Harmony and Conflict in Korean MMOs

Harmony and Conflict in Korean MMOs

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Starcraft.

Lineage II.

<o:p> </o:p>In this month’s column I will share with you my working theory of why these games are so successful with Koreans.

<o:p> </o:p>These games dominate Korean online gaming culture (I have set aside GoStop which is a gambling game which are tremendously addictive in every culture).  To understand why Koreans play certain games and pass over other games that are otherwise quite successful in other territories it is important as a game designer to develop as deep as an understanding as possible about why Koreans play these three games so much.

<o:p> </o:p>Conflict – Korean History

A modest review of Korean history will shock a Western reader, especially an American with the brutal, cruel invasions the Koreans have suffered for the last 1500 years. Indeed, there is no real act of aggression of Koreans against other peoples in their entire history. Throughout the times, the Chinese, Mongols, Japanese and the Koreans themselves have invaded, pillaged, raped, burned and killed an untold number of Koreans. This is despite huge cultural achievements such as moveable metallic type, and the world’s most advanced ceramics around the year 500.

<o:p> </o:p>In this brutal history the Koreans have accorded themselves with a few great defensive victories, but aside from the Turtle Ships and repelling great Chinese hosts a few times, the Koreans feel a great collective sense of shame about their seeming inability to keep themselves free from aggressive acts.  This of course has only become even more ingrained in the 20<sup>th</sup> century with the exploitative Japanese imperialist occupation and being the bloody battleground for <st1:country-region w:st="on">Russia</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region w:st="on">China</st1:country-region> vs. the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">USA</st1:country-region></st1:place> during the Cold War, and now to remain the last dived people of a major country.

<o:p> </o:p>To this very day, a foreign army garrisons a significant fraction of its Far East force projection in Seoul and about the Korean peninsula, and contrary to what Americans are taught, the Koreans would much rather have the freedom to be an independent country and peacefully unite with their Northern half, rather than be a dutiful puppet ally.

<o:p> </o:p>This shame leads to suppressed anger and rage that cannot find much of an outlet other than through expressions of nationalism and a raw determination to win.  This explains why the Koreans are the hosts of the World Cyber Games, and are well known to be fierce competitors in international sports and in business.  They have a score to settle.

<o:p> </o:p>Harmony – Korean Culture

Koreans are regarded as the most conservative followers of the Confucian principles. In short, Confucianism is a philosophy primarily concerned with an ordered society with strong guidelines for all possible human relationships from Parent to Child, Ruler to Subject, Husband to Wife and Employer to Employee.

<o:p> </o:p>In day-to-day life this constant awareness of the group is an alien concept to a Westerner, especially the rugged individualists of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region>.  I know I have only a very limited grasp of this group awareness, as it is evident in language, eating customs, professional titles, and attitudes and customs at the workplace.  However, at the raw core, Koreans need to know who you are and more importantly what your status is relative to themselves as immediate as possible so as to be able to shift into the correct form of language and custom to avoid committing a gross failure of etiquette that would look poorly on themselves as well as their close social groups such as at the workplace, friends, and family.

<o:p> </o:p>Status is primary determined by age – the older the better, after age, comes profession and title, then mixed up in the bunch is what university did you come from, what part of the country, and your gender.  Gender attitudes are changing so rapidly that it using trying to discuss gender by referring to Koreans as a whole just does not work, instead you must break it down into age categories almost down to five-year groups.

<o:p> </o:p>Playing electronic games was not covered by Confucius – no matter Koreans have simply adopted the scoring mechanisms of games to determine their relative standing compared to another gamer.

<o:p> </o:p>Starcraft has become one of the national sports in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Korea</st1:place></st1:country-region>, probably only behind Soccer in overall popularity.  When I take a break at a Sauna it is common to see middle-aged naked Korean men standing around, nodding and grunting in appreciation of the various tactics professional Korean Starcraft players as exhibited on multiple cable channels.  When elementary school kids begin a new school year at about the 3<sup>rd</sup> or 4<sup>th</sup> grade they will be challenged by their school mates to a game to find out how good they are before any other discussion of computers and games.  When I am on the subway and I ask high school girls what they play I am surprised over and over again how many girls say Starcraft is their number one game.  How can that be?  Why are Korean girls not playing The Sims?  Why are they playing with Zergs?

<o:p> </o:p>Koreans play Starcraft to fit in the group and to compete with each other for status.  

<o:p> </o:p>As a western MMO designer I must realize this role that status plays in creating sports out of our games.

<o:p> </o:p>-Erik

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Originally posted on LiveJournal