La banque d'un monde qui change 2004 - BNP Paribas

SAMSUNGThe World’s Top Video PlayersPit their Skills OnlineLim Sun HongVice-president Samsung Electronics,Global Marketing Operations TeamSamsung Electronics -Client of BNP Paribas - SeoulTest time: Where can one seetop football athletes in action?If you answered “On the field”, you mayonly be partially correct. Nowadays,you are just as likely to find the world’sleading footballers on the screenof a video game console as ina stadium. But do not be misled– console footballers do not playalone or against a computer.Games are played online, thus allowingmulti-player teams from around theworld to compete against each other.Indeed, whether they play on an Xboxor a GameCube, these virtualsportspeople are as just as internationalas real-life footballers. “Gaming is fastbecoming a universal languagefor young people around the world”.In South Korea, online gaming isa national pastime and world leadingconsumer electronics giant,Samsung Electronics, based in Koreais the worldwide sponsor of the WorldCyber Games (WCG). The tournamentis dubbed as the “world’s largeste-sporting event” with USD 420,000in prize money for gamers.Over one million gamers took partin the qualifiers for the fourth editionof the WCG in 2004. Teams competein a variety of multiplayer games,from sports simulations throughto gladiatorial combat and war games.As a “major cultural trend of the future”,gaming is opening up opportunitiesfor marketing. “It is just a matterof time before companies startutilising gaming networks to reacha new generation of consumers.”