Who says online computer games are for geeks and techies? In the land of South Korea, the online computer gaming industry is not for the faint of heart and mind. Not to mention the faint of money. In the year of 2006 alone, almost 2 trillion won have been contributed to the sales of Korean online games and is expected to reach even higher sales in the next year. With the ever changing, ever evolving faces and plots in the gaming industry, multimillion hits are anticipated to dominate the year of 2007. Even the South Korean government has been involved with the regulation and promotion of these computer games. But with great success, new threats are also bound to show.

There are many kinds of computer games, two of the most popular ones are LAN games and MMORPGs or massively multiplayer online role-playing games. These include the classic games of Starcraft, Fifa 99, Counterstrike and Red Alert, all of which have been enticing players for years. The computers can be connected either thru the internet or thru a network connection. RPGs or role playing games have captured 33 percent of the online playing community market making it the most favored genre of computer games.

The statistic of online gamers has also changed from the 1990’s where the gamers are comprised mostly of young adolescent males. Now, even women and older men have joined in this latest craze, some players are even in their late forties. As the interface of individual computer games progress, the players are also expected to change along with it. Even the number of hours a certain player spends in front of the computer trying to refine his playing skills have changed. If in the start, only an average of 2-3 hours were spent in playing computer games, now reports have been made that players prefer to spend not less than 4 playing hours. News have also spread that professional online gamers spend at least 10 hours trying to develop tactics and new strategies, especially in battle games like Starcraft. For these professionals, online gaming is not just for fun, it is for pride and for victory. Of course, the cash rewards would not hurt the players either. Sponsors keep on pouring in for these hardcore gamers, ranging from financial to residential support. Even the media has joined in on the craze. Battles between online players are being broadcaster on a special channel allotted to them. Popular players are now featured in many magazines and they sometimes graze the cover of these publications. And where there is a craze, there are always fans.

In South Korea, professional online gaming teams have their own fan bases mostly comprised of teenage girls each with their own favorite members. When gaming competitions are held, one will see these fans by the hordes each armed with their banners, posters, fans, and T-shirts. They will chant the names of their idols and when the game starts, all bets are off as to whose fans are the loudest to cheer. They are as glued to the screen as the judges, willing their coveted player to win and will be just as disappointed as the gamer himself if their choice loses.

Of course, it is a known fact that the professional players take this seriously as well. Newfound protégés are being spotted and signed onto a team where they will be trained and given technical and financial assistance. They will also have their managers who will formulate a schedule and make sure that his team sticks with it. It is serious business for these group especially those who are not being sponsored as well as the other teams. Most of them have quit school and preferred not to attend college just so they would become professional online gamers. And since the team members live in the same house together, play in the same room together and go to the same competitions, their bonds have become more than that of team mates. When one member loses, the rest of the team compensates

.

The most popular online gaming event would be the World Cyber Games which is held annually. Different teams from all over the world compete in this exciting event where old enemies face off against each other while some new ones try and make a name for them in the world of online gaming. Korea has been included in the top countries ever since the WCG has started and it has been one of the prime targets on the competition. Korean teams are known to be serious online gamers because it is in their country where most RPG’s are being designed and manufactured, and Korea has been the home capital of online gaming. Teams from the other competing countries look up to the Korean team not just as a team to beat but also as a respected team because they have usually dominated the world of online gaming.

But as said earlier, threats are emerging and putting on pressure to the gaming industry. Although many online games are proving to be successful, there are also numerous online games that lack the creativity and originality of storylines and character plots and innovation of design. Without new challenges and exciting adventures, these games will not make a mark on the players.

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