Starcraft? Starcraft.... Starcraft!

In South Korea, if you're an avid Stcraft fan, you might ask your fellow mates "did you play Star today?" Since its release in 1998, Starcraft has become a massive hit in South Korea--the following is almost cult-like. I've even had students write their essays about Starcraft and the World Cyber Games (WCG).

Just how computer game crazy is South Korea? Well, for starters there are two game channels on TV here, Ongamenet and MBCGame, where two Starcraft pros go at it against each other (it's quite the feeling to watch the Starcraft battles while I'm running on the treadmill), a Starcraft Pro League, and the KeSPA (Korean e-Sports Players Association) just to name the major players. The most popular and legendary Starcraft gamer is Lim Yo-Hwan (known to many as SlayerS_`BoxeR` or better yet, Mr. Starcraft how does a 600,000+ member fan club sound to you?), a 27 year old who needs bodyguards to keep away screaming female fans (and boys) from him. Even his mandatory military service (every Korean male needs to complete 27 months of military service) couldn't stop him from gaming, as the Air Force formed its own gaming team led by Lim to compete against the Starcraft elite in Korea.