Seoul Gwanghwamun, E-Sports Arena ‘LoL Park’

February 10, 2023 824 Views

South Korea can proudly be called the Mecca of E-Sports, as it has consistently achieved impressive results in international gaming competitions. From StarCraft to Warcraft 3, and now with League of Legends (LoL), South Korea has always excelled in popular gaming genres.

Thanks to this, South Korea is seen by foreigners as a nation skilled in gaming. In line with this, South Korea’s gaming leagues have also developed. Gaming arenas for hosting competitions and broadcasts emerged one by one, though due to COVID-19, they disappeared and reappeared. “LoL Park” stands as an E-Sports exclusive arena and a PC bang that is still operational.

“Seoul’s E-Sports Exclusive Arena, LoL Park”

LoL Park is a place Riot Games leased from Grand Seoul in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Riot Games invested over 100 billion KRW to directly build this venue. It encompasses facilities for fans, including player waiting rooms, a café, a PC bang, and a store. The contract period with Grand Seoul is known to be from 2018 to 2030, a span of 12 years.

At LOL Park, you can find the following facilities:

LCK Arena: A venue modeled after ancient Greek or Roman arenas, with 450 seats available.
Player Waiting Room: Located behind the LoL Arena, it’s a waiting room equipped with 5 PCs of the same specifications as those inside the LCK Arena for practice.
Player Lounge: Consisting of 42 seats, it’s a space where team members and staff can freely enjoy food, all of which is provided free of charge.
Amenities: Bilgewater Café, Riot Store
Riot PC Bang: Operating as a second branch of Riot Games’ PC bang located at Riot Games’ headquarters, it accommodates 101 seats. While it is operated directly by Riot, it is also okay to use other games besides LoL.

“A Place to Directly Witness LCK Matches”

“LoL Park” is a place that can be divided for the general public into an arena and a PC bang. On match days, you can enter the arena and witness the actual matches being played by the players. Of course, to watch the matches, you need to purchase tickets in advance. However, due to the limited number of seats (only 450), obtaining tickets for the arena is not easy.

Regarding the PC bang, you can use it like a regular PC bang, without the need for membership or registration. You can pay for the usage time through the PCs provided at the entrance and play the game of your choice.

As expected of “LOL Park,” you can see a layout where 5 computers are arranged consecutively on both sides, allowing a team of 5 to play the game.

“A Place Easily Encountering Foreigners”

At “LOL Park,” you can also easily meet foreigners. Since there is no other country that can match South Korea in the field of E-Sports, especially with South Korea maintaining its position as the world’s number one in “LOL” games, it can be said that foreigners who love games visit this place like a holy site.

Thanks to this, it is a place where you can once again feel the power of “culture,” and where games can also become a form of sports and culture. In the past, gaming was thought of negatively, but now, “E-Sports” has gained a significant foothold, and perceptions about games have changed quite a bit.

By comparing the salaries of E-Sports players and traditional sports players, you can confirm articles stating that the salary of an “E-Sports player” surpasses that of a professional baseball player. What was unthinkable in the past is now a reality.

In such a rapidly changing world, it has become a world where one must know how to improve their thinking to keep up with the changing times, and adapt to the trends of the times.

“LOL Park” is also a prominent place that breaks down fixed notions about games. It represents South Korea’s proud modern culture that will continue to nurture global trends in games and E-Sports.