Faker: E-sports legend and South Korea’s “national treasure”

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Lee Sang-hyeok just wanted to be a “normal kid.” He was anything but that and is now a multi-million dollar eSports superstar known worldwide simply as Faker.

The 28-year-old was officially awarded the title of “national treasure” in his native South Korea, alongside the likes of footballer Son Heung-min and K-pop megagroup BTS.

He is estimated to earn 10 billion won (US$7.2 million) per year and is by far the best-known name in professional gaming.

The bespectacled Lee hopes to increase his fame and fortune by winning his fifth League of Legends (LoL) world title in London on Saturday when his T1 team takes on China's Bilibili Gaming.

Still, it's not the life Lee originally imagined.

“I just wanted to go to college like any normal kid and make good money,” he once said.

In 2011, as a high school student, Lee decided to try out the hugely popular multiplayer online fighting video game League of Legends.

It was meant to change the course of the teenager's life.

Within a few months, his talent caught the attention of eSports team SK Telecom (now T1).

Lee was the first player to hold all of LoL's international titles and helped push games beyond the teen bedrooms into the mainstream.

“League of Legends, eSports and Faker, they needed each other in a way,” Belgian TV presenter and gamer Eefje Depoortere said in a documentary.

“League of Legends provided a platform, went professional and had all these leagues, and then one person stood up and said, 'I'm going to be this icon for you'.”

Lee's journey was not without disappointments.

After winning the World Cup in 2015 and 2016, Lee's winning streak ended in 2017 at the hands of a rival South Korean team.

Many fans still vividly remember the scene in which Lee shook with tears with his head bowed.

“Many fans were waiting longingly and countless people were watching,” he said later about the crushing defeat.

“In the beginning I struggled with this pressure, but these days I try to overcome it on my own, regardless of what people think.”

In 2023 he won the championship on home soil, something he always wanted to achieve.

In addition to a global television audience, tens of thousands of fans flocked to the capital Seoul.

Among his many accolades, Lee won gold at the Asian Games last year, earning him exemption from military service.

He's now in his late 20s – making him a relatively seasoned gaming veteran – but this year was Lee's best, with his team finishing fourth in the South Korean league.

In August, videos emerged showing a frustrated Lee hitting his head against a wall multiple times after his T1 team lost.

Lee's influence has inspired a new generation in South Korea to pursue careers as professional gamers and helped convince parents that it is a serious profession.

In May, a “Faker Temple” – a pop-up installation – was built in his honor in Seoul.

It attracted thousands of fans who waited for hours to see pictures of him and videos of his best plays.

“Lee Sang-hyeok is my religion,” devotee Park Jung-min told AFP.

“He is the legendary GOAT (greatest of all time).”

E-sports have become a source of national pride for South Korea and the country pioneered the emergence of the gaming profession.

However, in recent years the industry has changed as Chinese teams recruited the best South Korean players and coaches and defeated the Koreans in major championships.

T1 chief executive Joe Marsh said Chinese teams had repeatedly tried to sign Lee.

“Every time he’s a free agent, the offer comes from China and he has $20 million a year,” Marsh once said.

Despite the overwhelming offers, Lee decided to stay with T1, saying he just wanted to play in his home country.

There is a saying in South Korea that sums up Lee's legend.

“Not everyone knows the game League of Legends,” they say.

“But everyone knows Faker.”

hs-pst/rsc