If there’s one country on the planet who fancies a weekend of eSports more than most, it’s South Korea. The country has seen some massive growth in a market that’s steadily breaching the falls of popular culture, and that’s in other areas of the globe too.
In Korea though, things are getting a bit too crowded. Last year, over 40 000 people crammed Seoul’s 2002 World Cup stadium (above) to watch the League of Legends World Championships take place. So instead of using football stadiums in the country, the Land of the Morning Calm is building a custom eSports stadium in the heart of Sangam-Dong, a suburb of Seoul.
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According to ETNews, it will allow quite a few fans and gamers to join in the festivities:
The stadium can accommodate more than 1000 people including 800 seats in a main stadium and 200 seats in a supplementary stadium. Compared to existing stadium owned by private organization accommodating 200~300 people, it can accommodate more than three times or four times of that.
Seoul got its first eSports stadium back in 2005, so it is definitely due for an upgrade. That said upgrade had been on the cards since 2009, with the national government considering awarding the city cash to build the eSports tower. The stadium will also boast an IT centre, complete with tools for animators, musicians and tech professionals. Three floors of the building will be set aside for this cause.
eSports is gaining mass traction throughout the world though, with the UK poised to get its second dedicated eSports stadium too after the Gfinity Arena in Fulham, London became the country’s first earlier this year.
According to research firm Newzoo, eSports revenue globally will touch US$252-million this year, and boast a fanbase of around 113-million enthusiasts.
Feature image: travel oriented via Flickr
