For years now, internet gaming has been THE activity in Korea. From Blizzard Inc.'s Starcraft, Warcraft, and World of Warcraft to Korean titles such as Lineage and Dragon & Fighter and many others, gaming has consumed Korean youth culture. There are at least three TV channels dedicated to online gaming, and pro-gamers are treated as heroes often making up to 300,000 won (approx. $3,000 US) in tournaments.
Recently, the Korean government has tried to introduce laws limiting the late night availability of online games to minors in an effort to stem the tide of internet addiction sweeping the country. This effort has been sparked by stories over the past year or so of a number of people dying in PC rooms after prolonged periods of time playing games, and a particularly shocking story of a young couple so wrapped up in their gaming that they let their 4 month old baby starve to death.
Now, it seems that internet gaming in Korea has taken another downward turn. According to a report from Geekosystem, current and former pro-gamers and team managers (who knew a pro-game team needed a manager?) have been accused of intentionally throwing games and selling game tapes to gambling organizations. Oh my!
I'll have to do a bit more research on this to find out what is up and the fallout that comes from it. Stay tuned!
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