Gaming around the world is increasing. Whether it be on-line or off, people are playing games. Whether it be together or alone, people are playing games. According to this Gamespot article, the United States has seen an increase in on-line gaming of 10% just this past year alone. That is impressive, however, Korea is one such location where gaming has made the transition from hobby to way of life.
More than three-quarters of households enjoy ultrafast connections to the internet in Korea. They are the connectivity kings of the world. So it would only seem natural that users there would want to maximize their connectivity potential. Well, they most certainly are. All age levels have what seems to be an obsession with gaming, particularly on-line gaming. The young, old, and in everyone in between are playing, but is this trend an unhealthy one? According to this business week article a
government-sponsored survey last year showed that some 546,000 people
-- 2.4% of Koreans aged 9 to 39 -- need counseling for Internet
addiction. The article continues "The problem can even
be fatal. Some players get so obsessed with winning experience points
or digital doodads such as magic swords and power-boosting necklaces
that they skip school, quit jobs, and play nonstop for days on end."
Experts are saying that this is no laughing matter. They claim that gaming is an escape mechanism not unlike alcohol or drugs. People, Koreans in particular are looking to escape their every day troubles and worries by engrossing themselves in these alternate realities which are producing ever more realistic and socially gratifying experiences.
I suppose the question i am interested in is, who is to blame? Can we be held accountable for our own actions or are we victims of game developers who are aiming to keep us coming back for more? Korean psychiatrist Kim Hyun Soo states that "on-line gaming has become a national concern" and he feels that the developers should bear some of the burden. NCSoft, a Korean developer has actually opened several counseling centers to help combat game and internet addiction.
Can we in the United States take this as a warning? Are we as a society headed in the same direction? With an ever increasing library of great games to play i do in fact fear the worst. In a few years i believe we will be about where Korea is today, if not sooner.