esports
In Korea, teamwork is king, and it's paying off for them.
Like anything else, the culture surrounding eSports varies from country to country. In some regions of the world, the concept of playing computer games competitively is hardly comprehensible. Even here in the U.S., eSports have only recently become accepted as both a sport and a legitimate career. Last year for the LCS World Championship, Riot secured athletic Visas for its visiting international players and teams played matches live before a packed Staples Center.
But in Korea, eSports are already ingrained in the culture; for over a decade South Korea has been broadcasting competitive gaming on television. From StarCraft to Warcraft III, eSports are a part of everyday life in South Korea.
Korea’s Advantage
Announcers and analysts often mention the distinctive play style Koreans bring to international tournaments. As teams often only scrimmage within their own region, this change in play can often come as a shock to competitors from North America or Europe. What makes the Koreans so unique, so difficult to beat can be summed up in one word: teamwork.
Pros from outside Korea are often surprised by the amount of coordination Korean teams display – even teams formed in solo queue. Unlike other teams that may stay in lane farming for the first half of a game, Korean laning phases end earlier as they begin to move around the map gaining vision and jungle control. Teams accustomed to the relative safety of their lanes are often caught off guard by this aggressive play style and find themselves falling behind early. Koreans just seem to be playing an entirely different game than the rest of the world.
“For the most part, everyone has the solo queue mentality,” Counter Logic Gaming’s LiNk said of North American teams in his vlog during a boot camp in Seoul. Korean teams are known for grouping up early and often, sweeping in unexpectedly to claim kills and objectives. “I know for a fact that every Korean player, even starting from Plat 5, everyone just groups,” LiNk said in the same vlog, “and that alone promotes team play and that's something that NA really lacks.”
CJ Entus Frost’s Shy said in an interview, “In terms of mechanics, NA teams and Korean teams are almost on the same level, but in terms of teamfights, Korean teams are a lot better.” Put simply, amazing players can be found all around the world, but amazing teams come from Korea.
eSports Culture in Korea
South Korea’s success in the LCS can be attributed to good teamwork and that teamwork is the end result of a supportive eSports community. eSports are an accepted career in Korea and it isn’t strange to see billion-dollar companies like SK Telecom and Samsung sponsoring LCS teams.
This support means increased budgets for team houses, salaries, and most importantly coaches. Teams outside of Korea have failed for years to appreciate the impact coaching has on games. Indeed, Riot just announced efforts to expand coaching in the LCS by offering support to coaches. “I think our coach has proven to be just as important as any one of the players,” Alliance’s team owner said in the same announcement—a sentiment felt in Korea long before LoL arrived.
Having a supportive infrastructure for eSports also means a much larger pool of players vying for shot at the pros. Over ten million people live in Seoul city proper alone, with over 25 million residing in the metro area surrounding the city. Add to this a culture that considers eSports a legitimate career path and it makes sense why South Korea has no shortage of talented players and coaches.
Practice Makes Korean
Skilled coaches and players mean nothing, however, without practice. And practice is where Korea once again sets itself apart from the rest of the world. Scrimmaging, or scrimming, in Korea is not simply sitting down to play some matches with the team; it is relentless, back-to-back games for hours on end.
“They are always on time, they join the lobby after a game instantly (win or lose),” Alliance’s Froggen said when asked about practicing against Koreans, “The effectiveness of scrimming hours are really insane compared to Europe, in one scrimming section we can play twice as much as we can with the same time in Europe.”
This brutal practice regimen is why so many outside teams make the pilgrimage to Korea to “boot camp” – hoping to learn and benefit from the culture, players, and endless scrimmages. Unfortunately, South Korea’s success cannot be gleaned within a few weeks of visiting; CLG’s failure to make it into this year’s LCS after boot camping in Korea is a prime example.
Responding to a Juggernaut
More practice, more infrastructure, and better team play all combine to make South Korea a powerhouse in the LCS. When teams want to get better, they practice in Korea. When teams build strategies to compete in LCS, they revolve around beating Korean teams.
Riot’s recent efforts to expand coaching and the LoL college community in North America are reflective of institutions already in place in South Korea. However dominant Korean teams have been in the past, many have recognized their success and are doggedly attempting to replicate it. As other countries and regions begin to close the gap, we can count on more competition, better teamwork, and a little more Seoul in the LCS.
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