Envisioning a Bright Future for Gaming on Public Entertainment TV! We … 2020-10-30

 

KBS “We Can Game”, a supported production by WCG, successfully completed its first broadcast on the 9th. “We Can Game” is a new type of game entertainment program by KBS, featuring legendary soccer players Ahn Jung-hwan and Lee Eul-yong preparing for the WCG competition in part 1. Part 2 features former baseball player Hong Sung-heun and rapper Din Din enjoying games with their families. The program shows diverse generations enjoying gaming and e-sports in this Untact era. WCG, a beloved global e-sports festival launched in 2000, successfully completed its preliminary round to select players to compete in the “WCG 2020 CONNECTED Grand Final”, to be held next month. 

| e-sports at the stature of traditional sports

We Can Game part 1 shows the infinite potential of e-sports through the “e-soccer” game. Korean soccer legends Ahn Jung-hwan and Lee Eul-yong train to participate in the World e-sports competition (WCG) by playing FIFA Online 4. Viewers enjoyed as they watched the two players playing as themselves become frustrated playing the game. Additionally, Lee Eul-yong communicating with his two sons in the game showed that e-sports can be a part of play culture. The raised stature of e-sports has many people curious about the public entertainment TV program. 

<Ahn Jun-hwan and Lee Eul-yong practicing (left), WCG e-sports competition application form (right) (Source: KBS2 “We Can Game”)>

After COVID-19, numerous professional sports leagues were suspended for a while. e-sports was the only league that operated normally at this time when almost all sports athletes could only focus on training (e-sports refers to events where participants compete through game content). The reason that the stature of e-sports became comparable to that of traditional sports is because it expanded worldwide through smartphones and online streaming, making it a valuable marketing tool in the sports market during COVID-19. When you look at LCK’s SKT T1, a domestic league for the popular game League of Legends, multinational company sponsorships such as BMW, NIKE, TWITCH, LOGITECH, and SAMSUNG can be seen. Smilegate’s flagship e-sports competition “CFS Invitational Egypt 2019” for CROSSFIRE was also sponsored by Egypt’s biggest telecommunication company, Telecom Egypt (WE). In this way, e-sports is rising in stature regarding marketing in replacement of traditional sports.

| Games as a tool to bridge the gap between different generations

We Can Game part 2, “Real Family Arcade”, shows former baseball player Hong Sung-heun and rapper Din Din going on a game adventure with their families. The recent episode of Hong Sung-heun’s family shows that games can be a tool to bridge the gap between generations. They had time to build teamwork, communicate, and understand each other through games like Tales Runner, Cart Rider, and Anipang. It was also interesting to see their rooms decorated like PC rooms. 

<Hong Sung-heun’s wife and son playing Anipang 4 (top), Hong Sung-heun and his wife (bottom) (Source: KBS2 “We Can Game”)>