Wolf Schröder broadcasts and commentates on professional eSports league games watched by gaming buffs allover the world. As a young boy in his hometown Atlanta, the united States, Schröder made friends with Koreangamers who shared StarCraft game strategy tips with him. While in college, the amateur game presenter wasoffered a job by a Korean cable TV network.
I visited the Nexon Arena Studio in Gangnam,the upscale district in the southernpart of Seoul, on the night of April 3,when an SSL Series 2017 game was heldas part of the StarCraft II League. It wasone of the full league games in which atotal of 20 Korean gamers were to competefor nine weeks. I arrived an hour before thegame started, but many people had alreadytaken their seats in the studio. Most ofthem were young, and among them weremany foreigners.
eSports Fever Runs High
The game was streamed live via Naver,SPOTV GAMES, eSports, and YouTube, anda VoD service was also promised. As it wasa big game, however, many people hadcome to see it in person.
eSports refers to video games usingelectronic systems, such as computers,video networks, or video game consoles.eSports buffs don’t just play games themselves,they also watch streamed gamesbetween pros and take part in the gamingindustry’s cyberculture. Korea has aparticularly advanced eSports fan culture.Whenever games are held on specially builtstages at Seoul Plaza in front of the SeoulCity Hall or at Busan’s popular HaeundaeBeach, joyful shouts or dismayedsighs from thousands of spectators sweepthrough the entire area. Blizzard Entertainment,the American global video gamemaker of smash hits like StarCraft, holdsmedia events in Korea whenever it rolls outa new game.
Wolf Schröder, a freelance eSports broadcaster, isknown for his unique style of broadcasting marked bybreathtaking moments in the game interspersed withpersonal stories about the gamers.
On March 26, Blizzard EntertainmentCEO and co-founder Mike Morhaime showcased“StarCraft: Remastered” at COEX inGangnam, ahead of its release this summer.Morhaime is well aware that Koreais one of the countries that determine thesuccess or failure of new video games.Blizzard d StarCraft I in 1998, but itwas Korean users that led the evolution ofonline games into eSports.
Who better than Wolf Schröder toexplain the amazing eSports fever inKorea? To listen to what he had to say, I methim at the Nexon Arena Studio before thegame started.
“StarCraft was an inexpensive gamethat was playable for free in cheap PC-bang[internet cafés or LAN gaming centers].The company OnGameNet, now knownas OGN, d a tournament called theOnGameNet Starleague (OSL), which officiallystarted in 2000 and ran through2012,” Schröder said. “During this time,the game grew in popularity along with theOSL, and viewership increased. Big sponsorslike KT and SKT entered the scene.With telecom companies on board, otherbig name sponsors like Woongjin and Samsungjoined in, and even the beer brandHite had a team. StarCraft was broadcaston television by OnGameNet and theneventually on a new channel, MBC Game.For gamers, to be able to see their favoritegame on television with professionalps and big sponsors was incredible.Nowhere else in the world was eSports thispopular, and Korean gamers were proud.That attitude still exists today.”
Schröder seems to have a thoroughgrasp of Korea’s online game history, as ifhe had been here from the beginning whenthe industry first kicked off. As to why Koreais such a trailblazer for eSports, Schrödercited Korean gamers’ strict adherence totheir coaches’ instructions as well as theirtireless practice and strong sense of teamwork,built through group training.
An Atlanta Boy Spellbound by Video Games
At one time, StarCraft was considereda highly addictive distraction, frustratingKorean parents who wanted their childrento concentrate on their studies. Meanwhile,far away in Atlanta, the United States, thegame was changing the fate of a young boy.Wolf Schröder first encountered StarCraft atthe age of 10 and was immediately caughtin its spell. He then found out that someKorean boys in his school were better at itthan him and not only enjoyed Battle.netmultip games but even developed theirown game apps by using editor apps. ThoseKorean boys were not only good at gamesbut also at math. As he befriended them,Schröder became mesmerized by theworld of StarCraft. He also had the chanceto try his first Korean food at their homes.He quickly acquired a taste for dishes likebulgogi and ramyeon as well as snacks likePpushyeo Ppushyeo (a noodle snack) andChoco Pie.
Schröder’s strength is his storytelling ability. He turns breathtaking gaming moments into excitingsagas by blending them with personal stories about the gamers rather than flatly commentating onthe games. He does so because he doesn’t like gamers and fans overseas to regard Korean gamers asmachines or robots.
After entering Georgia State University,Schröder launched the Open Wolf Cuptournament, named after himself, andstarted a one-man online broadcasting program.A computer and a microphone wereall he had, and he broadcast live from hisapartment. As many as 128 gamers tookpart in the first tournament and the $50cash prize came out of his own pocket. Healso volunteered as a presenter or commentatorfor tournaments organized byother people. He quickly racked up broadcastsof around 100 games at 14 tournaments,in which some 130 gamers participated.Indisputably, he is a first-generationStarCraft presenter.
To his utter disbelief, in his sophomoreyear, Schröder was offered a job by a Koreancable TV network.
Wolf Schröder, wearing a cap emblazonedwith the Korean national flag, poses for thecamera.
“I was invited to Korea to work as abroadcaster by GOMTV. They were lookingfor new broadcast talent to move to Koreaand commentate on StarCraft II,” Schrödersaid. “Since I had quite a bit of experiencein casting live tournaments, I was a naturalfit for them. I had a long résumé, but actuallyhad done an offline broadcast in a studiojust once before. I was excited to ‘levelup’ professionally and take my career to thenext step, and Korea was the place to be!”
In 2011, he quit college and flew toKorea, where he signed a one-year contractwith GOMTV as a game presenter.By the time the contract expired, he hadgained enough confidence to stay on andwork freelance. He currently broadcastsfive or six games a week, mostly StarCraftII, Heroes, and Overwatch, for GOMTV,AfreecaTV, and SPOTV. He broadcaststhese games in real time on YouTube for hisfans all over the world and his work seeshim frequently travel overseas.
A Unique Broadcasting Style
Schröder’s strength is his storytellingability. He turns breathtaking gamingmoments into exciting sagas by blendingthem with personal stories about the gamersrather than flatly commentating on thegames. He does so because he doesn’t likegamers and fans overseas to regard Koreangamers as machines or robots.
Schröder believes this image of Koreangamers is a result of their outstandingskills. Aware of this, Korean gamers sometimessay to him, “Put in a good word forme, Wolf!” But he keeps his distance fromthem for fear of losing his ivity as abroadcaster and gathers information aboutthem mainly through the media or theiracquaintances.
As Wolf Schröder gained recognition,the organizer of the 2016 KeSPA Cuprecruited five presenters, three Koreansand two foreigners, which turned out to be a success. When Schröder interviewedthe Korean gamers in fluent Korean, heattracted wide attention and was given theKorean name Kim Eul-bu (a rough transliterationof “wolf”). Since then, he has beenmore actively exchanging messages withhis Korean fans on Twitter, Instagram, andFacebook.
About 10 game presenters with an internationalreputation, including Schröder,now live in Seoul. Schröder meets themfrequently, though he keeps a healthy distancefrom gamers. As far as eSports isconcerned, being the best gamer in Koreameans being the best in the world. Thesame is true for game presenters. Of the 10or so foreign game presenters, Schrödercited Christopher “MonteCristo” Mykles,Duncan “Thorin” Shields, and Christopher“PapaSmithy” Smith as his role models.They are all League of Legends commentatorsand presenters. “Their analyticalstyle and quick ability to process and conveyinformation is very impressive,” he said.
Schröder, second from right, broadcasts aneSports game in the foreign broadcasters’booth at the Nexon Arena Studio, where anSSL Series 2017 game is underway as partof the StarCraft II League.
Love of Korean Food
Schröder says he considers himselfKorean. On social media, he stimulates hisfollowers’ appetites with postings of himselfenjoying Korean food. The revelationthat he takes Korean food on his trips to theUnited States incited a huge response fromhis fans, and a photo of him using two forkslike chopsticks, joking that he was morecomfortable with chopsticks than with forks,brought a flurry of comments.
Last winter, Schröder posted photos ofhimself participating in the candlelight protestsat Gwanghwamun Square in downtownSeoul, calling on the then President ParkGeun-hye to step down. When the ConstitutionalCourt finally removed her from office,he congratulated the Korean people on theirvictory, the result of enduring the long coldwinter in the streets for the future of theircountry. On the day, he said he hoped everyonewould have a good meal and enjoy therest of the day. He received thousands of“likes” for that posting, with many fans saying,“Yes, there’s no doubt he’s Korean!”Indeed, when he returns from trips to theUnited States, Schröder jokes that there’sno place like his home in Korea.
Schröder’s love of Korea clearly extendsto its food. He still remembers the taste ofgrilled pork tenderloin he ate at a restaurantin Mapo, north of the Han River in Seoul,where the staff at GOMTV took him on hisfirst day at his new job.
“Korean food is by far the tastiest. I get toeat it all the time,” he said. “The flavor hereis really strong, and food is always servedpiping hot, and is usually fairly spicy. WhenI first moved here, many Koreans told methey found it difficult to travel to Americabecause the food there tasted bland orempty to them. Now I understand why! Thisis of course without mentioning that almostevery Korean restaurant is open until lateat night, they serve soju, and they’re all reasonablypriced. Don’t go to America andtry to spend the same amount of money onKorean BBQ. Expect to pay double or triple.A bottle of soju for 10 dollars or more.”
Since his love of Korean food is widelyknown, he has been asked many times toappear on TV cooking shows or give interviews.But this 28-year-old young manseems to know better. He knows that he hasno time for such things, and that he is aneSports presenter — no more, no less.
Over the past six years, since he firstsettled near the GOMTV studios in the Mokdongneighborhood in northwestern Seoul,he has moved six times to find a betterplace. He is still dreaming of a house fromwhich he can see the Han River when heraises the blinds in the morning. He believesit won’t be long before his dream comestrue.
한국국제교류재단
