Gaming in Korea: Some Insight

I came to Korea early August of 2012 bright eyed and bushy tailed, ready to take on this new country by the horns. Amongst the cultural and environmental changes I was expecting, I braced myself for the influx of eSports that Korea is so famous for. Boy, was I in for a surprise.

Although my current situation keeps me far from the epicenter of Korea (Seoul) during the weekdays, eSports and gaming in general is a huge part of Korea’s culture. Seoul and Yongsan station are both famous and infamous for eSports. Tournaments and competitions are held regularly at Yongsan station and they are usually televised live. Commentators will be screaming “PENTA” or “GG” at the top of their lungs during a really exciting part of a game that you can feel their enthusiasm emulating from the television screen.

In almost every city in Korea, you will find a plethora of PC bangs (computer rooms) and arcades. However, PC bangs overwhelming dominant the gaming scene and they are literally on every single corner. Not seeing a PC bang would that chances are you are in the middle of nowhere.

Now in these PC bangs are anywhere from 20-75 computers lined up next to each other. Each computer has its own headset, comfy chair and mega fast computer. Although, to my amazement, Korea runs on Internet Explorer and I haven’t the faintest idea why. Despite, running on IE, the computers in the PC bangs tend to be perfectly suitable for endless hours of gaming. The cost of gaming per hour is roughly 500-1,500 won (45 cents to $1.40 USD).

It varies by city and by PC bang. Sometimes, there will be a 5 hour special for 3,000 won (roughly $2.75 USD) or some variety of the sort. Korea is known for having the “fastest internet” in the world. When it comes to gaming, it is magical. In comparison to my dinky laptop or the desktops I’ve used back home in the states, these computers are flawless. They have giant screens with wonderful graphics, no lag and a ping that makes me smile whenever I see it. Korea and PC bangs are made for eSports and online gaming.

On these computers are games already downloaded and ready to go for any online gaming connoisseur. From League of Legends to Diablo III to Star Craft, these computers are completely filled to the brim with games upon games upon games. Never have I been able to easily switch from one game to another without really thinking twice about it. It is almost like second nature to play online games here in Korea.

From students in elementary school to college students, these PC bangs are always teeming with gamers of all ages. Instead of going to after school tutors or classes, some students will even play hooky and go game for hours instead. There is usually freezer filled with ice cream and cup ramen jam packed into a cupboard or behind a counter by the cash register. One can easily camp out at a PC bang for days on end. To make matters worse, these PC bangs are normally open 24 hours, 7 days a week.

Asides from Yongsan station and PC bangs, there are other avenues to show just how big of a deal online gaming is here in Korea. A giant convention event called G-STAR is held in Busan, Korea annually. G-STAR is a giant gaming convention not just for online gaming and eSports but gaming in general. It is 4 day event and usually jam packed with people from all over Korea and all over the world. Unfortunately, this year, I wasn’t able to attend.

However, Korea’s own gamers, who’s who and gaming connoisseurs were all in attendance. Even a few of my own personal friends attended G-STAR and sent me “haha we’re here and you’re not here” messages to spite me. Despite being unable to go, I understood just how big of a deal G-STAR is not only by the advertisements and by what I saw on a daily basis in my own city, but just how Korea treated this event. It wasn’t scrutinized or criticized. Just the sheer amount of people in attendance shows just how widely accepted gaming is.  It is just seemingly normal and a part of Korea’s culture.

Currently, the Olympus Winter Champions is the major gaming event going on for League of Legends. From early November to early next February, this is the event to be participating in if one is a major eSports gamer. The tournament is aired on Korea’s OnGameNet’s television channel and also has a separate English stream. 12 major Korean teams are participating and even a MVP is chosen when the season is over and given a separate prize.

The monetary prize for this tournament is only 80,000,000 won (roughly $70,000 USD) and is not nearly as large as the one for the League of Legends World Finals which was a staggering $2,000,000 USD. However, despite the difference in prize money, the Korean teams and gamers take this tournament very seriously. Despite Korea being one of eSports’s epicenters, monetary winnings are not nearly as large or as prestigious as they are elsewhere in the world.

The value of these tournaments really does come from being able to dominant in such a competitive environment and being able to boast that a certain team or a certain person is the best. Pride is one of the biggest components of eSports and that goes for any game and for any Korean.

Korea, overall is a very homogenous society. Almost every person has dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. Being able to stand out of a homogenous society is a huge accomplishment especially if it is done by one own's merit. Pride and honesty are two of the biggest factors in Korean culture and these factors also trickle down into eSports and gaming. Money is money whereas victory is a means of  being able to stand out and say, "I am the best, come at me bro." Even high school boys clicking away at the computer with dreams of being professional gamers are not doing so for the monetary success and value. Instead, they have these dreams and desires because of pride.