South Korea, though small in size, holds cultural influence greater than many others. Millions worldwide adore Korean music, dramas, comics, cuisine, and fashion. It's hard to find someone who hasn't heard of BTS or Blackpink. But what about the gaming culture, popularity of no deposit free bonus for online casinos and the whole entartainig industry in Korea? How successful is it? Let's find out together!
The Emergence and Growth of South Korean Game Development
The history of the Korean Peninsula has always been tumultuous. Korea was influenced by China, endured invasions, and was ultimately occupied by Japan in 1910. After Japan's defeat in World War II, the country descended into a civil war, resulting in the division of Korea into North (communist DPRK) and South (capitalist Republic of Korea). Both needed help to revive their devastated economies. While China and the USSR aided North Korea, the defeated Japan, along with its allies including the USA, assisted South Korea. The peninsula remains divided: the northern part grapples with hunger and the horrors of dictatorship, while the south stands as one of the most developed countries in the world (ranked 10th in the world in terms of nominal GDP as of 2020).
Seoul in the 1960s
Recovery was slow, but by the 1960s and 70s, industries and urban populations were growing. The first video games arrived: initially as arcade machines featuring Pong (1975) and later as the Gamatic consoles from the Canadian company Olympus in the early 80s. Arcades faced negative reactions from the state and parts of society, leading to most of them (several hundred) operating illegally until the ban was lifted in 1983. Around this time, companies like Daewoo launched the Zemmix console line, and Samsung and Hyundai started producing foreign systems under modified names through licensing agreements. NES became Comboy, and the Mega Drive became Super GameBoy.
Daewoo Zemmix CPC-50A (1985) - one of the first Korean consoles
Corporations and the education system prepared the ground for the emergence of local developers. Schools set up computer labs, and Samsung initiated programming competitions. Personal computers began to spread. Until the late 80s, there was almost no copyright in Korea, resulting in many clone games (Donkey Kong, King of Fighters, etc.) and unofficial ports. Future game developers entertained themselves by making these.
Many Korean companies saw no issue in copying Japanese products due to historical relations between the two countries. Until 1998, there were state restrictions on the distribution of books, films, and games from the Land of the Rising Sun. Occupying authorities once tried to replace Korean culture with their own. However, after the repeal of these laws, many Japanese titles (such as Pokemon) became very popular in Korea. Today, the connections and mutual influence between the two countries are evident.
The initial developers found it challenging to compete with their foreign counterparts who already had experience and expertise. Nevertheless, the industry in the republic steadily gained ground. Companies like Zemina, Prosoft, Clover, and Sonnori were active in the market. Sonnori was responsible for one of the first original and successful Korean RPGs, evidently similar to JRPGs - Astonishia Story. Japanese developers were seen as formidable rivals, but their products were poorly represented in the Korean market. The RPGs from the Land of the Rising Sun gained significant popularity domestically and in Taiwan.
Astonishia Story (1994)
In 1993, the first-ever computer and game software exhibition was held in Seoul. In the same year, LG opened an educational center for future developers. Under US pressure, laws on intellectual property protection were enacted. Standardization of computers based on Apple II and MSX began. Nintendo and Sega started working through intermediaries, and a campaign against illegal production kicked off. Former semi-pirated teams of student programmers, who made clones of hits, stepped out of the shadows and became regular developers.
In the 90s, MMORPGs emerged and gained influence. This genre would become the trademark of Korean game development. In 1996, Nexus: The Kingdom of the Winds by Jack Song was released, followed by his Lineage two years later. Both games quickly gained subscribers, including in China and Taiwan. Individual developers took on action games, shooters, and quests, but finding particularly successful projects in these genres released during that period is not easy. The strict rating system was a hindrance to market development: all games were subject to scrutiny by the Ethics Committee of the Ministry of Culture and Sports. Several Western hits (such as Diablo) were completely banned.
Lineage (1996)
Real-time strategy games (RTS) gained traction - largely riding on the wild popularity of StarCraft, which in South Korea turned into a national sport and one of the main forms of entertainment. About 4.5 million copies of the game were sold here, which is almost half of all sales. Blizzard's strategy became a hit in computer clubs (referred to as PC bangs in Korea), which became prevalent due to not everyone affording home PCs (the Asian financial crisis of 1997 played a role). PC bangs were obliged to purchase licensed copies of games, which increased publishers' revenues. Many clubs operated around the clock, offered food and drinks, and even became common places for romantic dates.
StarCraft: Remastered (2017)
StarCraft became more than just a game in South Korea. In the early 2000s, the first strategy teams acquired solid sponsors, and matches began to be broadcast on television. It is Korean esports players who became the best in the world: challenging their dominance is difficult even now for pro gamers from other countries. The success of StarCraft inspired Korean developers to create their own RTS. None of them broke into global hits, and almost all of these projects were clones of StarCraft. However, they stood out with unconventional design and audacity: unusual units, races, settings, and visual effects. Examples include Seven Years War (1997), Primitive Wars (2001), the Kingdom Under Fire series (since 2001), and Three Kingdoms (since 1998).