I found this great article written by a Korean with the title “Why are Koreans Good at Games? - The Story Behind History and Culture”. I started to learn Korean because of the game I am playing and the professional players I like who are from South Korea. I always wonder why Koreans in general are good at gaming. They have a huge presence in the professional gaming industry as players, coaches and viewers. What caused this? After reading this article, I think I have learned a lot more about the reasons behind. Korea has a lot of population but very little land compared to the population. So PC cafes became a huge hit in the early 2000s as a social activity for students and young people. Because Korean has more of a group/community culture, so many students play games to fit in. Therefore, the students provide the base for a large gamer population. Given all of this, it’s not too surprising that Korea has many high level gamers. Rather than being a phenomenon, the famous gamers of Korea are a result of this combination of social and economic factors. The culture that grew as a result of the explosion of PC cafes across Korea was and still is the perfect environment to foster PC gamers. Korea also has a culture that supports competitiveness, which is one of the most important qualities for a professional gamer.
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This is so interesting! I vaguely knew that games are a huge part of Korean culture. I have heard of the cafes that people, especially teenagers, go to and spend hours at. I would have never guessed that Korea’s population density and land mass contributed to its gaming culture. It also makes sense that such a popular activity is group-based, which reflects Korea’s strong sense of community. Thanks for sharing!