State of Play

Most Koreans blindly follow the path their parents set for them:

Elementary school, middle school, high school and university.

Everyone takes that route.

I chose a different path.

I became a professional gamer.

My name is Lee Jae Dong and I'm a Korean pro gamer.

I belong to the Hwaseung Oz team and I'm number One in the KeSPA ranking.

I made my debut when I was 16.

I had a top score in 2007. A year later I was making a 135,000 euros a year.

Is it good ? Is it good ?

- Are you using your fingers ? - Yes, I am.

Seriously. That's fucking awesome.

You have to tweak it like this...

Yes, that's it. Good.

I don't know why it still hurts.

Dong-Joon, your hair looks good today.

Your hair gets prettier every day.

I think I'll dye my hair blue-black.

Really ? From now on ?

Yesterday, I won all the games during practice.

Against Ki-Hyun. I am confident.

The game we play is called StarCraft. It's a real-time strategy game.

It's already more than a decade old but we're still playing it.

He's going to lose his expansion. Lee Jae Dong is fighting extremely well.

This expansion is getting harassed. Lee Jae Dong is playing impressively!

The match is over. It's the man himself! Lee Jae Dong takes the victory.

Should I do the thing I usually do ? Fast hydra ?

And try that sneaky wall-climbing.

StarCraft is like a mix of chess and poker.

Every game is a battle and I try to outsmart my opponent.

I predict the other player's strategy and then I destroy him.

He's going in. This is easily taken out.

The game is over. Byung Koo Song is defeated.

Jeez, I almost thought I'd lost.

Lee Jae Dong! Victory!

At the start of your career, you decide your race: Terran, Protoss or Zerg.

I became a Zerg.

The Dark Swarm! Thus must be what Jae Dong Lee had in mind.

One more time, one more time.

Wow, Jae Dong Lee, He fights against time.

Multi-tasking and decisiveness are vital. But so are confidence and bluff.

You don't reach the top without them.

Lee Jae Dong's fighting in the centre of the map tells us all.

Lee Jae Dong wins this game.

Lee Jae Dong clenches his fist. He's won all of today's games.

He succeeds in his first all-kill of the season. Truly amazing.

Lee Jae Dong is definitely worthy of the "first ever, and first Zerg".

He is the first to execute an All-Kill this season.

No matter what, I am always ready for an All-Kill as the first player.

My name is Park Yo Han. I'm 16 years old and I live in Cheonan.

I don't really like to study. I want to be successful early in life.

I have comparatively slow fingers. But still 260 to 270 Actions Per Minute.

I try to improve my APM. I'm getting better slowly. I think I can be faster still.

My dream is to become a great pro gamer, just like Lee Jae Dong.

I'm training hard to realise that dream.

Why do you keep opening new bottles of water while the bottle isn't empty ?

I prepare for the semi-pro competition, an important tournament for amateurs.

I played in the tournament 6 or 7 times and I failed every time.

If I fail again this time, I know I will try again.

Park Che Hyun ? I've never heard of this guy.

I was 16 when I left my home town of Ulsan and came to Seoul.

The Team House has been my home for half of my teenage years.

I only go home for the holidays.

The players are my brothers. We're like a family.

Take a deep breath,

and imagine the air goes in at the shoulder and out at the fingertips.

Now you can stretch your arms. Do you feel the peace in your mind ?

HWASEUNG.... GO FIGHT!

Our training schedule is very rigid.

We practice 10 to 12 hours a day.

We don't really play for fun anymore. Mostly I play for work.

My work just happens to be a game.

When I was 11, I watched gamers playing StarCraft on TV for the first time.

It was the coolest thing I'd ever seen.

A few months ago I won the semi-pro tournament, the gateway to becoming a pro.

But that's only the beginning.

If I get drafted by a team, then the real challenge starts.

Hello, my name is Lee Gun Hee.

I am hard-working and I guess I have always been desperate.

I am Park Yong Soo, the youngest semi-pro. I am 15 years old.

Everyone respects Jae Dong as the best Zerg player.

So do I, but I'm sure that the only player who can beat him is me.

I have a dream of reaching the top.

I will train so hard that my wrists will wear out,

and if you pick me I will use all the power that I got from my mother's milk.

I will adapt well to life in the Team House and will never give up easily. Thank you.

So, minors. You all go to school now.

Can you really live in the Team House ?

Don't hesitate. Can you do it or not ? All of you.

My school has granted permission.

You have permission ? Who from ?

From my class teacher.

So your teacher knows StarCraft ?

Huh ? He knows about this league.

So apparently there is only place for one more Zerg.

We will draft Kim Joon Hyuk.

Woongjin Stars has drafted the last Zerg left: Kim Joon Hyuk.

In the 21st century, people like you, who are agile and quick decision makers,

will play an important role in society.

And what's the key thing here ? Games.

And who is best in the world at games ? You guys. Am I right ?

People say: You work when you work, and you play when you play.

That is an old-fashioned concept. Nowadays they are converging.

This day and age, there's been a change.

The ones who work more can also play better.

And the ones who play better increase their productivity.

This new concept: the invention of eSports, enjoying an eSport,

was a cultural invention of the 21st century.

Who invented it ? Yes, us!

I feel like I can win every game today.

I'm going to win the semi-pro tournament. - Nonsense.

I am serious. I can feel that I am going to win.

Try to have fun.

Excuse me, but is this chair usually like this ?

Mom ?

Oh Mom, this is so unfair.

I almost won but there was a malfunction.

The game was bugged.

This is a Lee Jae Dong Calendar from 2011

and there are autographs from other players and coaches.

This sticker came with the calendar and I got it,

because I was among the first fifty people to order it.

And this is everything I have collected relating to Jae Dong...

I like Lee Jae Dong because of his eyes,

when he's playing and because of his performance.

I also like the fact that he trains so hard all the time.

Other gamers told me that Jae Dong always trains hard when he's in the Team House.

He doesn't even see the sunlight.

That's probably why I have a crush on him.

He is my role model.

In the professional league of the popular game StarCraft,

players have been discovered to fix matches for profit.

It was a first in professional gaming. Famous gamers were found to be involved.

The pro gamers of the game StarCraft were fixing matches via betting sites.

Every sport has its scandal, it seems.

But I never thought pro gamers would lose a match just to make money.

A shock-wave went through the industry.

So many fans were disappointed.

The investigation showed that pro gamers told the other player their strategies.

Or they made mistakes and made thousands of dollars by losing their matches.

This scandal has tainted our public image.

StarCraft is not just a game anymore.

For eSports, it's the death of innocence.

To comrades, to fans,

to everyone who is involved in eSports.

How can you just stab them in the back ?

If they were next to me,

I would slap them in the face.

Is a slap enough ?

If a slap isn't enough, then what is ?

MATCH-FIXING

Tattooed on their faces ?

Corporate sponsors started hesitating

and three teams had to close down.

My team was one of them.

All of a sudden, my home of the last five years was gone.

I had no other choice than to move back in with my parents.

Let me help you... Isn't it heavy ?

You look good.. - No... I don't, look at my skin.

I have to say,

you look calm and composed, compared to before.

Now you are really reaching the spiritual realm.

Well, I'm gaining experience.

Jae Dong is now a senior among the pro gamers.

In my house, I don't let my children play video games.

We don't even have broadband internet in this area to play those games.

But when my child told his friends at school about Jae Dong,

they said: "Really ? Are you serious ?"

I don't know much about it, but among gamers he seems a really big name.

I don't know it either...

But you must be really good, no ?

By now, you must start thinking of retiring.

In the meantime, you should learn who you are and who your ancestors are.

Having done that, you can have an idea of what you are going to do next.

Yes, I understand.

But what kind of industry on earth makes you retire when you are only 28 ?

Playing games consumes a lot of your energy and stamina.

How do you deal with the prize money ?

Jae Dong, do you give everything to your father ?

Yes, I do.

Hwaseung was the team where I started my career.

People say I should be okay. That I will find a new team soon.

But this is the first time I'm really worried about my future.

Sometimes I wonder: "What is my passion in life ?"

And when I look at you, I see it must be really tough to work so hard.

I mean, it just feels so comfortable to lie down and watch TV.

Because I didn't go to school, my passion was even stronger.

All of my friends go to school...

and they have girlfriends.

I mean, I can't do any of that.

Correct. It really upsets me.

So I told myself I have to work harder in what I do

because I can't enjoy the things that everyone else can.

Maybe I am just wasting my time.

When you are 20, everyone should enjoy those things in life.

Being 20 is like the best moment of your life, with so much drive.

Instead, I'm cooped up in the Team House training every single day.

The day I entered the Team House, I was very excited.

But now, after 3 months, I'm lonely. I miss my parents and friends.

I have to work harder than my team mates. That's the hardest part: