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The Almighty Buck Games

StarCraft Cheating Scandal Rocks Korea 471

dotarray writes with this snippet: "The largest scandal in e-sports history is currently unfolding in Korea, with revelations that a number of current pro gamers are involved with match setups and illegal betting. While the gamers are unnamed at this point, the story is said to touch many A-list StarCraft celebrities, including sAviOr, Ja Mae Yoon, one of the best-known and most successful players of all time."
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StarCraft Cheating Scandal Rocks Korea

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  • Seriously, I was expecting something like a bot ring or involvement in a virus that spread via the game.
    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      I started following Starcraft a couple years ago, mostly through YouTube commentaries like diggity, klazart, moletrap, and their ilk. Anyone following the scene knows this is seriously bad news for our fledgling sport, and for e-sports in general. Perhaps it's a sign of maturity, or maybe it's just in time for new blood - for StarCraft 2 to take root. Still, it's very disheartening to hear.
      • Re:How is this news? (Score:4, Informative)

        by Dalambertian ( 963810 ) on Tuesday April 13, 2010 @01:25AM (#31828050)
        For more info, you can follow the coverage at teamliquid's forums. Click to expand the "spoilers". http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=119403 [teamliquid.net]
  • by socceroos ( 1374367 ) on Tuesday April 13, 2010 @12:31AM (#31827688)
    My world has fallen to pieces!
    • Reminds me of a Woody Allen quote, "I was watching a ballet at City Center, and I'm not a ballet fan at all, but they were doing the dying swan, and there was a rumour, that some bookmakers had drifted into town from upstate New York, and that they had fixed the ballet. Apparently there was a lot of money bet on the swan to live."

  • It is nice to be part of a demographic that couldn't give a rat's ass about the whole thing, including MMOs and the surrounding scene.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      Funny, that's exactly what I thought when I heard about Tiger Woods.
      • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

        by bennomatic ( 691188 )
        Yeah, but Tiger's /. ID is, coincidentally, 963809.
      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        Me, too. I really can't be assed about a multi-million-earning sportsman, regardless of the sport. Golf, soccer, football, basketball... none of these guys are any role model (eccept on how to rake in the dough). Fuck 'em. Together with the dumb celebrities of all kind. Fuck 'em all.

        • I don't know, after watching The Blindside, Michael Oher kind of seems like a good role model to me. I don't know how true to life the movie was, but if it's even half true, I'd say he's a good person to model your own kids after.

        • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

          by apoc.famine ( 621563 )
          They're not even a role model for how to rake in the dough - your chance of having the skills and grooming to play a pro sport is approximately on par with your chance of getting struck by lightning. Seriously - how many pro golfers can you name? 600 people get hit by lightning in the US every year. We're not adding 600 world-famous golfers each year, that's for sure.

          It blows my mind how many kids are fed the lies that they can make it in pro sports. I your skills aren't better than 1 in 100,000, you're n
    • by Punto ( 100573 ) <puntob&gmail,com> on Tuesday April 13, 2010 @01:47AM (#31828182) Homepage

      instead, you're part of the demographic that cares about "Dancing with the stars". Congratulations.

    • by kiddygrinder ( 605598 ) on Tuesday April 13, 2010 @03:06AM (#31828522)
      It must suck to be a part of the subset of those who care enough about not caring to make sure everyone knows how much they don't care.
  • by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 13, 2010 @12:35AM (#31827708)

    His first name is Jae Yoon, and his surname is Ma. Typically written in Korean with the surname first, as Ma Jae Yoon. Ja Mae Yoon is wrong.

    • His first name is Jae Yoon, and his surname is Ma. Typically written in Korean with the surname first, as Ma Jae Yoon. Ja Mae Yoon is wrong.

      Stop using the term "first name" to refer to a second name. It isn't helping. "Given name," works pretty much universally, without implying a correct order.

  • by BadAnalogyGuy ( 945258 ) <BadAnalogyGuy@gmail.com> on Tuesday April 13, 2010 @12:37AM (#31827722)

    I played Starcraft for a while, and I was very impressed with how balanced the gameplay was and how thought out the interface was. Blizzard did a great job making that game.

    But it really stifles the creativity of the player by restricting actions to a very specific set of pre-programmed actions. You *must* farm for Vespene gas. you *must* collect crystals. There is little room for true creativity and adventuring. Today's FPS games are actually getting better at allowing this kind of freedom.

    But to really get the most out of a game, you have to use your imagination. There's nothing more challenging than interacting with your friends and working out puzzles with nothing more than paper, dice, and pewter figurines. Dungeons and Dragons (and other clones of it) is the ultimate game because it removes artificially created limits and depends completely on how much you are invested in it.

    If people are cheating and rigging game competitions, it's only because there is something to rig. Try cheating in D&D and you'll find that you only cheat yourself.

    BadAnalogyGuy (aka Black Leaf)

    • You *must* farm for Vespene gas. you *must* collect crystals. There is little room for true creativity and adventuring. There is little room for true creativity and adventuring.

      I can't tell if I'm being trolled or not.

      It's an RTS. Comparing Starcraft to RPGs is apples to oranges. That's like criticizing chess because you *must* move your pawn or *must* move your knight.

      The real question in all this is whether Starcraft 2 is hackable or not.

      • Comparing Starcraft to RPGs is apples to Bad Analogies

        Fixed that for y-WHOOOOOSH!

        Also: bah, 3rd edition? I was playing D&D when it wasn't Advanced the first time, and when "elf" was a character class. Hey, you zerglings! Get off my lawn!

    • What are your reasons for not playing 4th ed.?

      For me personally, I've been a bit disappointed with 4th edition because they're trying so hard to make all characters 'equal'. I don't care what you say, Gandalf will always pwn Aragon - he's the freaking white wizard for blinky's sake! Let him be!
    • by Samah ( 729132 )

      Try cheating in D&D and you'll find that you only cheat yourself.

      Cheating is fine until your DM notices. Then it's "hello 2000 XP penalty" and "your character is struck down by a curse where all actions must be announced in pig latin or you take 3 necrotic damage at beginning of your turn (save ends)".
      Actually, next time I DM I'm gonna use that. :)

  • by phantomfive ( 622387 ) on Tuesday April 13, 2010 @12:38AM (#31827728) Journal
    Here's a weird quote from the article:

    As part of Korea's human rights laws, it is illegal to release criminals' names - they can only be implied - which means that as the police have now gotten involved, we may never be officially told who was involved in this drama.

    You can't know criminals' names in Korea? Kind of weird.

    • by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 13, 2010 @12:45AM (#31827764)

      "You can't know criminals' names in Korea? Kind of weird."

      It has it's positives i.e. vigilante justice and not getting ones life ruined if accused of a heinus crime (pedophelia, sexual assault, etc).

      In america I find the fact they publish the names of sex offenders grotesque because rehabilitation and re-entering society to lead a normal life is impossible, this vigalante mob justice has never sat well with me.

      • In america I find the fact they publish the names of sex offenders grotesque because rehabilitation and re-entering society to lead a normal life is impossible, this vigalante mob justice has never sat well with me.

        That's now really what it's about. Personally, if I have small kids and I move into a new neighborhood, the lists are invaluable. It doesn't make rehabilitation impossible either because names expire from the lists, but of course (like any other felon), you have to be truthful to your would-be employers if they ask you. I have no problem with any of this.

    • by rebot777 ( 765163 ) on Tuesday April 13, 2010 @12:52AM (#31827828)
      It's most likely you can't know alleged criminals names for their protection. A concern I have with current US society is the media's influence on our views of 'alleged criminals'. If you're in a high profile case and it turns out you're not guilty the inertia of public opinion against you for being accused can haunt you for the rest of your life. I believe these laws are in response to such situations.
    • Here's the list of the players. The source is fomos. Myung Soo (Yarnc), Chan Soo (Luxury), Sang Ho (SangHo), Jung Woo (EffOrt), Yong Hwa (Movie), Jae Yoon (sAviOr), Taek Yong (Bisu), Byong Goo (Stork), Jae Wook (BeSt), il Jang (hero), Myung Hoon (fantasy), Heui Seung (UpMaGiC), Jae Dong (Jaedong), Sang Moon (Leta), Jong Seo (Justin), Chang Hee (go.go)
    • by gzipped_tar ( 1151931 ) on Tuesday April 13, 2010 @12:57AM (#31827856) Journal

      Criminals? I guess you mean criminal suspects, since it's the police rather than the court that "have gotten involved".

    • Anonymous must be huge there!
    • by Cimexus ( 1355033 ) on Tuesday April 13, 2010 @01:25AM (#31828056)

      It's a similar principle as in the West, where you generally can't release the names of suspected offenders (or victims) who are minors (or at least that's how it is here in Australia ... you often hear 'the offender's identity cannot be revealed because s/he was under 18 at the time of the crime). This applies to both those merely accused and awaiting trial, as well as those convicted (or for that matter, exonerated).

      The Korean law just goes a step further and extends this protection to all people involved in criminal matters.

      I kinda like the idea actually, although there are some obvious caveats. The general public certainly has no right to demonise someone accused of a crime before it's been proved. And even once they are convicted, it is not really the general public's business to know criminals' names, other than obviously those connected with the crime (victims/families etc). They will pay a penalty under the law (a fine, community service, jail time etc) ... but once that debt is paid they have a right to move back into society without being discriminated against for the rest of their lives. And keeping their name out of the media is one way to do that.

      The counter-argument is made that people have a right to know if they are living near/employing/otherwise engaging with people who have been found guilty of serious crime (particularly sex offenders or murderers). And it's a good counter-argument. Perhaps we can draw a line and say "people convicted of the most serious crimes or those with no hope of rehabilitation can have their identities revealed, but for minor to moderate crimes, the criminals should remain anonymous". Either that or we toughen up sentencing so that serious criminals don't GET reintroduced into society in the first place ... then the whole argument becomes moot.

    • by crossmr ( 957846 )

      This article is all over the place. They write the guys name a couple ways. The one under the picture is the more correct romanization, and yes it should refer to suspects. The papers often print the names of convicted people here.

    • Dude that's like polar opposite of the US. We get daily updates in the newspapers of DUI arrests, Battery and Assault arrests, and if you are a pedophile, you might as well hand out business cards with all of your pertinent info to everyone you ever meet because they'll see it all online anyways.

  • by Kitkoan ( 1719118 ) on Tuesday April 13, 2010 @12:40AM (#31827736)
    Some people will do anything to get even more money. Its also possible that some of the Starcraft players are seeing a dead end of their time playing gaming professionally. As in they might not be that great at most RTS games, but amazing at Starcraft. And with Starcraft 2 coming along closer and closer, it might be the writing on the wall for Starcraft 1's viability. Cash out while they can and all?
  • by QuantumSlip ( 613532 ) on Tuesday April 13, 2010 @12:52AM (#31827818)
    apparently someone used show me the money too many times...
  • by Comatose51 ( 687974 ) on Tuesday April 13, 2010 @01:11AM (#31827974) Homepage
    I feel so betrayed. This must be how Tassadar felt when Aldaris arrested him upon his return after discovering the key to slaying the Overmind. It is as though I am Kerrigan abandoned by Acturus Mengsk to be captured by the Zergs. Today I am Jim Raynor, a warrior cut loose from his own people.
  • As someone who occasionally follows the SC happenings in Korea, I can attest to the fact that this is a huge story there. The fame of these players really is comparable to that of football or basketball stars in the states.

    More to the point, there is real talent, years of honing your skill, and real fans involved here. That's what makes this match fixing a real deal. That's too bad, this young sport deserves better.
  • by dushkin ( 965522 ) on Tuesday April 13, 2010 @02:04AM (#31828262) Homepage

    I really like watching commentaries on SC games. I started watching them a few weeks ago and I'm HOOKED.

    Now I'm not a great RTS player. And I've never enjoyed watching sports on TV - basketball, football (English or otherwise) or even the way overhyped olympics - I just never cared.

    But Starcraft is something I can somehow relate to. Especially Starcraft 2. myself, not being a good player, I see all sorts of strange tricks I wouldn't have seen otherwise.

    Micromanagement tipping the results of battles in ways I wouldn't have even imagined. All kinds of strange tricks involved - it's mind-blowing sometimes, and really... really exciting.

    The other thing is the commentators are very useful. They call out the strategy, which really helped a not-so-good player like me. you get some insight into their thought processes.

    I knew Koreans were into Starcraft, but I didn't know they were THAT into it. I feel kinda sad now. As I see it, it doesn't matter who wins at Starcraft, I just like watching the game and could never imagine placing bets on it.

  • Cargo Cults (Score:2, Interesting)

    by lilooet ( 1767276 )
    Something about Korea's obsession with Starcraft reminds me of cargo cults.
  • Further Information (Score:2, Informative)

    by ahaubold ( 1705608 )
    Proleague rules got changed [teamliquid.net] and some suspects got removed from their team's roster: http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=118849 [teamliquid.net]
  • Sport? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by jandersen ( 462034 ) on Tuesday April 13, 2010 @02:35AM (#31828390)

    Maybe I am just that ancient, but is it a "sport" to sit in a chair pushing buttons? When I grew up, apparently in the stone age, sport was something that involved not just skill, but physical excellence; even body-building wasn't considered to be a sport, and you wouldn't use the word "athlete" about them either. No wonder the world is coming to an end...

    • by ColaMan ( 37550 )

      And while we're on the topic, does anyone else have an issue with the use of , "of all time"?

      I know it's technically correct to claim something like that, but jeez, at least have the "sport" in question going for 20 years - or a generation, say - before you start making such hyperbolic statements.

      For example:

      One can argue that Don Bradman was the greatest cricketer "of all time". Cricket, having been played in some form or another since the 16th century, has been around long enough that the use of the phras

    • you walk and hit a ball. any old duffer can do that

      is car racing a sport?

      like you said, you sit down and push a buttons. now you've added a steering wheel

      is poker a sport?

      you fiddle with chips and cards. but those poker players are athletes of mental endurance, that's for sure

      no, the simple fact is: a sport is anything you want to call a sport, a sport. and if enough people agree with you, it simply is the new truth

      why? because there is no linguistic authority that allows people to use words in only proscri

    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      by kramerd ( 1227006 )

      It's a sport when you talk about, it's a game when you play it.

      Also you are very old.

  • According to Wikipedia starcraft page, South Korea accounted for almost a third of the blitzards global 'starcraft' sales.
    Thanks to its enduring popularity there, blizzard first announced the upcoming Starcraft 2 at a South Korean gaming event.

    Finally, from Wikipedia's page on South Korea:

    In recent years online games have become a significant part of Korean culture. StarCraft, the real-time strategy game, is by far the most popular televised game in South Korea. Game tournaments, recorded in places lik
    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      by kramulous ( 977841 )

      I've travelled to korea a few times and I love going to a pub (every second shop) and watching the starcraft channel. And the cheap beer. And the cheap, excellent food. And just general good times to be had by all.

      Fascinating to watch competitive gaming. Mesmerising.

  • Shocked, I'm completely and utterly shocked. There is cheating at competing, even when playing digital games.

    My world falls apart when hearing operators of apparatus do things with it that are perceived as dishonest. My respect for presentations of ordered bits lies smashed and shattered on the floor.

    Now pardon me but I'll carry on working.

Keep up the good work! But please don't ask me to help.

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