South Korean Lee ‘Faker’ Sang Hyeok Is ‘God’ Of Multiplayer Online Battle Arena ‘League Of Legends’
Lee "Faker" Sang Hyeok is regarded by fans as "god" of the online multiplayer real-time strategy video game "League of Legends" (LoL) after displaying a fierce gameplay at the League of Legends World Championships, noted Kotaku Oct. 7.
The 19-year-old gamer was born in Seoul, South Korea and has always been fascinated with video games, playing "Warcraft III" and "Chaos" growing up. He was formerly known online as "GoJeonPa." In 2011, Lee started playing "League of Legends" and developed his skills immediately.
He was discovered by the SK Telecom Organization in 2013 and dropped out of high school to join SK's premier LoL team known as SK Telecom 1, in which he is now the team's Mid Laner. He is considered the best "League of Legends" player of all time for his high level of gameplay and excellent reviews from analysts.
Although Lee's decision to forego his studies in exchange for being a professional online gamer is a bit unconventional for most, MMOSITE noted on Sept. 18 how much these "League of Legends" pro gamers earn.
According to the online gaming publication, the 2014 World Champion for LoL gave out a total of $2,130,000 in prize money, which pushed more gamers to become the best at their chosen games.
As for Faker, the LoL pro has reportedly won the most prize money from the game's tournaments with $311,650.34 since 2013 putting his earnings at an average of $103,883 per year. Lee's figures are far more striking than the highest paid American player, Marcus "Dyrus" Hill, who earns an average of $28,720 per year for the last five years.
The "League of Legends" video game was released on October 2009 and was developed and published by Riot Games for MAC OS X and Microsoft Windows. The game allows players to fulfill the role of a "summoner" who controls a "champion" equipped with special abilities to fight against other online team players or computer-controlled champions.
To date, the LoL tournaments have given away a whopping $23.5 million in prize money to powerful and competitive pro gamers.