South Korea is well known for leading in modern trends, such as high-speed internet, K-pop, beauty brands, and state-of-the-art technology. However, there is something that comes first in all of this and that is gaming. South Korea is considered the gaming capital of the world for a reason. In South Korea, gaming is not just a form of entertainment, it is a life, a profession and a cultural trend. Find out why South Korea continues to dominate the world of gaming in this brief article.
Gaming is a Lifestyle
Gaming is not a child’s game or a game for teenagers in South Korea. All people like games regardless of their age. Those are school students, working adults and even parents. Gaming is a social thing, just like watching a sports event or playing with your friends.
These are the places where you will find PC bangs or gaming cafes, where you can find high-speed computers and many people love visiting such places. These places are located on almost all the streets of such cities as Seoul and Busan. You can always find people competing, laughing and playing games together in a PC bang any time of the day or the night.
Hence, gaming is just another normal activity in Korean society. Compared to other countries, gamers are not viewed as lazy and irresponsible. Indeed, some gamers are liked and even worshipped more like celebrities.
World-Class Internet Power
One of the best reasons why South Korea is leading in gaming is its fast internet. The average internet speed in the country is one of the highest in the world. Fibre-optic connections are the major reasons public Wi-Fi is widespread. This renders online gaming easy, hassle-free, and without lag.
Gaming in Korea does not require costly internet technology and average domestic internet connectivity is sufficient to play high-tech online games and stream media. The game developers also have the opportunity to produce more complex and advanced games due to this strong internet connection to support them. Hence, Korean games are characterised by high online performance and good graphics.
The Esports Culture
South Korea is referred to as the homeland of esports. Playing competitive games, such as StarCraft, gained popularity in Korea in the early 2000s. TV stations in Korea started to air gaming competitions and professional gamers were made national personalities. Esports today is a billion-dollar industry. There are esports stadiums, professional teams, coaches, and managers.
In Korea, professional gamers are able to make a good income, which is based on sponsorship, tournament prizes, and stream-based revenues. Crowds come to watch Esports held in big arenas, as millions watch it worldwide online. This has made international champions in games such as League of Legends, StarCraft II and Overwatch.
State Advertisement and Financing
The Korean government realised the potential of gaming and invested in it. It constructed the digital infrastructure, developed esports leagues and sponsored technology firms. Gaming has been regarded as a key component of the national growth and innovation strategy of Korea. It even has government programs that subsidise young people interested in game development, programming, and digital arts.
Such a supportive atmosphere contributed to South Korea building a gaming ecosystem where all parties benefit, including players, companies, investors, and the economy in general.
Well-developed Game Development Industry
Korean game companies, such as Nexon, NCSoft, Smilegate, and Krafton, came up with famous games like MapleStory, Lineage, Lost Ark, and Crossfire. Millions of individuals across the globe are enrolled in most of these games.
Their role-playing games are strongly plotted and developed in characters. Their games played on their mobile phones are innovative and developed. They are also continually developing new methods of enhancing the gameplay, graphics and design in order to keep up with the world competition.
Browsing with Address Collection Sites
The address collection sites are one of the factors that facilitate the gaming culture in South Korea, which has a distinct digital space. They are link collection sites that allow gamers to quickly and easily find good gaming sites, communities, streaming sites, and resources. Gamers and other individuals also tend to use a Korean website that’s designed as a navigation hub instead of just random searching on Google.
The address and link collection sites structure links within categories such as:
- Esports news
- Game forums
- PC bang networks
- Game download sites
- Streaming channels
- Gaming merchandise stores
These address collection hubs are like a guide, as many gaming websites may be saturated with advertisements or malicious links. They also minimise the risk of encountering counterfeit websites, fraud and phishing.