The Popularity of Esports in Korea
Korea is known as the mecca of competitive gaming. Gamers in Korea are considered celebrities, appearing on billboards and popular shows. But do esports dominate Internet searches? The answer is both yes and no.
Esports on Google Korea
In the first half of 2014, League of Legends was the second most popular search term on Google Korea, according to a new report on news site Han Kyung and picked up by Paravine. Only the popular Disney animated film Frozen outranked the Riot Games title, which is the largest esport in the world.
It’s important to note that Google is not as popular in Korea as it is in other parts of the world. The search engine Naver controlled 70 percent of the market in 2013. On Naver, League of Legends doesn’t even appear in the top 30 search terms. So the high placement of League of Legends on Google may be more reflective of the user demographic in South Korea than the ubiquity of the game itself.
The Explosion of League of Legends in South Korea
Regardless of search engine rankings, there is no denying that League of Legends is exploding in popularity in South Korea. Korean teams are widely recognized as the best in the world and consistently win international tournaments. By the end of last month, League of Legends had been the most popular game for 100 weeks straight in PC cafes, attracting 36 percent of all gamers.
The Future of League of Legends in Korea
Korea will also host the world championship later this year, which is expected to further boost the game’s popularity. The event will take place in a former World Cup stadium and will feature sixteen professional teams from around the world competing for the Summoner’s Cup. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the game continue to climb the search engine rankings.
H/T Paravine | Image via Riot Games
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