"Refreshing with Online Games"…Former Pro Gamer Im Taegyu, SK Energy Employee

Unique Background Holder, Former Pro Gamer Im Taegyu Employee
A New Beginning as a Key Member of SK Energy Quality Control 1 Unit Laboratory

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] A member with a unique background in the SK Innovation group is drawing attention. Lim Tae-gyu, an employee of SK Energy Quality Management 1 Unit, is a former professional gamer and a representative member of the MZ generation at SK Innovation Ulsan Complex (Ulsan CLX).

The MZ generation collectively refers to the Millennials born from the 1980s to the early 2000s and Generation Z born from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s. They generally pursue their own happiness and prioritize work-life balance, known as "Work & Life Balance" or "Worabal," when choosing their careers.

For SK Energy’s employee Lim, online gaming is a fountain of positive energy. Playing online games after work is a way to find work-life balance and an element that revitalizes his work. Lim is overcoming changes in his daily life through online gaming. Online games have the advantage of being enjoyed at a relatively low cost compared to other hobbies while maintaining social distancing.

Lim’s unique background as a former professional gamer plays a role in gaining positive energy through gaming. Lim Tae-gyu was a professional player of the strategy simulation game ‘StarCraft.’ In 2005, at the young age of 16, Lim prepared to become a pro gamer by living in a dormitory with amateurs. After repeated failures, gaming became more than just fun for Lim; it became a goal. He realized that without desperation, debuting as a pro gamer was difficult.

Lim created a daily schedule and devoted more than 15 hours a day to practice and strategy research. His tenacious spirit was proven by results in just over two months. He won the ‘Courage Match,’ which selects StarCraft semi-pros. He then confidently passed the professional team entrance test and in 2007, he became the pro gamer he had dreamed of. He dedicated his talent and passion for six years playing in the StarCraft Pro League and individual leagues as a professional gamer.

However, after 2012, as the entire e-sports industry entered a stagnation period, Lim Tae-gyu decided to retire from professional gaming. Although he became a pro gamer purely because he loved gaming, he realized that gaming as a profession and gaming as a hobby are different.

When Lim decided to challenge a new path, his father, who worked in the electrical field, unexpectedly suggested a direction. After retiring from professional gaming, Lim devoted four years to his studies and achieved a new beginning by joining SK Energy in 2016. Opening his second life, Lim Tae-gyu currently works in the SK Energy Quality Management 1 Unit, handling experiments and product/semi-product management.

Lim said, "I am happiest that I have escaped the pressure of performance competition and now live a psychologically stable life. The habit of building strategies, such as game strategy planning and play order during my pro gamer days, has greatly helped me prioritize tasks at work."