For Lim Yo-hwan, This Is Esports' Golden Age

“It’s been a really long time since I last played StarCraft on stage,” he said. “I’m feeling quite nervous.”

StarCraft has dropped off the mainstream competitive scene, but Korea remains one of the top nations in terms of other titles, including League of Legends, Tekken, and Overwatch.

The popularity of the other games has made Lim quite bullish about the industry.

“I believe this is the golden age of esports,” Lim said. “Without StarCraft, esports wouldn’t even exist nor would League of Legends circuit, and there probably wouldn’t be Faker either.”

It’s hard to imagine a world without Faker (Lee Sang-hyeok), but Lim’s assessment might be on the nose.

There was a time when Lim was the King of Korean esports. He played StarCraft, the country’s most popular game, and was winning international events. The game’s popularity ultimately led to the formation of the Korean e-Sports Association, which the government created to promote competitive gaming, thanks mostly in part to its lightning internet and PC Café (PC Bang) culture.

“The culture of esports itself originated in Korea, and it exploded into a massive boom through PC Bangs,” Lim said. “Because Korea has consistently maintained world-class skill levels over the years, I think the public takes immense pride in that.”

It’s a significant move forward, considering that when he was a professional, it still wasn’t seen as a viable career path.

He claimed the first-ever World Cyber Games championship for StarCraft: Brood War and then proceeded to sign with SK Telecom T1 for a contract worth about ₩‎232 million (approximately $180,000).

The contract, at the time, was one of the largest, validating Korea’s investment into its esports culture.

But even making in the nine-figures in Korean currency wasn’t enough to change the perception about professional gaming.

“Even if someone’s salary exceeded 100 million won, it still wasn’t something you could really call a profession,” Lim said. “Back when we played StarCraft matches in arenas, all the spectators were admitted for free. Now, the audiences are all paying for tickets.”

Lim estimates that esports salaries have increased “50 times” from his era, where players – at the lower levels made less.

But as important as salary is, it’s social acceptance that comes with being a professional esports athlete that matters more.

“Even from the perspective of a parent, if your child wants to be a pro gamer, you can fully support them without hesitation,” Lim said. “That’s the kind of era we live in now.”

But as Faker replaced Lim as the top of the Korean esports’ scene, the conversations are quietly happening as to who will be next to ascend to the top of the esports’ world.

Lim is confident the most popular and highest earning player will likely be another Korean player. He sees the system the nation has built as one of the key reasons.

If anything, he thinks T1 will likely have a say, having produced himself and Faker.

“The real reason they were able to reach the top is because of T1 Academy,” Lim said. “If other countries were to adopt this kind of system and successfully foster young talent, a nation with a promising future, and a team with true potential could be formed.”

If Korea does produce another high-level, highly marketable layer, it wouldn’t surprise Lim at all.

But that’s what happens when development and fostering a culture looks like.

You can go from BoxeR to Faker to whoever elevates.

It’s how a simple game can become a full-fledged industry.