Will Starcraft Survive Next 10 Years? Recent Books Delve Into Reasons Behind Popular Computer Game

On July 22 last year, 16,251 fans gathered at a baseball stadium in Pusan for the All-star game. At the same moment, around six times more people packed Kwanganni beach in the port to see another professional competition _ the online game ``Starcraft.''

Since first introduced in 1997 by U.S. game producer Blizzard, the real-time strategy blockbuster has gained explosive popularity. In step with the spawning of Internet cafes in the late '90s, young people headed for the shops to log on to ``Battle Net,'' the online network for the game. The wildfire of popularity led to the emergence of professional players, conglomerate-sponsored teams and leagues.

In younger people's conversations, professional gamers have eclipsed star baseball players or top footballers. One popular gamer has a fan base of more than half a million. Some pundits even claim that ``Starcraft'' is no longer just another blockbuster game, but a cultural phenomena that is the contemporary equivalent of chess or ``paduk (go in Japanese).''

A new book, ``When Games Talks to You (Keimi Marul Kolool Ttae),'' claims that no computer game has exerted such an impact on people as the online game, which mirrors aspects of contemporary culture.

``If you want to win the game, you need to mobilize the game's resources and units as effectively as possible. That is the same with the logics of capitalism,'' writes the author, professor Park Sang-u of Yonsei University, better known as the nation's first game commentator. ``The principle of `maximum profits from minimum capital and labor' is perfectly realized in `Starcraft.' Just as capitalism turns out to be the most suitable regime in the history so far, real-time strategy games like `Starcraft' dominate the game market,'' he writes.

``It was `Starcraft' that salaried workers, who have been strangers to online games, are adapting most easily to among computer games,'' Park writes.

Another recently published book, ``Computer Game and the Culture,'' provides a more academic observance of the game, saying it is ``epoch-making.''

According to book, the real-time game introduces many inventive factors, such as the online Battle Net service, metamorphosis of battle units, a horizontal interface window and so on, which have now become the norm in the market.

The authors point out its speedy movement of units and relatively short game duration as major traits appealing to quick-tempered Koreans.

The analyses explain the huge success of the game. But will its popularity persist even decades from now? The authors of the second book cautiously predict that it will not.

``It is absolutely true that the professional league has been very successful, but it has an intrinsic limitation as a commercial product, unlike football, baseball or paduk,'' they write.

Though the authors give little evidence to back their opinion, they seem to believe that the market will push the game maker to issue another installment, for example, ``Starcraft II.'' But the success of the original version does not always guarantee the popularity of the sequel. In fact, it might have the adverse affect in decreasing the original's popularity.

``It remains to be seen if game players and audiences will like Starcraft II,'' they write. They take the example of ``Tekken,'' a game that once ran a professional league before its popularity came to a grinding halt after the release of a third sequel.

``Computer Game and Culture'' takes a step further to see the nature of computer games from an anthropological point of view, pointing out that computer games restore the long lost ritual of the ancient festival.

``It is well known that the ancient festivals have separated into mythology and game. In the modern era, the game has degraded itself as mere amusement, while mythology has developed into as part of literature,'' the authors write. Computer games, the brainchild of the digital technology, have finally converged the long separated subjects, they say.

In a discussion over whether computer games should be understood as ``spectacle'' or ``narration,'' the authors point out that the controversy itself mirrors the long history of separation between myth and game.

``The discussion reflects the contemporary attitude which forgot the integrated and ancient form of the culture (festival),'' they write.

In addition to the analyses, the two books explain the natures and traits of many traditional or current hit games including ``Lineage,'' ``Sims,'' ``Tekken'' and ``Final Fantasy.''

When Games Talks to You (Keimi Marul Kolool Ttae), from Rubybox Publishers, 214 pages, 9,900 won

Computer Game and The Culture, published by Erum Books, 488 pages, 27,000 won

Caption: The online game "Starcraft" is still popular among salaried workers, though their managers would hate it when employees play it during office hours. Photo by courtesy of Rubybox Publisher.

Caption2: Covers for the books "When Games Talk to You," left, by Rubybox Publisher and "Computer Game and Culture" by Erum.

03-20-2005 18:12