Online Game Craze Still Sweeping South Korea
from the still-going... dept
It appears the associated press has just now discovered that people in South Korea are absolutely addicted to the online game Lineage. This isn’t new. It’s been going on for quite some time. What’s surprising to me is that it’s continued to last all this time. I was wondering if, after a certain point, people would get tired of Lineage and move onto other games, or other hobbies. However, it appears they’re just as addicted as ever. Update: Meanwhile, back in the US, as E3 gets under way, game developers are worried (especially following the less-than-stellar launch of “sure thing” The Sims Online) that their “sure thing” games won’t succeed. Update again: Beyond just online gaming, it appears that South Koreans are really embracing getting their news online – often viewing alternative sources. Of course, this has some (especially in the newspaper business) worried, as they complain that people are believing all sorts of stuff they find online that isn’t very reliable.
Comments on “Online Game Craze Still Sweeping South Korea”
What if they outlaw it?
Back in 1980, Japan outlawed video arcades for minors, and other Asian nations followed suit. The unusual popularity of Lineage could owe to the unusual amount of freedom accorded minors by South Korean standards. Until 1985, South Korea used to outlaw red cars because they were “indecent”. They also outlawed foreign vacations during national holidays, and used to outlaw Japanese movies and music (even though everyone bought them underground anyway). When South Korea outlaws Lineage, North Korea might offer free Lineage games on its propaganda speakers along the border and get millions of soldiers to defect.
No Subject Given
The Blizzard games (especially Starcraft) have also been HUGELY popular in Korea for quite awhile … also, the Korean-made free open-beta MMORPG Ragnarok Online (see enweb.ragnarok.co.kr) is one of my current addictions 🙂