LoL Park in Jongno witnessed great esports gameplay but without any spectators cheering or the hustle of the media.
The 2020 LoL Champions Korea Season started two weeks ago but there is no one to watch the event. To prevent the spread of Coronavirus, players are performing in front of the empty stadium. As a preventive measure, masks were distributed to players, and the officials and hands were sanitized before the game.
It was disturbing to see that no one shook hands, no fans chanted for their favorite team or players. Not only that, there was no post-match fan interaction for the winning team that usually happens after each game.
How Are Players Reacting?
In eSports, players are accustomed to giving interviews in front of hundreds of fans. This is what Faker, said.
“In my case, I think having no audience cheering for me in the stadium makes the game less fun to play,”
The game on Sunday could have been one of the most hard-fought ones this season as the two best teams came face-to-face. However, all we could hear was the silence or the shouts of the players.
Others Think The Situation Is Helping Them
While the overall scene in the arena is heart-breaking, some players think the situation is helping their cause.
Jang “Nuguri” Ha-gwon said,
“I think playing without audience is sad, but since my teammates get a lot of nerves on stage, having no audience is helping them perform better,”
When There Is a Will There A Way
Some teams have proactively found a solution to all this and get close to the fans. Damwon Gaming, Afreeca Freecs and T1 took the fan meeting online and broadcasetd live over the internet.
The teams are also promoting ‘jipgwan’, which means watching from home. Some companies have posted on their social media that selected fans who post a picture of themselves, watching the live coverage from their homes will be given signed pictures and gift cards.
Conclusion:
LCK through their Facebook page conveyed that there will be no sales of the tickets till further notice. From the looks of it, seems like we are headed for a pretty grim season.
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