About 60 percent of PC bang customers here are glued to their monitors playing a hugely popular network video game. Plopped on comfy chairs, moving nothing but their eyeballs and a mouse, up to eight players nurture civilizations with which to annihilate one another. The real-time network game involves managing resources in an ugly futuristic world of silver drones, gooey hatcheries, and steaming volcanoes. Since it requires high-speed access, most people still can't play at home. Pro-players win thousands of dollars per tournament, and are offered movie roles and product endorsements.
Tournaments are on live TV, complete with announcers giving a running commentary.
Each game lasts only 10 to 20 minutes. But gamers commonly play for 10 hours non-stop. One customer here at the Deep Blue PC bang played for 28 hours straight, says owner Na Hoon Tae. The mother of a high school student once harangued Mr. Na with curses and threats to call the police. She says that he's the one who ought to go home.