Gaming+Culture+JK



=South Korea=

Online rather than Offline.
Korea people like to enjoy games that involve other users. This is why people enjoy Online Games rather than Offline Games. Unlike Japan, consoles are not widely used in Korea. Some might be popular along the younger generation of gamers, but general gamers do not use consoles for their gaming. This is because Korea likes game that can compete with others. Most of the Korean people think that console games are boring because it doesn't allow the users to compete with other random users online. This attitude made PC Computer the base of gamings in South Korea. Korea have one of the most developed game producing companies. NC Software, Nexon, and NHN Game are the major game companies. The games that are produced from the companies are exported world wide. Some example of games that are widely known world wide are Maple Story and Lineage.

The world of PC Bang!
In Korea, Gaming is more public. People might think that games are what people do alone in home. However, Korea have public places where people can enjoy games. It's known as the PC Bang, which literally means PC room. In this PC Room, wide range of ages enjoy computer. Some people use this place to print documents or to work on projects, but general people play online games here. PC Bang will provide the best computer with high tech mouses so the users can play game more conveniently. Most PC Bang cost 1500 Korean Won (about 1.38 USD) to play in an hour. Because of it's cheap price, lots of people enjoy games here.

=Japan=

Console Gaming
People in Japan enjoys game using consoles. Most games made in Japan are based on a specific console. They do not like interacting with others online, because they think that it might bother the others and it is not polite to compete with others, such as kill or beat up another user online. This is why they play games offline. Most of the Offline games are based on consoles. Some consoles are even portable, that people can play it anywhere in anytime. Japan gaming business focus on developing new consoles or new games based on the consoles. The bad side of using consoles are that some games are based on a specific console, so to play the game, one have to buy the console. Also if new technology is developed, new consoles are developed. This makes the old consoles useless and to play new games, people have to buy new consoles. PC Game doesn't have this difficulty because one can download the newly developed game online on there PC, they do not have to buy a new console or a new game CD. Nintendo and Playstation is one of the most famous console gaming companies in Japan.

= = =China=

= =

Controlled Gaming Culture
China's gaming culture is controlled by it's government. The contents of the game have to be confirmed by the government before it is published in China. Gaming consoles such as Wii, PS3, or XBox 360, which are all "made in China", is banned in China. Chinese government banned these games because they considered that it was distracting the children and let them waste time through these games. This was since 2000. However, after banning this console games, online game market started to develop in China. Internet Cafe exists in China too. Because many people can't afford a computer, they prefer using these places for their gamin. However some places are illegal. All the games in China is controlled by the policies of the censorship in the People's Republic of China.

=Comparison using World of Warcraft=

World of warcraft is one of the most famous game spread world wide. This game is not developed in any of these 3 countries so I thought it can be a good measure to compare the gaming cultures in Korea, Japan, and China. World of Warcraft is really popular in Korea. this game is now popular than any other Korean online games. The age of people who plays this game starts from 15 to even people in the forties. I also play this game. In my guild (a group that is formed inside the game), the average age of the users are 30, and there are several users that are over 40. This game is really popular among all ages. In Chinese, it is censored. http://www.techshout.com/gaming/2009/08/world-of-warcraft-back-in-china-with-more-changes-in-content/

Chinese government is really sensitive in these matters. All things that shows violence is controlled. The bone piles are changed in to sand piles, red bloods are changed in to black bloods, and all the stories are gone over by the censoring organization. Also, the updates are really slow in China. When people world wide is playing a new expansion pack, China is playing the last expansion pack before the new one. In Japan, World of Warcraft doesn't exist. Because people in Japan enjoys offline game, or single player game, Blizzard (the company of World of Warcraft) didn't see any marketing benefit out of Japan. Through one game, we can see the difference how gaming culture works different in these countries.

http://kotaku.com/5587577/why-are-consoles-banned-in-china http://www.shacknews.com/article/59881/it-sand-time-china-censoring http://visitseoul.net/en/article/article.do?_method=view&m=0003001004010&p=04&art_id=40044&lang=en http://www.thekartel.com/news/the-kartel/15443908.html http://playaslife.com/2010/07/08/the-pc-room-pc-bang-culture/ http://www.businessweek.com/blogs/eyeonasia/archives/2007/03/no_new_internet_cafes_in_china.html

How successful do you think you conveyed your research to your audience?

I think I was successful in showing the difference in the gaming cultures of the 3 countries. The pictures and examples makes my research more easier for the audience to understand.

What would have made your presentation more successful?

I think some videos or actual demo version of the game might have been more helpful for the presentation. However, it is hard to find this kind of resources online, because all games need downloads and other programs.

How successful do you think your technology-based materials were in conveying your research?

I think I didn't really use the technology well, even though my topic was related to technology.

What would have made your technology-based materials more successful?

As I said above, if I could have found any demos of games of these countries, it might have made my presentation more successful.

What did you learn from this project? Submit any other comments after this question.

I learned that even though all these countries are connected closely by location or culture, they show difference in specific cultures. Even by looking at the gaming culture, I can see the difference of the general culture in these countries. Sorry for submitting it late... In the final project page document, it says that it is due in the 16th, so I didn't know it was due the 14th.