TheKorea e-Sports Association(KeSPA) is a South Korean body established to manageesportsin South Korea. It is a member of theKorean Olympic Committeeand theInternational e-Sports Federation.As of June 2012[update],it was the managing body for 25 e-sports in the country, includingStarcraft II: Legacy of the Void(excluded in 2016),League of Legends,Dota 2,andCounter-Strike: Global Offensive.KeSPA also hosts theKeSPA Cup,a yearly tournament event for some of their games.
 | |
| Formation | 2000 |
|---|---|
| Type | NGO |
| Purpose | Manage esports inSouth Korea |
| Location | |
Region served | South Korea |
Membership | 11 member corporations |
Official language | Korean,English |
Chief Executive | Jeon Byeong-heon |
Main organ | General Committee |
Parent organization | Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism |
| Affiliations | Korean Olympic Committee International e-Sports Federation |
| Website | e-sports |
History
editThe early years of KeSPA
editKeSPA was founded in 2000 after the approval of theMinistry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.Its official goal is to makeesportsan official sporting event, and to solidify the commercial position of esports in all sectors.[1]The organization manages the broadcasting of e-Sports, the formation of new events, and the conditions in whichpro gamerswork, as well as encourage the playing ofvideo gamesby the general population. In 2008SK Telecomwas given the leading position on its board, effectively making Seo Jin-woo the organization's president. KeSPA regulates broadcasting by e-sports television channels such asOngamenet,MBC Game,GOMtv,andPandora TV,as well as 23 e-sportsjournalistsand over twelve e-sports teams. Additionally, they have created a rankings system.[2][3]
On May 11, 2012, after a slew of announcements from KeSPA regarding the transition betweenStarCraft: Brood WarandStarCraft II,[4]it was announced that they would be partnering withMajor League Gaming,a US-basedesportsorganization to send KeSPA players to MLG events.[5]
On October 27, 2014, KeSPA, alongsideRiot GamesandOngamenet,issued a press release stating new policies directed toward the welfare Korean professional esports players. Some of the major changes include a minimum salary for professional esports players that is competitive with popular traditional sports, and setting a 1-year minimum for contracts between players and teams starting in the 2016 season. There were also manyLeague of Legendsspecific changes that include limiting companies to have a minimum of one team with 10 players per team, and beginning a shift from tournament to league format for Korean Worlds qualifiers.
A 2016 article inESPNsaid that KeSPA reported that it would shut down its Starcraft ProLeague. The article said that KeSPA chairman, Jun Byung-hun, said that they were shutting down their Starcraft ProLeague due to fewer ProLeagues and players, problems getting sponsorships and problems with match-fi xing.[6]
2008 intellectual property dispute with Blizzard
editIn 2008, a slump in the distribution of e-Sports media was caused in part by the fear that video game developerBlizzard Entertainmentwould demand royalties from KeSPA, because of theirintellectual propertyrights.[7]In 2010,Blizzard Entertainmentannounced that negotiations were going poorly, and that they would only allow GomTV to broadcast Blizzard games.[8]KeSPA responded saying that they will challenge Blizzard's intellectual property rights. However, soon after,MBC Game,a gaming television station, announced that they will negotiate with GOMtv, which Newhua news speculated would lessen KeSPA's power.[9]
In May 2011, the dispute was finally settled, allowingOngamenet(OGN) andMunhwa Broadcasting Corporation(MBC) to officially broadcastBrood Wargames.[10]
2010 match-fi xing
editIn April 2010, elevenStarcraftplayers were implicated for match-fi xing during the 2009 e-Sports season. The Sanction Subcommittee of KeSPA banned them from playing e-Sports in the future,[11]and those implicated are due to be charged in criminal courts by KeSPA, as well as professional gaming teams. Along with progamers, the owners of over twelve illegal gambling websites, and former players and staff members will be charged. It is alleged that players were bribed to leak information, or lose games, allowing owners of the illegal gambling site to obtain huge profits. There was an outcry in Korea following these developments.[12]
2015 match-fi xing
editA 2016 article inKotakusaid that two KeSPA players,Lee "Life" Seung-hyunand Jung "Bbyong" Woo-yong, were indicted for match-fi xing along with seven other people. The article said that "Life" who was one of the most dominantStarCraft IIplayers in the world was charged with receiving 70,000,000 won (about US$62,000) for intentionally losing twoKeSPA Cupmatches in 2015.[13]
A 2016 article inKotakusaid that the tournament where "Bbyong" intentionally lost a match wasGSLSeason 1 in 2015.[14]
Notable teams
editSee also
editReferences
edit- ^"ゲームを lúc ban đầu に “eスポーツ” と hô んだ の は? Hàn Quốc nói が hữu lực ".
- ^Tsang, Simon (4 June 2007)."In a Blizzard of Warfare".Sydney Morning Herald.Retrieved12 June2010.
- ^"KeSPA Rankings".KeSPA.Retrieved14 June2010.
- ^"Media Day: SK Planet Proleague Season 2".Retrieved2 September2015.
- ^"MLG and KeSPA Announce Multi-Year Partnership".Retrieved2 September2015.
- ^Van Allen, E. (2016). South Korea's KeSPA discontinues StarCraft ProLeague after 14 years.ESPN.Retrieved March 24, 2017, fromlink.
- ^Cho, Jin-seo (19 May 2008)."'StarCraft' Losing in Gaming League ".The Korea Times.Retrieved12 June2010.
- ^"Bạo tuyết CEO thanh minh cùng GomTV hợp tác nguyên do KeSPA chưa tỏ thái độ".Yesky Gaming.Archived fromthe originalon 3 July 2011.Retrieved12 June2010.
- ^"MBC Television first to change sides and play with Blizzard".Newhua.4 June 2010.Retrieved12 June2010.
- ^"Blizzard - KeSPA license official".Retrieved2 September2015.
- ^Kim, Hyuk (7 April 2010)."KeSPA, 프로게이머 승부조작 연류 11명 자격 박탈 등 중징계".Today Korea.Archived fromthe originalon 4 March 2016.Retrieved12 June2010.
- ^Kim, Hyun-cheol (15 April 2010)."StarCraft Rigging Scandal Hits e-Sports Industry".The Korea Times.Retrieved12 June2010.
- ^Walker, A. (2016). A StarCraft World Champion Has Been Charged With Match Fi xing.Kotaku.Retrieved March 24, 2017, fromlink.
- ^Zacny, M. (2016). Match-Fi xing Report Shows How Gambling Has Ruined Korean StarCraft.Kotaku.Retrieved March 24, 2017, fromlink.
External links
edit- Official website(in Korean)