In 2004, I had a chance to visit Korea.  During my visitation, I also met with some people from several game publisher such as Paha Schultz from NCSoft (half Germany half Korean), Luke Byung Ho Park from Neowiz, Michael Lim from Softmax (now he owns an online game publisher in Germany), and Min Kim from Wizet (yes, maybe you noticed him in North America as a person from Nexon, but he is actually from Wizet).  Their explanation about Korean gaming world really amazed me.  And although I knew there are professional gamers in Korea, but that’s the first time I knew about Lee Yun Yeol and Lim Yo Hwan (please do not misunderstand me, I didn’t meet them), 2 top professional starcraft players.  Celebrity in Korean gaming world.  Lee Yun Yeol earned a 3 years contract from sponsor worth US $ 830,000 while Lim Yo Hwan is known as the highest paid professional gamers in the gaming world history.  His annual earnings exceed US $ 300,000 with additional US $ 90,000 annually endorsement contract.  The starcraft league is aired in 2 major games dedicated channel TV, MBCGame and Ongamenet.  And those 2 guys really had a huge fans because of these conjunction.  Game became a serious industry that even the government of South Korea fully supports G*Star, an annual game exhibition in Korea.  No wonder Blizzard decide to have a pre release event for Star Craft II in South Korea.

Although my country doesn’t have a professional gamers and game league yet, but during the first booming of online game, I noticed that some people are actually become celebrities in the game.  A guy with a nick Osiris was really famous in RO.  When he login and pop up in a city, there were a lot of people surrounding him and asking about many things.  And it is also applied for his guild!  MVP guild was a very well known guild and there’s a time where it was, like the dream of most RO players in my country’s to be able to join them!  Osiris and MVP has become celebrities among RO players in my country.

Now, since I have a major in marketing, I start to realize that some principle of marketing also applied in these matter.  Being celebrity is like making your product to be well known.  There’s a book from Al Ries an Jack Trout entitled, “22 Immutable Law of Marketing”, and they have mentioned some really good points to make your products a famous one.  Although I can’t mentioned all of them, but just check this out.

Be The First!

Al Ries and Jack Trout said, that if you want to be well known, you need to be the first!  Being second, would most likely make your position inferior to the first.  There is a research to prove it.  When people’re being asked about who’s the first person to land on the moon, most of them, 95%, will know it.  It’s Neil Armstrong.  But when they’re being asked about who’s the second, the number will fall up to only 40%.  It’s Edwin Aldrin.  And if they carry on with the third person, none of them will realize it.  Another question is who’s the first person to “find” America.  Again most of them will know it.  It’s Christopher Columbus.  But most of them didn’t know that the name of America was derived from a person’s name that also “found” the continent.  It’s Amerigo Vespucci.

Lim Yo Hwan is a well known player, because he is the first person that ever reach 500 wins in his professional carrier of Starcraft League.  He is also the first person to have half million fans in his country.  No wonder he become the first person that has US $ 300,000 annual earning.  There are so many good professional player that participated in Starcraft League.  So why does Lim Yo Hwan become the celebrity?  Because he is the first!

In MMORPG, the same rule is applied.  Osiris is the first knight that known to reach level 99.  MVP also the first guild that consist almost 100% members with level 90+.  During that time, bot is not being introduced in our country.  Anyway, if you want to become celebrity, be the first!  Be the first person to reach the highest level!  Be the first person to defeat an infamous boss!  Be the first to wear a rare items!

Can’t Be The First?  Start A New Category And Be The First In It!

Not everybody being blessed with a chance to become the first.  So what can you do if there are some players that already hit the highest level?  Not to mention you can’t match their playing time, because you take an advice from your teacher about getting a life (LOL).  Al Ries and Jack Trout said, don’t worry.  It would need your creativity, to make a new category and then be the first in it.  What is the first cola flavour softdrink?  It’s Coca Cola.  Well, they have been the first.  But Pepsi, come to the market and said that it is a cola softdrink for young generation!  They made a new category, young generation, new generation, and be the first in it.  And they start to gain market share in cola market.  Coca Cola thought it’s about taste.  They made a research, try to match the taste of Pepsi Cola, and come up with New Coke.  It’s fail!  How come?  It’s not about the taste, it’s about being the first.

Lim Yo Hwan is entitled as the Emperor (or sometimes Terran Emperor).  And he is a well known micro management player.  But Lee Yun Yeol is a well known macro management player.  A new category, eh?  And he is also the first person to have 3 OSL (Ongamenet Starcraft League) wins, so that he’s being awarded with golden mouse.  Lee Yun Yeol earn the title of Genius Terran.

Osiris may be the first, but when RO was opening a new server, Fenrir, a new name become the celebrity.  It is Scion.  He is the first knight to reach level 99 in Fenrir server.  A new category doesn’t mean you have to wait for another server.  It can be anything!  Let me give an example.  I have met a well know guild, not because they are strong guild.  But because of this: all of their nickname always ended with “beggar”.  So there’s crazybeggar, richbeggar, magicbeggar, flirtingbeggar, prettybeggar, etc.  And they named their guild as Kay Pang.  As some of you may know, Kay Pang is one of the biggest party in the world of Chinese martial art along with Shao Lin and Wu Tang.  And Kay Pang consist only with beggars.  I really laughed and also amazed at the same times about how creative they are in creating a new category.  No wonder they become celebrities.  Another example is my own experience.  This is only luck, but still can be a good example.  In Loki server, my nickname is well known as the first person to found an SS (Skeleton Soldier) card from Poporing.  I am not a high level character.  Nor did I belong to a well known guild.  But people start to know someone because of new category.  The more unique a category is, the more you will gain reputation and chance to become a celebrity.

So the chance of being the regular first one is gone?  Start to think about new category, and be the first in it.  You might be the first female player to form a true ladies guild (I know it’s not easy and need a lot of efforts, but I have found one).  You might be the first guild to have only 13 members that have nick of 13 Bleach captains with a true genders according to the characters in the anime.  You can be the first player to have cosplay photo on each of your changing armor according to level.  You can be the first player that has a funny blog about your daily gameplay.  New category, be the first, and you have a wider chance of being a game celebrity.

Well there’s still much more law of marketing (or in this case becoming celebrity) in that book.  And so there are also so many more factors to determine someone of becoming celebrity.  But I won’t cover them all, as this is just a thought about MMORPG.  I recommend anyone who like to study marketing to read about the book.  I have no connection with Al Ries and Jack Trout whatsoever. 

Well who knows being celebrity in MMORPG can bring some revenue to you (LOL)???