State of Play
a documentary by Steven Dhoedt Year: 2011
Length: 52' & 90'
Status: in development
Partners: Flanders Audiovisual Fund (VAF)
Every year thousands of South-Koreans flock to one of the many game stadiums in Seoul to watch the Pro League Competition. Over there, during the time span of a regular football season, young South Koreans compete to the title of champion. To be the best in one single video game: Starcraft.
The game itself is more than a decade old, almost ancient in the fast developing world of videogames, but in South Korea it has become a national past-time. The stars of the Starcraft league are national celebrities, participating on all levels of popular culture. They pop up in tv-commercials, appear on the cover of magazines and have a major cult following. 24hr TV networks devote entire theme shows to the tactical play of one single player, while teenage girls from Seoul devote their entire teenage life to the fanclub of the upcoming stars. As top players earns millions of Euros a year, being a Star Craft player isn!t only a wise career move, it is also the path to respect and credibility in the highly competitive society of South Korea.
In this story, we follow 4 characters in different stages of their career as a Pro-Gamer in South Korea, and this during the time span of one season.
