A Major Social Problem?

Now that my little apartment has tv, internet, and phone service set up, I no longer am forced to frequent "PC Bangs" - the internet "cafe's" that are literally on every corner. I cannot tell you what a relief this is. Even though I have decribed these rooms as "internet cafes", the word cafe is far too generous. But let's back up for a minute....

First of all, online gaming is HUGE here in Korea - not only with adolescents and teachers but with adults too, even middle aged business men. According to a BBC News report a couple years ago, more than 15 million people, or 30% of the population, were registered for online gaming in South Korea. MSNBC says the numbers are up to 17 million now. The country also hosts the annual World Cyber Games which further underlines the point that here, online gaming really is a sport. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4137782.stm

An MNBC article put it this way "Online gaming is to South Korea what reality TV is to the United States." Also the gaming here is not like gaming in the US. The article goes on to say that "consoles [Xbox, Playstation, etc.], so popular in the United States and Japan, have barely made the radar in South Korea. There, online gaming is it." The games most often played here are online, interactive, role-playing games. Such games have no end and allow multiple players to come together via the Internet. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17175353/

An estimated 70% of the population has access to the internet, and there are reportedly more than 28,000 PC Bangs in South Korea - all of which are open 24 hours a day.


If you Google (I love how Google is now a verb) the whole South Korea online gaming idea, you'll find there have been several computer-game related deaths over the past several years. For example, in 2005, a 28-year-old South Korean man died of exhaustion in a PC Bang after playing computer games non-stop for 49 hours. And back in 2002 a Korean man collapsed and died in a PC Bang after playing computer games for 86 hours non-stop without food or sleep.

From personal experience, PC Bangs are awful. I hear there are some really nice ones in some places but the two I went to were characterized by the sounds of electronic swords and guns which combined with the stench of cigarette smoke to fill a dimly-lit, windowless room.

In summary
1. Online gaming is a major social phenomenon (problem?) here in South Korea
2. I am glad to have my own internet access in my clean, fresh-smelling, smoke-free, sun-light filled apartment.