International Events
While professional gaming might seem to be fighting an uphill struggle in the US, it has already conquered Asia with a speed that would make the fastest pro Quake player jump. In South Korea, multiplayer gaming thrives in commercial "PC rooms" (called bang in Korean and pronounced "bahng") that provide everything from videoconferencing to online gaming. According to Forbes magazine, 15,000 of the bang exist in South Korea alone, and the phenomenon is catching on all over the Far East.
Haansoft, a leading Korean software maker that was at one time in danger of going bankrupt, has resurrected itself by riding this wave of game-room expansion; it now supplies the software that keeps these businesses running. Haansoft has gone one step further and decided to take advantage of the brisk game competition bred by these PC rooms and organize amateur and professional game leagues. South Korea actually already has a cadre of around 1,000 professional gamers. These are salaried players (around $30,000 per year) who are employed by various corporations to play games online.
Haansoft's subsidiary Battletop has organized the vast pool of PC room players so that gamers can instantly see their overall rankings. Teams from different PC rooms compete against one another. And traveling "PC trucks" (basically semi-trucks equipped with a LAN and a giant external monitor) take the action out of the cities and into towns and villages. John Varley, CEO of Battletop.com USA, is working to bring the Korean model of gaming to the US. Varley hopes to duplicate the success of Korean leagues in the States and even plans to introduce American gamers to the mobile "PC trucks." Varley is being a little more cautious with his American vehicles, though. In Korea, the standard is to have a semi-truck, which, when fully outfitted with hardware, costs half a million dollars. "We're going to be a bit more conservative than that," said Varley, although he claims that hefty financial backing is already in place to enable those kinds of investments.
The CPL, meanwhile, just completed the successful CPL Asia tournament, sponsored by Taco Bell and won by Henrik "Blue" Björk, with Razer CPL winner "Fatality" capturing second. Blue's winnings ($3,500) were much more modest than those Fatality garnered in Dallas this spring. But CPL is being very conservative in its development of its overseas leagues. "Different cultures and countries prefer different games and a different style of games," says Angel Munoz. "Our approach to growth will make sure that those apparently insignificant issues are given full attention. In essence, we want to grow within those new international markets."
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Gamers and spectators at the CPL Asia tournament. |
When the CPL says "different countries," it doesn't limit itself to Asia. CPL Europe is the third piece of the CPL puzzle, and it will be the next location for an overseas CPL tournament, namely the CPL Scandinavian Open, which is expected to draw 700 participants and have total cash prizes of $25,000. CPL also plans (not yet announced) to stage events in France, Australia, and Korea. In fact, in Korea, the CPL is partnering with one of Battletop's local Korean league competitors.
