Esports talent in South Korea gets boost from big business, easing of gaming ban

Students majoring in eSports attend a class at Eunpyeong Meditech high school in Seoul, South Korea. — Reuters

SEOUL: South Korean teenager Yoon Ki-chan gets just three hours of sleep a day but spends more than three times that playing online games – with the blessing of his parents and teachers – as he dreams of becoming a top pro League Of Legends player.

Yoon and his peers are the next generation of gamers in South Korea, a fast-growing esports powerhouse whose players have won Riot Games’ League of Legends World Championship six times since the most-watched eSports event began in 2011.