! Warning: Antic dote - At the WCG after party there were a bunch of Koreans playing soccer and it was cold as hell so I thought I'd join in to keep myself warm. Anyway, there was this cute Korean girl who I thought I'd make a move on because she was laughing and having a good time. I had barely touched the girl before she was retreating and acting as if I had tried to rape her. True story.

Anyway, back to WCG. I won't divulge you with my final result. You can look it up for yourself if you feel like some comedic relief. I'll just say that I treated the experience a bit like a holiday and hence didn't practice for my games :P I was also a teensy bit overconfident. Leg (aus 4th) and Iori (2nd) accompanied me that year. We got to play a couple of games on TV which was interesting. There was a Korean girl at the TV station who sort of got us ready for the games, probably because she spoke the best English. It was kind of funny; she treated us with a lot of respect, like people in Australia would treat a sports star or something. Not only that, but she estimated my age to be 21 when I was only 15. She thought leg was like 40, hahah. Koreans in South Korea look heaps younger than their actual age. In the TV games we got to play against Boxer's zerg practice partner (forget his name, but he was the guy who got 2nd in KBK 2 years running), Reach and Garimto. Garimto also co-commentated the games he wasn't playing in, which was pretty cool. We didn't really converse with the Korean pros, but it was cool to see the people I had read so much about, in person. After our games, I also caught a glimpse of Intotherain, as he was scheduled to play right after us.

The WCG grand final was very exciting. Maybe some of you have seen a VOD or two of a Starleague final, or perhaps read about the huge crowds they draw.

It really is that exhilarating, or it is, at least, when Boxers involved :) Boxer has fucking sweet micro, and during the finals he demonstrated (for the first time on TV) the moving+unloading dropship trick. The finals had constant action and in typical style Boxer used a nuke to deal the final blow against Elky in the very last WCG2001 game. That's what I call impressive.


The poor guy had to get body guards to clear a path for him to walk off the stage after his victory. Media and fans were literally swarming around him like fat people to cake. Gaming isn't just male oriented either. They have female leagues too, although the girls kinda suck. Even I raped them with ease back in the day.

Speaking of women, Australia was the only country to send a showgirl, Miss WCGau.


Good thinking on Choong's part there (he's the CEO of Istar, which is now the major sponsor of the HEXATRON progaming team {the one legs in}). Anna George was her name, and as she was the only Miss WCG on hand, she naturally became the unofficial Miss (world) WCG. She got heaps of media attention showcasing WCG, strutting a few of the Korean catwalks and even celebrating Boxer's birthday with him.

I assumed she was a typical up-herself-model, so I barely spoke to her until my last few days in Korea. We actually turned out to have very similar characters and we became very hunky dory for that last day! She's such a cutie.

Oh, and she also made it to the last round (final 12) of "Search for a super model," if you're interested.

Progaming in Korea is quite a draw. Watching a couple of pros duke it out is unlike any other gaming experience I think I've ever felt. It was probably the bait for many progamers, including international players like Grrr…. and Elky. For once in life, you're allowed to be excited about a game. Not only that, you have an opportunity to partake in that game, and even compete on a pro level if you're good enough. People at the top of the game are respected, admired and crowded with fans. And for what? Playing a game; something typically designed as a leisure activity. Sounded pretty sweet to me.

However, I realised something while I was over in Korea. Unless you really REALLY love Starcraft, you can't compete at the top level without treating it like a job. You have to practice a ridiculous amount. Boxer was quoted to say at one point that he used to play 10 hours a day. You can't hold a girlfriend with those hours.. In fact you'd be pretty buggered to do anything much else than what your manager tells you. So while there have been a number of top level pros, they all seem to rise and fall. Grrr…. is a typical example of my case. He capitalised on his love for the game early on, but got bored of it after 1.5 years of constant gaming. He stuck around for a while because he still enjoyed Korea and he was treated like a star, but his fans know his love for the game had faded. You just don't play the same once you've lost your passion.

All in all, Korea was a unique experience. I wouldn't want to live there personally, although the food is fucking beautiful. International gamers are pretty easy going. The better players are a lot more serious though, it's obvious. As for progaming, I wouldn't say it's really about the money. Most of them earn a less than a maccers wage. I guess it's one of the dream jobs that people don't realize have a down side. Kind of like being a popular singer. Sure, you're rich and famous, but you are constantly heckled by paparazzi and have no private life. Also, If you're not at the top, generally you make peanuts, just as in progaming. Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed my rant as much as I enjoyed writing it. Cudos to those who actually got through it all :P