When most gamers think of Korea, though, titles such as StarCraft and Diablo II immediately spring to mind. It's certainly no doubt that Blizzard Entertainment has a massive following in the country as StarCraft spread like wildfire once in was introduced. First a few picked it up, then more, people began to hook up and create clans, these clans turned into teams of the elite mirroring famous US/European teams such as the [9] clan (of whose some members and many from others actually went to Korea to compete in StarCraft tournaments and subsequently become celebrities), leagues were being formed, and so on. While StarCraft had sold wildly in the US, it was still a computer game. In South Korea it had literally become a phenomenon. And it's only grown bigger! Today there are even corporate-sponsored teams whose entire jobs consist of practicing their gaming skills all day! Not to mention the merchandising from bags of Doritos with pictures of major hero characters on them to strategy videos. To give an even greater scope of how wildly popular this game has become, it sold 1 million copies within a few weeks when the average game in Korea sells 10-15k at best. The success has been in tandem with so-called "game rooms" where people can come to a public place to play for a fee. In comparsion to the 500 or so game rooms in Korea *before* StarCraft, literally thousands more have sprung up since the its introduction.

To quote YNK (a character-based product agent) president Young Seog Yoon, "StarCraft-related scenes and characters are popping up everywhere throughout Korea. The way in which this game has become a part of the Korean culture can only be compared to the way in which the Star Wars Phantom Menace movie became a cultural icon in America."

And while Diablo II has not quite been as much of a phenomenon (most likely due to the fact that it isn't as fast-paced or competitive), it has also sold past the 1 million mark and is still quite popular.

However, it seems that competition is exactly what the Korean gaming world craves. With near-constant tournaments going on, official leagues such as KBK, sponsored teams, and money on the line, StarCraft almost seems to have become the country's official sport. With sports come fans and with fans come celebrities. While there are no doubt a lot of home-spawned elite StarCraft players, many who have gained success in the United States and Europe have actually moved there since the phenomenon started. Remarkably enough, the life of a celebrity StarCraft player is no different from any other kind of star. Having once had the opportunity to talk to [9] Clan's eVERLAST on Kali a few years back (though I can remember very little of the specifics and thus apologize if I have taken anything out of context), the life of an elite StarCraft player in Korea is extremely tiring and can range from simply playing in tournaments to constantly being interviewed to being recognized on the streets by normal people.

In fact, being a professional gamer is one of the most popular career choices for high-school age boys in South Korea these days. It's not surprising considering, just like major sports in America, tournament finals are often broadcast on national television. Imagine seeing the final scores of a StarCraft match being reported on *your* nightly news.

However, StarCraft is most certainly not the only game in town. If it's not one obsession, then it's another and that "other" happens to be a little massively-multiplayer online game by NCSoft called Lineage: The Blood Pledge. Basically, pour in a few cups of Ultima Online-style interactivity, a few dashes of fast-paced, Diablo-style gameplay, and a huge helping of massive, epic battles and you've essentially got Lineage. While there are many different MMORPGs in Korea, none come close to the sheer popularity of this game. Not even Everquest, UO, Asheron's Call, or Anarchy Online can compare. In fact, Lineage's total subscriber base surpasses that of those of the four games listed above. When you've got 2 mil + subscribers, you're a force to be reckoned with in the online gaming world.

Essentially, just like any other proper online role-playing game, you take on the life of a character in a fantasy world, taking any number of paths, free to do whatever you want. In Lineage, you must make a "Blood Pledge" which is essentially a pact with a group of people that ensures you'll always stick together throughout the game. We'd call it a clan, but a Pledge is much more. While clans in Everquest or Ultima Online are player-created and supported, Pledges are essential to the Lineage world. Some are simply small groups of people playing together while others that have grown quite powerful can become literal empires used to enhance the drama of the game. Such groups and kingdoms are constantly clashing and Pledges almost act like armies, taking part in the massive battles characteristic to the game.

Of course, there are many other things to do in the game, as well, besides the obligatory gaining experience and loot. You can train dogs (presumably for attack), go on quests, knock a few back at the bar, gamble on snail races, and much, much more. As many gamers have commented, it's one of the most immersive online worlds out there, if not the *most* immersive.

And sometimes immersiveness can have its dark side. Much like StarCraft, the popularity of Lineage has caused its influence to spill over into the real world. Though it hasn't been a terrible problem, disgruntled players have been known to become violent with other real life players for various reasons, including ripping off their character in the game. Overall, though, it's just another game that's allowed a country of people used to relative conservatism (much like Japan) to escape into another world where they can be a totally different person.

Lineage, while initially being a Korean-only game, has since added support for many different languages including a server dedicated to English. It's even possible to get a free trial account right now at http://www.lineagethebloodpledge.com if you feel like trying the game. However, it might be wise to wait until Lineage makes a bigger impact on the American PC Gaming market. Richard Garriott's (aka Ultima's Lord British) new company Destination Games has teamed up with NCSoft to finally bring the product overseas in order to reach a larger audience. In the process, Garriott plans to use his Lord British character to make the domestic release of Lineage feel more like an invasion, creating his own empire to engage the regimes already established in the Korean version.

If Lineage gains a good following with the American audience, it could no doubt lead to the English translation of other, popular Korean games. It's not hard to imagine that, if the cards are played right, South Korea could have a major impact on the world of gaming (or at least PC gaming) within the next few years, joining Japan and America as a major entertainment software developer. To date, even with the popularity of StarCraft, Lineage, Diablo II, and various other online games, the smaller, Korean console developers have failed to follow suit. Considering most of the games in Korea that have such a following are social and competitive, the potential for engagaing single-player adventure and console games has not yet been tapped. Perhaps with encouragement from their PC gaming bigger brothers and success in the West, South Korean developmers can become just as influential to the video game culture as other major companies. Don't be surprised if the next Konami, Namco, or Squaresoft comes from the diminutive country, for Korea is on the rise!

While I've talked about the most popular games in South Korea, there are still plenty of other online titles to talk about, such as Nexon's cult-classic trivia-based game, Quiz Quiz. and various other RPGs. I hope to cover some of them in the next installment, as well as provide more insight into the "game room" culture and the impact of this gaming boom on the country's general attitude.