singing slogans.They are the fans of some of the nation's most famous sports stars, Such as Lim-Yo-Hwan,Choi Yeon-Sung, and Suh-Ji-houn. Their sport is something you don't normally find in the West.They are professional video gamers. People admire them for their skill in the science-fiction strategy game StarCraft. Next to these players is a panel of commentators and dozens of reporters.The players are not competing today.They are here for selection foracoming tournament. There are two full-time video game television networks in Korea,and competitive gaming is one of the top televised sports.Thousands of fans attend the StarCraft tournament finals in stadiums. Butpudlic video game areas aren't just for top players.South Korea has more than 20000 public PC gaming rooms,or "bangs",which attract more than a million people a day.Video games are exciting and offer some real opportunities to solve problems and use strategic andcriticai thinking skills.Some parents actually encourage their children to play such video gamse as away to relax, as an escape from academic pressure,and as a fun way to use brainpower.