South Korean Game Market Jumped 20 Percent in ‘08
July 15, 2009 by Polt
Anyone who has ever looked for an MMORPG to play is more than aware of all the online games out of South Korea. The country known best for their food and deep traditions is also the most wired country in the world. But just how wired?
As of 2008, 80 percent of the South Korean population own a PC. In contrast, consider that as of 2005 76 percent of North Americans own a PC. For a country as small as South Korea, it’s no surprise with that PC gaming culture has integrated itself into modern Korean culture. Whereas in the UK or US PC gaming doesn’t go past interested parties.
According to Pearl Research, South Korea’s online gaming market grew over 20 percent in 2008 alone. Additionally, free to play online games with microtransaction models do not suffer despite the global economic state, possibly due to the low prices for pay items in-game.
Online game companies such as NCsoft, Nexon, and CJ Internet are based in South Korea, and anyone looking for a free to play MMORPG must wade through dozens of games to find one that fits their tastes.
Anyone naive to the popularity of PC gaming in South Korea need look only towards the huge MMO market and the serious professional Starcraft leagues to know just how deep online games have wormed their way into the country’s collective psyche.
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