Games | Starcraft II Offers Second Career
With the conclusion of the World Cyber Games 2008 in Cologne, Germany on November 9, I return asking myself over and over again why I listened to my parents when they told me, “You’ll never get rich playing video games, so do your homework.”
I teach English. In South Korea. The irony runs deep and hard, as I grew up in a household of programmer and engineer (don’t ask which one was which.) I built my first computer out of a broken Commodore and a motherboard from a Tandy. Now, considering how little memory these pre-pc era pieces of junk contained, you’ll know that this was no easy feat.
Like many of us who grew up in the late eighties, I played my first game on a beat up first-gen Nintendo and grew up with game consoles and PC games all the way through the Wii.
Yes. I was destined to be either a nerd, a dot-com millionaire, or game designer for EA Sports.
Nope. I teach English. In South Korea.
But change is in the air. This fall, I am perfectly located in Seoul, the Starcraft Capital of the World. PC rooms (gaming cybercafes, in English) and skillful training rivals are aplenty (middle-schoolers).
And these days, ’pro-gaming‘ –not to be mistaken with its duller cousin programming– is a legitimate sport with its own TV programming, fans, and cash sponsors.
Let’s face it, gaming has become sexy. Check out Toss Girl. It’s also versatile for careers in medicine and war. And lo and behold, there are even applications for the classroom. Heresy!
To help me in my quest, Blizzard Entertainment’s galactically popular Starcraft franchise will soon offer its sequel, Starcraft II, as early as the first quarter of 2009. With one of its largest fan bases right here in South Korea, the gamemaker anticipates a blockbuster simultaneous U.S.-Korea release.
Those of us in the know are eagerly awaiting the chance to level the playing field and enter as the fresh new faces of gaming. I can’t wait to tell my parents that I’ve given up hope for law school, and that I’m spending more time in pc bangs. This time around, they might just say it’s the smartest decision I’ve ever made.
photo credit: Blizzard Entertainment
–Hyo Jin reported this from a Lemon PC bang
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