Geartest.com Games - Interview - Life as a professional gamer, with World Cyber Games StarCraft winner Guillaume Patry (Grrrr

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Celebrity Gamers: Fame, Fortune & Glory

Computer gaming is such a part of mainstream South Korean culture that there are two television channels dedicated to broadcasting StarCraft games 24 hours a day, and a third that broadcasts Lineage, a medieval fantasy-themed massively multiplayer online roleplaying game (MMORPG), Guillaume says.

Because of his status and skill as a professional gamer, Guillaume has a level of fame and celebrity within South Korean society that took some getting used to.

"It was really strange. In Canada or the USA I can be anonymous, but there [South Korea] I get recognized all the time.

"The first time -- I had never been on TV at that point -- there were over 1,000 people who recognized me that were screaming and cheering and clapping for me."

Patricia Chung of Samsung -- the World Cyber Games primary sponsor -- says, "He is a huge star, as big or bigger than the most famous Hollywood movie stars. Guillaume is swarmed by fans when he goes out to restaurants and competes at tournaments."

"It's like a chain reaction," Guillaume says. "Thirty people might recognize me instantly if I'm in a big room with a thousand people, and then the word spreads, 'Guillaume's here!' Everyone else hears and they all want an autograph or photo.

"China is even worse," he says as he recalls one harrowing incident. "I had never been on TV in China. A few Chinese and Korean top gamers and I went there for an exhibition tournament."

After addressing the audience of several hundred reporters and media professionals at a press conference, "About 400 people rushed the stage, looking for autographs! There were eight huge bodyguards who could barely hold the crowd back," he says, pantomiming the actions of the bodyguards to illustrate the moment. "That was scary."

But he doesn't have to live life in a protective bubble all the time, he says.

"I get recognized when I go to places like universities, tournaments, clubs, and movies. When I'm in the supermarket, I rarely get recognized and can usually be anonymous. Sometimes when people do recognize me there, they just say, 'Hi, Guillaume!' They aren't necessarily looking for autographs."

Looking ahead to his immediate future, and the World Cyber Games championship he says, "I'd like to win one more time and retire as a three-time champion. I still have a couple of years left in me.

"I was world champion at the wrong time," he says with a wry smile. "Today, you can make over $200,000 a year. The top four players can make more than $500,000 US per year. I hardly made $100,000 at first. It's like all of those professional hockey players and baseball players from 30 years ago -- the salaries and sponsorships are much bigger now."

Even though he hasn't made as much money as today's top-ranked players do, Guillaume isn't dwelling on the past.

In September, Guillaume and a partner launched an import/export business focused on supplying products by companies like Razer and EverGlide to the lucrative South Korean computer games market. The company was acquired by Razer -- which specializes in computer peripherals for gamers -- and is now Razer Korea.

"We won't even have offices for another three months!" he says, laughing. "Even though I never went to [business] school ... I know everyone I need to in [South] Korea to make it a success," he said confidently.

"He has always had such strong self-confidence, even when he was a competitive skiier," said Guillaume's father Rejean.

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