“Korean e-sports with superstars, attractive as a tourism keyword”

Visiting Korea e-Sports Association’s ‘Global e-Sports Camp’

The ‘Global e-Sports Camp’, where e-Sports fans from all over the world visit Korea, successfully completed its 5-day, 4-night schedule from the 22nd to the 26th. The event was held in Seoul, hosted by the Korea e-Sports Association (KeSPA) and sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Gen.G eSports, a global eSports company, helped run the program. The reporter accompanied the program schedule on the 25th for one day. Participants and foreign officials who watched together expressed admiration for Korean culture and e-sports infrastructure. Looking at this, I was able to get a glimpse of the growth potential of Korean e-sports as a future tourism resource.

The ‘Global e-Sports Camp’, which started in 2019, is held every year to systematize e-sports talent training programs and strengthen Korea’s e-sports expertise and global competitiveness. About 40 people from 5 countries including Korea, Taiwan, Spain, England and China participated in this year’s event.

Participants experienced Korea’s advanced e-sports infrastructure, including Rollpark, where the popular e-sports event, League of Legends, was held; In addition, e-sports scientific training programs such as physical and psychological management and data analysis were also conducted. In addition to this, they toured cultural heritage sites such as Gyeongbokgung Palace and the Blue House, and experienced unique Korean culture through wearing hanbok.

The participants’ response to this program, which combines e-sports and Korean culture, was enthusiastic. Grace Chan, deputy secretary-general of the Taiwan e-Sports Association, highly praised it, saying, “If a tourism product that combines Korean e-sports with superstars such as Faker and Chovy and traditional culture comes out, it will be attractive.” It is an explanation that it can have sufficient marketability in a situation where interest in Korean culture is high in Taiwan. Gary Tibat, head of the external cooperation team at the British e-Sports Association, also said that Korean e-sports could become a keyword for tourism in Europe. He explained, “There are thousands of students studying e-sports related industries such as graphic engineers in the UK.”

Participants in the event especially expressed their admiration for the role park. Participants from the UK who are interested in e-sports video producers, graphic designers, and stage production were very excited about the experience of seeing the ‘dream stage’ in person. An official from the British E-Sports Academy explained, “For them, Roll Park is the stage they longed for, and it will be an experience that will inspire them and influence their career decision.” A participant from the UK also added, “Visiting to the LoL Park, which I really wanted to visit, is the most memorable.”

Meeting with former and current professional gamers in Korea also gave them good memories. Gen.G eSports hosted a talk show by inviting Kang Chan-yong (Ambition), who retired after winning the League of Legends World Championship (Roll Cup), an international role competition, and is currently active as an internet broadcaster. He also provided time to talk with the Gen.G.Roll team that won the League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) championship last year and this spring season. The participants who watched the players they admired had a good time asking questions about their concerns. The talk show and mini-tournament of Jeon Sang-hyeon (Jeon Ding), a Tekken player, also drew enthusiastic responses.

Kim Cheol-hak, Secretary General of the Korea e-Sports Association, said in an opening address on the 23rd, “The Global e-Sports Camp is a program that promotes cultural exchange through e-sports and provides opportunities to experience Korea’s advanced e-sports infrastructure.” I hope it will be a good opportunity to broaden your knowledge about e-sports.”

Shin Hyuk-soo, head of KeSPA’s business planning team, also said, “This event confirmed the global status of Korean e-sports.” explained the purpose of

Reporter Lee Joo-hyun [email protected]