“When I first went abroad to play in other countries, I had a hard time and missed my family. I still miss going to a Korean barbeque place in Korea and eating pork belly,” Ignar said. “I couldn’t eat Korean food often when I played in Europe, but I can easily find Korean food in America. Playing abroad also meant leaving the comfort of Korea. Ignar’s hopes were dashed however with the ongoing pandemic as it meant not being able to enjoy various fun, outdoor activities that the US’ had to offer. Many Korean players in Korea play individually until late at night and wake up late.
KOREAN LOL PLAYERS PRO
Another plus side of the LCS is that the offseason vacations are much longer.”ĭaily life for pro players in North America also differs as teams wake up earlier than their Korean and European counterparts. “I think I enjoy the relative freedom LCS teams have. There are many teams in the LCS that have a light atmosphere,” said Ignar. “There isn’t much of a difference in the daily number of practice hours for teams in NA, EU and Korea, but the main difference is that after scrims (online practice matches) are done, the environment in the US is more free. As a result, world-class players like Kim “Doinb” Tae-sang and Song “Rookie” Eui-jin, who both won Worlds in the Chinese teams in which they play, are able to speak fluent Chinese after spending years on the Chinese LoL scene.Īnother difference playing abroad is that the environment in the West is much more relaxed and lighter than the atmosphere in Korea when players have time off. Playing in a foreign team means that the players are required to learn the local language on top of the daily practice. Leaving home to play abroad portends many changes for young players. “For players considering playing abroad, I want to tell them to have a mindset of working hard to adapt.” But I think there’s always a part of me that wants to go back to Korea and play there,” he said. “The reason why I headed for North America was that I felt it was a good opportunity for me. Ignar went to the World Championships again last year with US’ Fly Quest. Many LoL fans remember Ignar, who currently plays for LoL Championship Series’ Evil Geniuses, for his key performance as Leona and Blitzcrank in Europe’s Misfits Gaming against former SK Telecom T1 at the quarterfinals of the 2017 Worlds. In the US, however, I had to work hard to adjust to the different lifestyle that was unfamiIiar,” said Ignar in an email interview with The Korea Herald.
KOREAN LOL PLAYERS PROFESSIONAL
“In Korea, I was comfortable in many aspects of professional life.
Even now, as one of the veterans in the LoL scene, he takes the time to watch most Korean and European league games. This is especially true for Lee “Ignar” Dong-geun who has played in Korea, North America and Europe. Consequently, more and more Korean players have headed to teams all over the world, including Turkey, Brazil, Japan, China, Europe, North America and Oceania among others.Īs talented Korean players spread across the world, the players experience regional differences in the playing environment. Before the recent adoption of the franchise system in Korea, going abroad usually meant higher pay or a better chance at getting a ticket to the World Championships. Two of the five players in the two Chinese teams that won the world championships in 20 were Koreans who were pivotal to their wins.Īlthough Korean players need to learn new languages and adjust to different lifestyles when they head to different regions of the world, their mechanical performance is highly sought after by overseas teams. Koreans were the most represented nationality at the world stage every year since 2013, with the exception of 2014 when LMQ, consisting of all Chinese players, played for North America. With Korean players enjoying success in the League of Legends World Championships since 2013, teams from all around the world are keen on importing Korean talents to help them enter and win the big tournament.